Playdate

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, everyone slept in a bit. Both boys took a long time to go to sleep last night. In fact, Noah and I had it out. He was being really bad. He ended up falling asleep at his gate. When I went to move him to his bed, he had pulled the comforter and his top sheet off the bed. He had thrown toys out into the hallway. His room was a disaster. He just works himself up when he gets upset.

When we got up, we got breakfast for the boys. Then, Rachel took Evan and Noah to Evan's friend, Ben's, house. His mom had invited Evan over to play and said that Noah was welcome to join. I stayed home to go through papers and things. Ben has an 8 year old sister and apparently, she was leading the group of four with activities. They also had a trampoline in the backyard with netting around the sides. The boys just loved that.

Eventually, Rachel and Noah left to go to HEB to get some things for dinner and dessert. Evan stayed with Ben and had lunch over there. This was his first time basically being dropped off at a friend's house.

Rachel came home and got me and we all went over to pick Evan up. Evan didn't want to leave and was very angry when we got him.

We had to run a few errands - we picked up some movies from Red Box, got gas, and stopped for slushes at Sonic.

For dinner, we had homemade pizzas. I got dough and sauce ready for a pizza for Evan and Noah. Then they put the cheese on the pizza and put what they wanted on their own half of the pizza. Noah chose pepperoni and Evan chose black olives and pepperoni.

For dessert, Rachel got waffle bowls and ice cream and a bunch of different toppings - including sprinkles, marshmallows, gummy worms, Oreos, sour gummy Lifesavers, M&Ms (we had those already), and candy corn (again, we already had these). I scooped the ice cream and the boys were allowed to add stuff to their ice cream. They really enjoyed it. It was like those new frozen yogurt places that charge you by weight.

The kids just had baths and we are letting them lay down in our bed and watch a movie. We have hicks in our neighborhood who set off fireworks and we know that, not only because of the amount of sugar from dessert, but the fireworks will keep the kids up. So we're making it a special treat.

Until next time...

Running Errands and the Bookstore

This morning we had a few errands to run. We went to the library, but it was closed for some reason - maybe for the holidays? Then, we went to the vet to pick up more food for Mottel. Next was Bed Bath and Beyond. After that we went to Barnes and Noble for just a little bit. The boys played with the trains for a few minutes and I picked up a gift for a classmate of Noah's. Noah was invited to a princess birthday party in a few weeks. Last, we stopped at the bank to deposit some checks. It was a busy morning.

We ate lunch and then the boys watched tv upstairs during nap time.

For dinner we ate at Logan's. Both boys ate a ton of peanuts. Noah ate very well. He ate most of his corn dog, Evan didn't eat much of his dinner though.

We just put the boys to bed. Both are still awake.

I'm feeling a little better today, but still not great. This is a yucky virus or whatever that I have.

More Shopping

This morning I still wasn't feeling great so I stayed home while Morry, Marilyn, and the boys went out.

They went to Walmart, Target, and then Chick Fil-A for lunch. Evan and Noah got some new underwear and Toy Story stuffed dolls with blankets. Morry got a popcorn maker.

They came home for a little bit and then it was time to take Marilyn to the airport. We all went to drop her off. On the way there Evan fell asleep and on the way home Noah fell asleep. Evan woke up before we got home. I was able to transfer Noah to his bed and he ended up taking a long nap. We had to wake him up for dinner.

We just ate dinner at home. The boys had pizza. Morry and I had grilled cheese.

We cleaned up after dinner and then put the boys to bed. They are both still awake.

Trying to get better

I'm not sure what I have, but I have had a slight fever and have been achy since yesterday. This morning I still wasn't feeling well and spent most of the morning in bed.

Morry took the kids out for a little bit and when they came back we had lunch.

At nap time Evan and Noah lied on the couch and watched tv.

For dinner Morry picked up Blue Bamboo for all of us.

We just gave the boys bath and put them to bed.

Bowling

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, Evan came in our room. He told us he had a great idea of what we could do today - we could go bowling.

We got up and got the kids dressed. Grandmom wasn't feeling well so we just went downstairs and put the Wizard of Oz on for the boys. They had never seen it. I was wondering if Evan would find it lame. I think he liked it.

