Action Jackson is at it again.....

Well, Jack has finally decided that it was time to move on from the army crawl. He has now improvised so that he can climb short heights. Today, I caught him kneeling 4 times as he tried to pull himself up. Yay!! This is good since he is getting a little hefty to be lugging along on my hip for any length of time. Hopefully we'll be moving on to cruising soon. Then, I'll be lamenting the days when he wasn't so mobile...(yet another example of the grass is always greener). Above is a video clip that Brian took the other day of Jack crawling up onto the wrapping paper box and then flipping himself off of it as he tries to get down. It doesn't seem to slow him down at all. Take note also of Kaylyn trying to steal the spotlight. This is an hourly occurrence at our house. It seems that it is eternally "her turn"!

Say cheese, or pizza, or smile, or whatever works......

Well, we got Kaylyn by herself and Jack by himself and got great pictures. Then, Jack got grumpy and wouldn't take pictures with his sister. So, on to the family pics. Click here for more photos.

Santa Claus - Part Two

Well, Jack was a good sport with Santa too. He gave Santa Claus a 45 second stare-down. Next thing you know, Jack laid his head down on Santa's tummy and just hung out while we waited for the photographer to finish up with her last customer. When it was showtime Jack smiled while I played a little peek-a-boo behind the curtain with him. I will post about today's family portrait session after dinner.

Santa Claus - Part One

Kaylyn and I went to the mall today to see Santa Claus and do a little Christmas shopping. Kaylyn was the perfect model. She placed herself in the pose above (including her hands) without any coaching from me or anyone else. She told Santa what she wanted for Christmas and politely said thank you after she was done taking her picture. I was so proud! Brian and I are taking Jack to see Santa tomorrow while Kaylyn is in school, so check back for his picture later. We will also be trying out a new place for our annual Christmas pictures. We have an appointment at Portrait Innovations in Sugar Land tomorrow. I will post those pictures later as well.

Nothing to say...just cute pictures!

Just goofing off one day and put Jack on the snail with his cowboy hat. Love the facial expressions and just wanted to share.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, How lovely are your branches?

Well, the holidays are upon us and we're coming to the end of another year. This time Kaylyn is definitely excited about all that the holidays will bring. I got her a set of My Little Pony mini-ornaments to hang on the tree. She moves them around everyday. She loves to see Christmas lights and is anticipating visiting Santa Claus next week. We also learned that she will be in her school's Christmas Pageant next week. Jack is just going with the flow. He doesn't seem very interested in the Christmas tree, but maybe that's because Brian put up a HUGE gate around it! It kind of takes away from the effect of it all. Well, here's wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday. We will be taking new family portraits this week. I will post those as soon as I can. For now, click here to see the rest of the tree decorating pics.

Catching up on birthdays, Mickey Mouse, and turkey....

Well, I've fallen behind on my blogging, so I will attempt to catch everyone up.

I recently turned 35 years old on November 9th. I think I'm finally starting to feel it. I guess 2 kids will do that to you. I celebrated on my actual birthday by going out to eat with my parents, sister and kids since Brian had to work. We went to BJ's Restaurant and Brewpub. The food was yummy as usual. Kaylyn ate more than anyone else at the table. She also enjoyed her own personal ice cream sundae for dessert. On Monday (Nov.10) Brian took me and the kids to Pappasito's Cantina(my favorite place to eat) and we had fajitas for dinner.

On Wednesday (Nov. 12), we went to see Disney on Ice - Disneyland Adventures. Kaylyn loved it, especially whenever Mickey & Minnie were on the ice. Kaylyn came home with a new Cinderella toy, Disney on Ice Mickey ears, and an Incredibles light-up wrist band. After that adventure, I left the next day to drive to South Padre for a forensics conference on child abuse. I was a little disappointed in the conference, there wasn't a lot of information presented that I didn't already know. On top of that, I picked up a monster cold while I was there. I'm still fighting it off now.

Yesterday was a nice day. Kaylyn's school had a Thanksgiving luncheon where family members were invited to join their children for a turkey lunch. Nia made a special surprise appearance and we all got to eat an early Thanksgiving meal. The food was delicious and Kaylyn seemed to have a good time. She had such a good time that she wasn't ready to go home with us after lunch. She insisted on staying for nap time. She took me back to her classroom and said "I have to take a nap now mommy, I'll see you later." (huh???) Well, Brian and I decided to take Jack to Garden Ridge and do some Christmas shopping while Kaylyn took her nap. In fact, she was still asleep when I arrived to pick her up at 2 pm. She sure does love her school!

Halloween Adventures

Halloween was a busy, fun-packed day for Kaylyn. It started off with a costume party at school. She was one of three mermaids in her class, although she was the only one with a crown. Her teacher said that she had a blast. We picked her up at 2pm and went home to relax for a bit. Kaylyn and Jack spent the afternoon playing at the house. We headed over to my parents house about 6:30pm. My dad had fixed steak and potatoes for dinner...yummy! After dinner, we all went trick-or-treating. Kaylyn was sweet as could be. She would always take one extra piece of candy and tell everyone "This is for Jack" and then place the candy in his bucket. She also told everyone "thank you and happy Halloween!" (with a little coaching). Check out our pictures here.

Fun in Lufkin

Well, the family had fun in Lufkin while I was stuck in Houston working. Kaylyn and Jack got to visit Nia, Papa, and Uncle Scott. They stayed very busy playing with their new toys and swinging on the back porch. They even squeezed in a trip to the zoo! I'm so glad they all had fun. Check out more pictures from their visit here.

A Taste of Success

Well, I did it! I managed to scrapbook my first set of pages in 3 years. I put together 7 pages total of our recent trip to the zoo. I am so excited. I hope that I can manage to continue squeezing in pages here and there. Next on my list is pumpkins, fall, and Halloween. I've decided that I am not even going to attempt to do past events yet. I will just concentrate on current events and hopefully that will keep me from feeling overwhelmed. Here is a sample of some pages that I did. Hope you like them!

Jumping Jack Takes a Nap

Lately Jack has really taken to jumping in his jumperoo bouncer. He can bounce for an hour if you let him and he would be quite content. In fact, he was so content the other day that he bounced himself to sleep...twice!

Meanwhile, Brian and I have re-arranged the house furniture yet again to try and be more efficient. We have moved our formal dining table into the breakfast area and covered it with a casual tablecloth (for protection). We then downsized the breakfast table and moved into the formal dining room (that we never used). We also moved the computer desk and drafting table into the front room. So far, we love it. It is now a computer/craft room. I am really hoping to start sneaking time to scrapbook a page or two here and there as soon as I can get my area set up. Hopefully this will happen in the near future. Then I can scan my favorite pages and post them here in this blog! Cross your fingers and hope it works...

Painting Pumpkins

Our craft project for this weekend was to paint our Halloween pumpkins. Kaylyn is still too young for carving so we're saving that for next Halloween. Instead, we picked up a bag of mini-pumpkins at Target today. When Jack took his afternoon snooze, we headed to the garage to paint our gourds. Kaylyn had a great time and took a few Backyardigans big-wheeling breaks when she needed inspiration. We enjoyed the beautiful fall day. We also spent some time talking to our neighbors. We found out that our neighbors to our left just had their baby yesterday! We also found out that one of the assistant teachers from Kaylyn's school lives down the street!! Kaylyn gave her a big hug when she saw her. She's such a sweet girl. Well, check out our pictures here.

There he goes....

Well, Jack is now an expert "scoocher". He doesn't seem like he wants to crawl on his hands and knees like most babies. He prefers to use the elbow/tummy/toes method. He seems happy as long as he can get around and he's very fast. The other night I was giving Kaylyn and bath. I went to check on Jack in the living room and he had managed to scooch himself all the way under the piano bench at the front door!


Kaylyn acts more and more grown up by the day. She says the funniest things. My favorite phrases are: 1. "No Mommy/Daddy, you don't understand!" 2. "Wow Mommy/Daddy! It's beautiful (or wonderful)!!" 3. "Good morning, handsome!" (to Jack when he wakes up) Jack seems to enjoy her company. He especially thinks its funny when she's having a mini-meltdown and crying. He smiles and laughs at her...which makes her more mad.