For lunch I made pasta. No one was really hungry except for me so I made something that was easy and you could choose how much of it you wanted.

Grandmom was feeling better after lunch, so we got the kids ready and went to Westgate Lanes. Just Evan, Noah and I bowled. The boys had the bumpers up but Evan was doing really well. He's still just pushing it but he pushes it hard and many times very straight. In fact, he was winning the entire game until the last frame when I finally pulled ahead. I wasn't letting Evan win either, he was just playing that well.

We were going to switch out our cable modem but when we stopped by Time Warner Cable, the line was ridiculously long so we left.

We were going to go to Matt and Rachael's for dinner. Unfortunately, Rachel was not feeling well. Since they have a little baby and Rachel wanted to get some rest she stayed home. When we got there, Evan walked right into the house like he owned the place and went upstairs to play with Ben. I didn't see him again until the pizza was delivered. Noah stayed downstairs with the adults for most of the time. Evan really had a good time. Noah went upstairs after dinner and enjoyed himself.

We came home and I put the boys down, but somehow Noah is out of his room and neither boy is sleeping. I'm going to have to go deal with that momentarily.

Until next time...

Hello Shmoah

This morning I met Melissa for breakfast at Magnolia Café and then we walked around the lake. While I was out Morry, Marilyn, and the boys went to Walmart and McDonalds for lunch. Evan and Noah came back with a lot of Star Wars toys.

Noah wouldn’t nap today, like usual.

For dinner we went to 24 Diner and both boys were really cranky. Noah was especially bad. Ever since then the rest of the night Noah has been terrible. When we got home he was fighting everything. He didn’t want to brush his teeth or get dressed. He was banging his door against the wall. He’s a stubborn little kid.

Morry somehow finally got Noah calmed down. The boys are in bed now, but not asleep yet.

Grandmom Arrives

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Well, in case anyone was wondering, we did not have a white Christmas here in Austin. I think Evan was hoping for one. The boys got up around 8am this morning and played in the game room as usual.

We got up and got the boys dressed and ready to drive to the airport to pick up Grandmom. She is coming to visit for a few days. The boys were excited.

We picked her up and drove to Manny's Uptown Kitchen. It's a Jewish deli that was opened today. It was fairly crowded, although we were seated immediately. The food is good but the service was questionable. The boys enjoyed playing with Grandmom's iPad and iPhone.

When we got home, Grandmom and Noah laid down to take a nap although Noah did not nap.

Evan watched Return of the Jedi and the first Star Wars today. Spike TV was running a Star Wars marathon. In fact, Evan was so into it, he got really upset when we went to leave for dinner.

For dinner, we went out to Cannoli Joe's for dinner. It's an all-you-can-eat Italian Buffet. It's pretty good as far as buffets go. Evan ate a ton of pizza. Noah had pizza and ham and fruit. For dessert, Evan had sherbet and Noah had strawberry ice cream.

We're home now and are about to put the boys to bed.

Until next time...

Bouncing around

This morning we were able to relax a little while the boys watched TV in the game room. Later in the morning we went to Locomotion, the indoor play place. We chose to go there since it was cold and rainy outside. Evan and Noah had a good time and mostly stuck together.

When we got home we had lunch. Noah didn't want to nap so I let him lie down in the game room on the couch with Evan. Evan told us he liked having Noah with him in the game room.

For dinner we went to Santa Rita. Evan and Noah ate well there.

We just got home and now we are going to give the boys baths and put them to bed.

Better

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Today was better than yesterday, in terms of Noah's behavior. He went to sleep at a decent time last night and slept in today. So I think he was well-rested.

Evan got up with me when I left. I got him breakfast and put the TV on for him in the game room. Evan wanted to make sure he got breakfast for Noah so we brought some stuff upstairs for Noah for whenever Noah woke up.

Gabby came around 11 so Rachel could run a few errands that she needed to finish up. Gabby gave the boys some lunch.

I came home around 3pm. I had told Evan that I was coming home early. When I walked in the door, the first think he said to me was "I thought you were coming home early". I said "This isn't early enough for you?" He changed his tune and told me it was early enough for him.