First Day of School

Well, Kaylyn started preschool the other day. She will be going part-time, 2 days a week. However, she loved it so much that Brian and I are thinking of putting her in for one more day a week. She didn't cry when we left her there, but had a huge meltdown when it was time to go home. I think her exact screams were "NO, I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME! I WANT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL!!" This meltdown lasted all the way down the hallway and into the car and for about another 45 minutes after we got home. Brian and I are sure that the school staff thinks we beat/torture her at home.

Ms. Tamika is her teacher. She said Kaylyn did really well. She said it seemed like Kaylyn had been in school before because she particpated well and knew all her colors, shapes, numbers and letters. I guess we prepared her well. She's a smart cookie. She did have trouble transitioning into naptime. (Imagine that!) Well, I think she's going to love being in school. Now we can have some more quality time with Jack while Kaylyn's away. When she's home, it's always "her turn".

See more recent pics of the kids here.

My Little Cowboy

Well, Jack is 9 months old now. Where does the time go?? Kaylyn is enjoying playing with him. Yesterday she made him into a cowboy and he didn't seem to mind. Most of the time they enjoy the other's company. Guess I should enjoy it while I can because it won't last forever. I know what it's like to have a sibling....Clarissa can relate!

Riding out the Storm

Here's a picture of part of the rideout team for the Emergency Center before Ike. The winds were starting to pick up already on Friday afternoon and we were playing around outside enjoying the fresh air before the hospital went on lockdown (they called it "tuck-in") procedures. I was assigned as 1 of 2 charge nurses on the unit for the dayshift for the duration of the rideout team's assignment. We were given the TCH version of "MRE's". They tasted like cardboard. We also slept in various clinic offices while night shift was working. We had one shower on our floor to share between about 50 people. We were told to take "military showers" which meant 2 minutes, choose what you wash, we don't want to know. My good friend Kenya and I were roomies. We shared a sound booth room that they use for hearing tests as our sleeping quarters (see below). The day of the storm and the day after were definitely more stressful because everyone was now thinking of their families and homes and wondering how bad it really was. We all came through it safe and sound. My prayers to everyone who has been affected by this storm. More pictures here.

Take a Hike, Ike

Well, for all my friends and family who can get to a computer and read this, here's an update. I am still at work waiting for the relief team to be called in. I have been sleeping on air mattresses and army cots. Kenya is my roomie and we've been sleeping in an sound booth that they use for hearing tests. We are allowed to take showers in "military time" (2 minutes). We were told to choose what we wash, they won't dictate. We can't drink the water or use the ice. My husband drove home from College Station today. We have some roof leakage and fence problems, but otherwise we weathered much better than others. He's still waiting for the electricity to come on. My parents and sister are also safe with roof damage to their house. They also have no electricity. The kids are in Lufkin with Brian's parents. They are on generator power and are safe. I can't get in contact with any of my other family members, so if you read this please post comments to let me know how you are. I pray that everyone is safe. Pictures will come later when I can get back into my computer at home. Everyone, take care!

Look at all that hair!!!

Brian caught a shot of Kaylyn with a bouffant of curls the other day. Her hair is out of control!!! She has the perfect spiral curls that I always wanted as a young girl. Ironically enough, she will probably grow up to hate her hair and wish it were straight! The grass is always greener....

Well, click here and check out other random pictures of the family hanging out at home and running around town.

Dance Like No One's Watching...

Well, it's been a hectic couple of weeks, but finally I am able to get on the computer and post something! No news to report, so I am just going to post cute pictures and videos of the kids. They make me laugh and smile. Hope they do the same for you! This video is of Kaylyn. I caught her doing her Care Bears Wish Song routine in front of the piano so that she could see herself in her reflection. She didn't know I was taping her at first.



This is a video of Jack playing on the floor. Hear him growl at his toy as he attacks it with his teeth. I call it his hungry bear imitation.

Birthday Boy

Well, Brian just celebrated his 33rd birthday last Tuesday. So, at least for the next 2 1/2 months, I will only be 1 year older than him... We celebrated with cake and presents with the kids and then dinner out for just the two of us. Jack bought him a Starbucks travel mug and Kaylyn bought him a Starbucks gift card. Mellie (the cat) claims to have bought him his Playstation 3, but we all know that is not the case. Brian bought that himself a couple of months ago as an early present (with my approval of course;o]) I think for my present, I will let him beat me in Singstar...but just this once.

For dinner we went to Fogo de Chao. The restuarant had the best salad bar I've ever seen. It included fresh asparagus, sundried tomatoes, smoked salmon, 4 kinds of cheeses, and on and on... Then, flip your card to green and let the meatfest begin. We ate until we were stuffed and then split a brownie sundae with coffee before we rolled ourselves out the door. Everything was delicious, but be prepared to spend a pretty penny if you go.

Conversations with Jack

Well, it looks like Jack has the gift for gab like his mother and his sister. Some days he is quiet as a mouse, but other days he is a little chatterbox. Listen to what he has to say in this short video clip above.

Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '27 &'29

Brian and I took the kids in to take pictures that were well overdue. I came up with the idea of doing an Aggie theme since Jack could now fit into his football outfit and Kaylyn still fit into her cheerleader outift. We provided all the props. Jack was pleasant and cooperative, although at times a bit drooly. Kaylyn, however, was not a very cooperative model at all. I thank Ms. Marva at JCPenney's Portrait Studio for hiding this very well. We were very pleased with the results. (BTW, we're not pressuring our children at all as to where they should go to college...);o)Click on this link to see the slideshow.

Together Again! (SYTYCD)

Yay!! Katee and Joshua are back together again! And a good thing for the last show before the finale. They were wonderful in both performances. The contemporary piece by Tice Diorio was my favorite. I am so happy that they are in the finale. I really would love Joshua to win it all, he is so the underdog. I do believe that all the performances last week were great. Looking forward to the finale...

Tropical Storm Edouard Mayhem

I just got back from the grocery store. I was doing my usual weekly shopping with a few added items to prepare for T.S. Eduoard as he bears down on the Texas coast. Kroger was a complete MADHOUSE! There was barely any room in the store to maneuver a cart, and you better get in line if you are planning on buying bottled water or batteries. Oh, and don't forget the line that wraps around the parking lot for gasoline. Thankfully, I filled up the tank yesterday. Every check-out line was open (I've never seen that....) and they all had lines 5-6 carts deep. The parking lot looked even worse when I left. To top off all that mayhem, I received a call from work while I was shopping. We are on CARLA alert (that means emergency preparedness plan is in effect) and I am required to be there at 5 am tomorrow morning with extra clothes, a blanket and a pillow in hand. I plan to be there with a big smile on my face and a LARGE cup of coffee. I wonder if Starbucks will remain open across the street tomorrow..... Stay tuned for an update on my adventures at TCH tomorrow.

Viva Las Vegas...

Well, as some of you know, Clarissa and I went to Las Vegas last week for a short vacation. We stayed at the Excalibur in one of their newly renovated rooms. We had a great time. Great people-watching opportunities!

We caught two shows while we there. We went to Mystere by Cirque du Soleil at Treasure Island. LOVED IT! I've always been a Cirque du Soleil fan, so I was very excited. We sat in the second row and it was amazing because we could see everything so close up. We also took a cab to Rio to see Penn & Teller. Also a good show and we got to meet them afterwards. Check out my slideshow to catch a picture of me with Penn.

The rest of the trip was spent running around from casino to casino, none of them paying out anything. We also got to experience the chaos of a bunch of drunk people being told by Metro police that they had to leave Bellagio and head either further north or south of the strip. Lots of unhappy, inebriated folks dropping f-bombs at policemen was somewhat interesting to watch. After Mystere, the cops closed down the streets surrounding the Bellagio. We found out later that there was a suspicious bag left on the sidewalk outside the hotel and that a bomb squad was brought in to check it out. Needless to say, it was nothing since you probably didn't hear about it in the news. I'm glad we got to go, Clarissa never gets to vacation anywhere and I thought it was fun to hang out with my sis, just the two of us having fun.