Rachel had put Noah down for a nap, but he wasn't sleeping when I got home. Rachel was cleaning up and then she laid down for a nap. I folded some clothes and then played with Evan and Noah for a bit.

For dinner, Rachel and I had leftovers from last night. Both boys ate really well.

Rachel went out to HEB while Evan, Noah and I watched the Steelers game together. Both boys told me that they liked watching the Steelers game with me. Noah started a "Here We Go, Steelers" chant at one point.

The Steelers won by the way. The game is now over and the boys are asleep in their beds. Rachel put Noah down at halftime and I put Evan down shortly after halftime.

Until next time...

Unpleasant

Today was not very pleasant.

Noah was especially whiny and crying today. It took me about 2 hours to finally eat my breakfast. I kept trying to eat it, but would get interrupted, mostly by Noah.

I planned on taking the boys and Lizzy to the lake. I had everything packed and ready, but it took us a few hours to finally get out of the house. Noah was fighting getting dressed.

Once we were at the lake, the boys were pretty good until the end of the walk. Noah threw a major fit.

At home, during lunch Evan got in trouble and I had to put him in time out. He wore himself out. When I went to check on him he was asleep in bed.

Noah must have worn himself out today too with all his crankiness. He ended up napping too.

For dinner we had cornbread casserole. The boys didn't eat much of their dinner. Noah threw a fit about wanting a hot dog. Almost every time I make him a hot dog, he doesn't end up eating it and then Lizzy gets to it. That's what happened at lunch. When I took my eyes off the plate for a minute to take Evan upstairs for time out Lizzy ate Noah's hot dog. Anyway, somehow Noah convinced Morry to make him a hot dog, but guess what... he didn't eat it.

We had to run out to Red Box to drop off a rented movie. After dropping it off we went to Wendy's to get Frosties. Evan and Noah didn't eat much of theirs.

We just put the boys to bed. Let's hope tomorrow is a better day than today.

Evan Stayed Home

Today Evan stayed home since the doctor said the impetigo is contagious. Morry picked up a few movies for Evan to watch today.

Morry worked from home today.

I dropped off Noah at school and went downtown to deal with my speeding ticket/defensive driving stuff. They removed the late fee (because the mail place didn't send it out the same day). I have 90 days to take the defensive driving course.

On the way home I picked up food for Lizzy at Petco along with one of those really large candy cane rawhides.

Noah threw a fit when I picked him up at school. He didn't want to leave and I had a hard time strapping him into his car seat.

Noah wouldn't nap even though he really needed a nap today.

For dinner we made a frozen PF Chang's meal and the boys didn't eat much of their food.

We are about to take the boys upstairs to get ready for bed.

Impetigo

Evan, Noah, Lizzy and I went for a 3 mile walk around the neighborhood this morning. I didn't take the boys out of the house today because they are both still recovering from colds. Evan started getting these sores around his chin and between his lips and nose. I was worried it might be impetigo, something Michael use to get as a kid.

I made a doctor's appointment for Evan at 5:30. Morry met us there. Evan had a slight fever (99 something) and the doctor diagnosed him with impetigo. Evan just has to take a topical antibiotic 3 times a day.

After that I took the boys home and started dinner while Morry went to HEB to pick up the prescription and a few other things.

For dinner we had leftovers I found in the freezer along with a carrot and potato soup I made at lunch time.

After dinner I gave Evan and Noah showers while Morry cleaned up. I thought showers would be good for their colds and help them breathe better. They both enjoyed the showers. We just put the boys to bed, but they are still awake.

UPDATE

So, we were about to go upstairs to get ready for bed. I heard some heavy breathing and assumed Noah was at the top of the stairs still awake. I got closer to the stairs and saw this...




Noah fell asleep on the stairs!

Anika's Party

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, we had a birthday party for Anika down in San Antonio. It was outside at a park. We got some stuff together and drove down. We let the boys watch a movie in the van as we drove. It didn't take us long to get down to the park - about 70 minutes.

The party was at a park with a bunch of playsets. The boys enjoyed climbing on them. They both went on the swings for a bit as well. They had a pinata and Evan really crushed it. Noah enjoyed hitting the pinata as well.

We got to see Susie, Ryan and Aunt Diane. It was nice seeing them.

Noah was cranky on the way home, but he eventually fell asleep.