SYTYCD

I know I haven't mentioned my show in 2 weeks, but rest assured that I am still watching. Not much to say, I do like that my two favorites are still there (Kaytee and Joshua). However, I have also grown fond of Twitch and Chelsie. I can't believe that Will was voted off. He was so talented! I haven't watched this week's episode so nobody spoil it for me please!

The Aquarium Blues

Well, I'm very behind on my blogging, so I will start off with our trip to The Aquarium Downtown a week and a half ago. If you haven't been, DON'T GO!! I was very disappointed with our visit. The Aquarium complex is nice to look at and is a wonderful idea, but not worth the money you spend. We had lunch at the restaurant first. It took 3 hostesses and a ten minute conversation to figure where to seat us in a dining room of 20+ empty tables. We had to ask for a highchair 3 times. The food was not bad, but was not good either and way too expensive for what it was. Kaylyn's hamburger tasted like the kind I used to get at my elementary school cafeteria. The Aquarium itself was cool, nicely decorated and good exhibits, but very short. We went on a train ride into the shark tunnel and then took a couple of rides on the carousel and one and two hours and $100 later we were done. We all left disappointed and with a mild case of heat stroke. At least we got some cute pictures.

Attention, attention...we now have video!

I am so excited because I have been waiting for my Flip Video Mino to arrive. I saw it in my Parents magazine and thought what a convenient way to catch all the cute things my children do and post it in my blog! I have to say that I am very pleased with my purchase. It small, easy to carry, and very user-friendly. Here is one of our very first videos. More to come later....

When you need a little de-motivation....

Most of you are familiar with the motivational posters (see above) that you see at the print shop at the mall, or maybe in your very own office. Well, my co-workers and I discovered a website with posters that represent the real world. Check out these Demotivator posters. (One example below)

Swimming classes

Kaylyn had her first swimming lesson today at the Sea Star Swimschool and Gymnastics Center. She's the only one in her class on Tuesdays so she was by herself with her swim instructor Beau. She did fairly well from what I could tell. We sat in the observation area. I could tell that she wasn't always listening to what her instructor told her, but she did things that I could never get her to do in the water before. She was kicking her legs and floating on her tummy and back with assistance. She has absolutely no fear of the water! She ended the 30 minute lesson with a huge tantrum because she had to leave the pool. Brian and I were quite embarrassed. Oh well, it was her first time. It should get better, right?

Children's Museum - Sugar Land

Clarissa and I took the kids to the Children's Museum of Houston's Sugar Land satellite center today. It is open just for the summer and closes its doors on July 18th. It was a big hit with Kaylyn. She loved the music exhibit (of course) and hugged the giant purple bird mascot thingy that was wandering around twice. Unfortunately I forgot to bring the camera. I did take a picture on my phone of Kaylyn after I painted her face with "Care Bear" related symbols. Not bad for an amateur artist! Afterwards we had lunch at Souper Salads and went shopping at Target. Now home for NAPTIME!!!

We are Care Bears..La La La La La

Well, we've discovered that Kaylyn is just like her daddy. When she decides that she wants to get into something new, she goes all the way. Her latest craze is the Care Bears. I think it's great because I loved the Care Bears when I was younger. I already know all about them! So far Kaylyn has managed to get those near and dear to her to buy her: Cheer Bear (rainbow belly badge), Grumpy Bear (cloud), Care-a-Lot Bear(2 hearts), Funshine Bear (sun), Oopsy Bear (star), and the silver anniversary Tenderheart Bear. She has also picked 4 DVD's. Her favorite is Care Bears Big Wish Movie. She is currently asking for Care Bears shirts, cups, and shoes. I think I'm going to make her a Care Bear for Halloween. Maybe we should just be a Care Bear family?

Spoon fed

Well Jack started eating solids this week. He took his first meal like he's been eating from a spoon for months! He kept looking at me like, "What took you so long?" So far he is enjoying rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and freshly pureed bananas. My boy is growing up!