When we got home the Steelers game was on. The boys played during the game but ended up sitting on the couch with me during the 4th quarter.

For dinner, we had left over pizza.

The boys are in bed now but awake.

Until next time...

And Behind This Curtain...A New Car!

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, our plan was to go to Honda of San Marcos to talk to them about the deal they had offered via email on the new 2011 Honda Odyssey - a minivan. Evan got up first, as usual. We got up and started getting everything ready to go. I had to put the car seats back in the car as we had taken them out when the seat was fixed on Thursday. Just before we left, we woke Noah up, who took forever to fall asleep last night.

We drove down to San Marcos. I was skeptical that they would hold up their end of the deal. On the way down I was negotiating with another dealer in north San Antonio. We got there and took a look at the van which is a dark gray color. I gave them the keys to the Pilot to look at. It was the trade-in that I was skeptical about. They had offered more than anyone else for our Pilot without having looked at it. One of the Austin dealers offered us $1500 less for our trade-in yesterday. After about 10 minutes of looking at our car, they came back and said they would honor the deal. We immediately started the paperwork.

The whole thing was very smooth and the boys behaved. Once we signed all the papers, I put the car seats in the van and we started WALL-E on the DVD player while the salesman showed us how to use the car. Noah got kind of cranky during this part. I'm sure he was hungry although we had given him lots of snacks and at that point, I think he wanted to go. I can't blame him, I wanted to get going too.

I would definitely recommend Honda of San Marcos. They didn't use any typical salesman lines and they didn't do that "let me talk to my manager" bit which is annoying. It was very straightforward.

After we left the dealership, we went to McDonald's for the boys. They were happy there.

We drove home and relaxed a bit. The boys were busy playing outside and then running around upstairs.

For dinner, we went over to Pei Wei so we could eat quickly. Evan and Noah had gotten $20 gift certificates to Toys 'R Us for Hanukkah and we promised them they could pick out toys since they were good today. Pei Wei is in the same shopping center. The dinner took a long time because the boys took forever to eat.

At Toys 'R Us, Evan got two Star Wars guys and Noah got a Star Wars guy along with a box of Lego's.

We are now home and the boys are very tired but they are fighting going to sleep.

Until next time...

Recovering

Today we stayed at home. Evan was doing a lot better, but he was still showing signs of having a cold. Noah and I have been trying to fight off a cold as well, so I decided it was best to stay at home today.

I cleaned up while the boys played. I also gave Lizzy a trim on the upstairs porch.

For dinner Evan and Noah wanted pizza so Morry ran out and picked up Little Caesars for us. Evan and Noah didn't eat much.

After dinner I made chocolate chip cookies.

We just gave the boys baths. Oh, and Noah figured out how to make fart noises with his mouth and he and Evan thought that was the funniest thing ever. They are totally into the potty humor right now.

Evan and Noah are both in bed, but not asleep yet.

Evan's Sick Day

Evan took a sick day today. He didn't have a fever, but had him stay home from school anyway. We could tell he still wasn't feeling back to normal. Evan spent most of the day on the couch with a blanket watching TV.

I dropped off Noah at school. Noah didn't want to go to school since he knew Evan was at home.

Morry worked from home today and we had someone come out to fix the leather in our car. A guy was able to patch up the holes the mice or whatever made when they got in our car last winter.

Morry picked Noah up from school.

Blanca came at 1:30 and I tutored for an hour.

Blanca came back again at 6:30 and Morry and I went to his office party downtown at Lambert's. The food was really good.

We just got home and both boys are asleep in bed.

Wearing Evan Out

This morning we went to Borders to pick up a few gifts.

Gabby came over at 12pm. Barton Creek Resort and Spa/ Country Club was having free ice skating today. Evan has been begging me to take him ice skating again. I asked Gabby to come over and watch Noah so I could take Evan.

The whole club is very nice and in the hills of Westlake. I had only been there one other time.

Luckily it wasn't too crowded when we got there. For a little while Evan and I were the only ones on the rink. Evan did very well and was actually doing some spins. We took a break and got some hot chocolate and s'mores. They had a s'mores package and you could roast the marshmallows in the fireplace. Evan did not want his marshmallow burned or smooshed. He enjoyed just making graham cracker sandwiches with chocolate and marshmallows. The people working at the ice rink said you don't have to be a guest to take advantage of some of the stuff they have there. She said we could come back and eat at their restaurants any time (who knows how much that costs) or do any of the spa services.