SYTYCD

Okay, I think Bollywood is great, so guess what my favorite routine was this week?? Kaytee and Joshua are still my favorite couple. I'm nervous that they are going to split everyone up this week. I guess we'll have to see what happens.

Happy 4th!

Well, I had to work the holiday and the day after so my husband and children went to Lufkin to celebrate the Fourth of July with Brian's family. After work I spent my evening catching up on my DVR list. I watched this week's episode of SYTYCD. I have to say the talent this season is amazing. My favorites this week are the 2 Mia Michaels routines. I can't decide which one I like best so I posted both. What a creative mind... I love it!

SYTYCD Top 16

Well,I'm a little bit behind, but at least I'm posting this before this week's episode. Thank goodness for DVR.

So, I'll make it short and sweet. I still love Kaytee and Joshua and their Samba routine was great. They are still my number one couple. But, I'll have to say my favorite routine this week was Chelsie and Mark's hip-hop routine. I am in love with Tabitha and Napoleon's choreography!

As for the bottom 6, I am not attached to ANY of them, so it kind of didn't matter who went home. Matt did do a great solo and deserved to stay after that.

Final note - Yay!!! A couple that got good reviews on their Disco routine! Congrats Jessica and Will! It only took 4 seasons.

Naptime

Well, I had a succesful outing with my children to Target, the mall, and then Old Navy. My children were very well behaved the entire outing, especially compared to other children who were out with their parents.

At Target, Kaylyn walked along side the cart without straying once. Then, at the mall she used the "little potty" in the Family Restroom all by herself. (sidenote: I'm very impressed with the convenience and cleaniliness of the family restroom at the mall. it has a child-sized automatic toilet next to the adult sized one, a stepstool to wash your hands at the sink, and a changing table. NICE!)

I finished the outing with both children falling asleep in their carseats. Jack is currently still sleeping in his. I managed to lay Kaylyn down in her own bed without waking her up. This takes an extraordinary amount of talent by the way.

Now, I choose to use my free time to tell all of you about it on my blog! OK, now off to my multiple projects. Hopefully my nice day will continue!

Galveston 2008

Galveston Gal

Well, our trip to Galveston was a huge hit with Kaylyn. Wednesday night she was very grumpy and threw a few tantrums on The Strand and at the beach / Seawall, but after a good night's sleep she was pleasant all day Thursday. We ran through the Aquarium and the Rainforest at almost lightning speed just as we expected. Kaylyn did take a few seconds to admire the divers in the big fish tank, pet a starfish, and comment on a little boy's Elmo shoes. After that it was on to Palm Beach. We spent a good 6 hours soaking up the sun, playing in the sand and swimming. Kaylyn has little to no experience in the water but she was dunking herself and trying to swim on her own. My child has no fear. We are enrolling her in swim lessons next week. To shorten this up she loved Palm Beach. In fact, I loved Palm Beach. I will take this man-made beachy playground over the Galveston beach any day.

I FINALLY updated my slideshow to feature Galveston pics. Jack was not with us, so you won't see him there. He hung out with his Nia for a couple of days.

The Painted Veil

Ed Norton and Naomi Watts were very good in this movie. I felt the film moved a little slowly in parts, but I enjoyed the overall story. First of all, Ed Norton vs. Liev Schrieber? Not really a contest in my opinion. I loved the battle of wills and of course the irony of the ending. I won't say more to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it. Overall, I would give it a B-.

Let's see how long it will take me to watch the NEXT movie on my queue.

Kaytee and Joshua Can Dance

Well, Kaytee and Joshua were my favorites again this week. Check out their routine here. Tyce Diorio's broadway routines are always great and K&J killed it. I also really liked the hip-hop routine that Will and Jessica did. The judges got it right and I think it was time for Marquis and Susie to go. They weren't doing anything for me at all. I really could have done without the Kobe Bryant butt-kissing Nigel used in his metaphor for the eliminated dancers. Others that I would like to stick around would be "Twitchington", Will, Courtney G, Gev, and Chelsea T.