After skating we walked around the resort a little bit. They actually have a miniature golf course there. I asked how much it was to play and the woman wasn't sure since normally it's for guests play, so she said we could sign in as a guest and play for free. Evan was super excited. We played all 18 holes and Evan did very well.

After playing golf we came back home. I was only at home for about 30 minutes and then had to leave to go tutor.

When I got home we ate dinner. I had fish and Morry had chicken. Evan wasn't feeling well and he actually has a fever now. Poor guy. He just lied down on the couch during dinner and didn't want to eat.

We just put the boys to bed. Evan fell asleep right away. Noah is still talking and asking for things.

Here are the pictures and video from today.

Negotiating

This morning I was going to meet up with some other women to run, but I was worried it would be too cold out for the boys to sit in the stroller.

After I dropped Evan and Noah off at school I came home for just a little bit and then met Morry at work. We went to test drive the Toyota Sienna again to compare it with the Honda Odyssey. We both decided we like the Honda a little bit more than the Sienna.

I needed to pick up the boys and be back home home 1:30 for Blanca. So, of course since I was in a hurry getting the boys out of school, this was the day Noah decided he didn't want to leave school. I usually pick up Noah first. He didn't want to leave his class so I went and got Evan and then came back to Noah's room.

Blanca babysit while I went to the library to tutor.

When I came home Noah was napping.

That's when I started contacting various dealers. It was like a flood. All of the sudden I had a ton of dealerships emailing and calling. The negotiating went on all afternoon and evening. We are now trying to decide which we want to go with.

Now, it's time to put the boys to bed. Let's hope they sleep well.

Work From Home

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

As I was getting ready to leave downstairs, Evan got up this morning. He came down and picked out breakfast. Then I turned on the TV for him in the game room.

Noah slept until 9:30. He's been staying up late and not napping. He's a bit like how Evan was. Luckily he still can't open the gate so at least he stays in his room. He also got up in the middle of the night last night to go to the bathroom.

Rachel went to the gym first and then to HEB. The boys rode in the basket part of the cart while they shopped to make it go more quickly.

Meanwhile, I came home at lunch time to get Mottel to take him for a follow-up to the vet. Everything looked good and Mottel's hair has grown back. The vet was very pleased.

When I got home from the vet, Rachel and the boys had already returned from HEB. They were very excited to see me. Rachel let Noah see me and then she put him down for a nap. It took a while but he did eventually fall asleep. Evan was so excited for me to be home, he had a hard time leaving me alone. He was very cute.

For dinner, I made a steak for myself and cod for Rachel. It was an already prepared cod that just needed to be cooked. We also had roasted garlic.

Rachel left to go tutoring while the boys and I watched Home Alone. They thought the end scene where Macaulay Culkin defeats the would-be robbers was really funny.

They are in bed now. Of course they are not sleeping.

Until next time...

Sam's Club

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning we were able to sleep in a bit. When Evan gets up, he has not been coming into our room. He's been going into the game room and watching TV himself. Noah got up around 9:30am.

We needed to go to Sam's Club so we went almost when they opened. We were trying to go before everything got crowded. It was pretty empty when we got there and we were able to get all of our shopping done. The boys like to get the samples. We ate there for lunch as Evan kept asking for pizza and a soft pretzel. It's very cheap. The boys were happy. They also got an ICEE.

We came home and unloaded the car and it was time for the Steelers game. The boys went outside for a little bit but ended up coming in to watch the game with me. Evan was asking lots of questions. At times he seemed to be more into the game than normal. He was asking why "first down" meant and was asking other questions about the rules. He's also trying to understand how college football fits in with pro football. I told him that several of the Steelers are former Longhorns.

The Steelers won, by the way.

While the boys and I watched the game, Rachel cleaned up all of the boys toys. She grouped them by stuff they still play with and stuff that is age appropriate but they don't play with and stuff that is too babyish. Then some stuff stayed out, some went in the attic and some in the garage. The garage is now cleaner and the game room and downstairs look great.