On an added note, the MTV show Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew has a dance crew from Houston that is all FLIPs. 3 members are children of nurses at TCH. Cool! I'll be watching them as well.

Max and Ruby

THANK YOU, UNCLE SCOTT!! Kaylyn opened her package that came in the mail today and was excited to find her new Max and Ruby beanies waiting for her. Her exact words were, "Oooh, look Mommy, Max and Ruby! I love it!". They have been attached to her hips throughout the rest of the evening (I removed them and hid them for bath time). We will have to give Uncle Scott a call tomorrow to say thank you.

So You Think You Can Dance

Well, my favorite show is on again for the summer. Yeah!! I love this show because it features dancing in every genre out there. It's also where I discover new music / artists because they feature so much music with all of the routines. They have one talented bunch this year. I have not picked out any favorites yet, but this was my favorite performance last week.

Pictures

Well, I haven't posted any pictures recently, so here are a couple. Kaylyn loves to play in the sprinkler in the back yard and Jack was chilling with Dora sunglasses in the swing. We'll have to go shopping soon for some non-Dora, non-pink sunglasses for our son.

Sweating bullets

Well, last Wednesday I had my panel interviews for the charge RN position that has opened up. I haven't been in a panel interview since 1998! I was working that day so at least I did not have to worry about what to wear. Talk about intense!! I was first interviewed with the leadership panel which included 4 managers and a unit educator. I was asked what I thought "shared accountability" was. Yikes! Then, after that I was asked to sit through an interview with a staff panel: a secreatary, patient care assitant, 2 current charge RN's and 2 staff RN's. Not only that, but I was candidate 10 of 10 to be interviewed so they had been doing this all day. I guess they saved the best for last??;o)

Well, hopefully I will have the results by Monday or Tuesday. At least afterwards, my manager came and tapped me on the shoulder and handed me that long-anticipated piece of paper that showed me my annual merit increase (my raise). Yeah! Not such a bad day after all.

OneRepublic

Well, I first fell in love with the song "Apologize" by OneRepublic (the non-Timbaland version) last summer when it was featured on the Fox TV show So You Think You Can Dance. This is before it became mainstream and got any radio play locally. Now the song has blown up unbelievably. To my good fortune, Brian noticed that their album "Dreaming Out Loud" was featured on Amazon.com last Friday. I downloaded the CD for $5. I am quite pleased with my purchase. I can say there isn't a song on there that I feel the need to skip over. My personal faves are "Apologize" and "Come Home". The song "Stop and Stare" is getting radio play now and is featured on this season of So You Think You Can Dance. "Prodigal" is also worth a listen. Click here if you want to hear a sampler.

The Magic Word

Today Kaylyn was asking for juice, so I asked her "What's the magic word?" She replied, "Abre!". Do you think she watches too much Dora the Explorer?

Top 10 Things That Annoy Mommy

10. V-Tech toys, in any shape or form.
9. The phrase: "I want milk, I want milk, I want milk, I WANT MILK!!!!"
8. Watching the same DVD over and over and over and over...
7. People picking food off my plate every meal, even when they have the exact same food on their plate.
6. Not being able to go to the bathroom alone.
5. Changing CD's in the car every 2 minutes.
4. Finding used Kleenex shoved back into the tissue box.
3. Pouring apple juice into a Cinderella cup only to have my daughter have a tantrum because she wanted the Jasmine cup.
2. Finding your child sitting and splashing around in her puddle of urine when she doesn't make it to the potty.
1. Getting into a hot bubble bath only to have your child come in 9 seconds later and dump her fresh poop diaper into the potty for you to enjoy the aroma while you bathe.

Miracles Everyday

I was so proud when I saw this video on the Today show this morning. It's such a great story and this reminds me of why I choose to work where I do. My job is stressful, but so rewarding. Check out the video clip here.

Puzzle of the Week

I've added a new feature to my blog. If you are a jigsaw puzzle lover like I am, check out my puzzle of the week. If you scroll down to the bottom of the site I will try my best to post a different puzzle every week for you to try. Enjoy!

Cutie Patootie

Well, here is the latest picture of my baby boy, fresh out of his bath. He will hate me when he's older for taking this picture, but how could I resist? Jack is growing well and loves to sleep on his tummy. I predict that he'll be walking and talking sooner than Kaylyn did. She's been busy teaching him everything he needs to know. Check out the most recent pictures of the kids here.

Kaylyn's Birthday

Well, Kaylyn is 3 years old!!! Where has the time gone?? She had her birthday party a week early at the Houston Zoo. It was a little bit expensive, but the kids had a great time and we would have spent the same amount of money having it at home. She continued to celebrate her birthday WEEK by getting a visit from Nia for a special present delivery, visiting Nia and Papa in Lufkin and having a Dora fiesta, then visiting her grandpa and grandma the next day to receive more gifts. She's going to think she's supposed to get gifts everyday if this keeps up. See pictures from the birthday festivities here.

Wonderful Mother's Day

Well, it was a great Mother's Day even though I had to work. Brian brought my two babies up to the hospital to see me. Kaylyn arrived at the triage desk with a dozen roses and when she saw me said, "Hi Mommy, I love you!". This was met by a chorus of "awwwwwwww.....!" from co-workers and patient family members in the waiting room. Everyone told me numerous times how beautiful my children are and I agreed with them ;) I was lucky....they were on their best behavior. Kaylyn charmed with her curls and cute personality. Jack grinned at anyone who would look his direction. When I came home I got to open gifts and my parents and sister stopped by to drop off more presents and cards. Everyone was so thoughtful! For any of my friends or family who are mother's; if I did not get to talk to you yesterday: "Happy Mother's Day!" I hope everyone had as wonderful a day as I did.

Attention All Cat Lovers....

Okay all of my cat-loving friends, this is for you. Actually, anyone who has spent any significant time around a cat before can appreciate the humor of this video. Check out the video I saw on one of my podcasts from http://www.bestofyoutube.com/.

http://www.bestofyoutube.com/video.asp?videoid=933

Roll Over! Roll Over!

Well, Jack is mobile! A few days ago he rolled himself right onto his tummy. Now he rolls himself over every time you put him down and does tummy time whenever he wants to. Then he cries when he's ready to roll back - he can't go the other way yet. For those of you not familiar with the song- the title of this post comes from the Ten Bears in the Bed.

There were 10 in the bed,
and the little one said
"Roll over, roll over"
So they all rolled over
and one fell out!
There were 9 in the bed
and the little one said.... (you get the point)

Bumbo Boy

A friend of mine was gracious enough to lend me her Bumbo chair since her little boy has outgrown it. Jack seems to enjoy sitting it so far (for short periods of time). Last night Brian and I were getting a kick out of watching him discover his toes while sitting in it. Next challenge...reaching far enough to grab them.

The Magic of Auntie

When Kaylyn and Jack are hanging with mom and dad for the day they refuse to take naps. The only nap Kaylyn takes for me these days occurs when I "happen" to be driving around in the car around four o'clock in the afternoon. All naps end when the car ride ends. With gas prices the way they are these days we aren't taking afternoon drives anymore. However, for some unknown reason whenever my children are around their Aunt Clarissa, aka "auntie", they drop off into deep sleep for hours at a time. I'm beginning to wonder what it is exactly that she is slipping into their bottles and sippy cups. I have already informed her that whatever job interviews she goes on she must stipulate that she be able to leave her job between the hours of 3-7pm to come over to my house and make my children nap. We'll see what happens.

Under the weather

I am behind in posting because I've been fighting a cold for the past week now. Today is the first day I have felt halfway normal. Thank you Mucinex...you're my hero! More to come when I'm feeling better.

A Nice Day

I planned to take the kids to the indoor playground at the mall today and found out that they shut it down. According to security, they are building a new one, where and when it will open I don't know. Instead, we had lunch and stopped at a playground that we passed on the way home. We had a great time! There are 2 sets of swings and slides. There is also a splashpark area that will probably be working when it gets warmer. We're definitely coming back again. We ended the day by visiting aunt Clarissa at work. We got a bird feeder while we were there and hung it up when we got home. The kids were so good today. I love days like this!