After the game, the boys played outside some and then played in the house. Then they watched some stuff on TV including How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

For dinner, the boys had leftover pizza and we had some frozen PF Changs thing we got at Sam's Club. It was pretty good, actually. I was impressed.

After dinner, I had to call HP support because Rachel's new computer no longer turns on. I can't believe it. They said the motherboard is shot and we have to send it in so they can replace it. They were nice on the phone and I didn't roll my eyes at them that much. But still it's annoying that we have to send this computer in for the second time.

The boys are in bed now, but not sleeping.

Until next time...

Birthday Party and Car Shopping

This morning we had a birthday party at Locomotion, an indoor play place. It was nice and the boys got a lot of exercise. Everyone had fun.

We came home and ate lunch and then went over to the Honda dealer. We test drove the 2011 Odyssey (minivan). The boys were very well behaved and enjoyed playing inside the car. Evan wanted us to buy it right there. We would still want to see the Toyota Sienna again to compare the two.

By the time we got home it was around 4pm. Both boys were tired but we knew they would never sleep at night if took a nap at that point. Morry put on the movie Elf for them and they both thought it was funny.

Gabby came at 6:15. We ordered pizza for them and then left.

Morry and I ate dinner at the Melting Pot.

We got home around 9pm. They boys were ready for bed, but still awake.

Mongolian Barbecue... Finally

Noah started whining/crying around 2am last night to go to the bathroom. Once he went, he fell back asleep until 7:30 or so when the whining started again. He goes to the bathroom every 5 minutes and whines for help. He could do it by himself, but refuses.

I spent a lot of time organizing and putting stuff in the attic today. The boys helped me go through the toys in the game room and sort them in 3 boxes - toys they still play with, baby toys, and giveaway.

Noah would not take a nap today.

around 4pm we met playgroup at My Gym. Morry came by after work. We went home to drop off Morry's car and went to dinner.

We have tried a few times in the past to go to Mongolian Barbecue, but each time it was closed. We had a coupon and called ahead today to make sure they were open.

It worked out well and the boys enjoyed picking out their own food.

When we got home we got the boys ready for bed and now they are each in their rooms, yet still awake.

Don't Call Me Shirley

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Noah slept the entire night last night despite me putting him to bed around 6:30 or 6:45pm. Evan got up as I was coming downstairs to leave. I got him breakfast and put him in the game room.

Rachel took the boys to school and said they were really good. She brought the potty seat in because Noah wouldn't go pee on Tuesday. They ended up putting a diaper on him because he was holding it in. Noah was successful having the potty seat with him. In fact, he was in a great mood and didn't run over to Rachel when she picked him up. I wonder if he always holds it and now he's happier.

Rachel made some phone calls and got some things done while the boys were in school.

When I came home, Rachel was tutoring and Blanca was here.

I made dinner for the boys and then we played until Rachel got back.

Rachel is going out to dinner with some friends and then I'll pick her up to go to an Airplane! Quote-Along at the Alamo Drafthouse. This Quote-Along is in honor of Leslie Nielson. The boys and I dropped Rachel off where all the women were meeting.

I came home and put the boys to bed. I think they are still up but they are being quiet.

Until next time...

Baseball in the Park

This morning we went to the gym and then went to the park. Noah got a baseball tee from Zayde for Hanukkah, so I took the boys to the park to try it out. The ball hangs down from the tee so it's easier for the kids not to hit the tee.

After the park we came home for lunch. The boys insisted on eating outside. After eating I put Noah down for a nap, but he didn't sleep.

Morry had a haircut appointment today at 2pm and then worked from home after that.

Gabby came over at 4pm and I tutored late.

Morry took the boys to McDonalds, but Noah gave him a hard time. Noah needed to go to the bathroom, but wouldn't go. Eventually Morry had to get all the food to go and bring it home. Noah wore himself out throwing a fit and fell asleep in the car on the way home. Morry put him right to bed and he's been there since.

I came home around 8:15.

Morry is making lunch for the boys for tomorrow while I write the blog. It seems quiet upstairs.

Noah's Parent Teacher Conference

Last night Evan slept in the bed with us. He was scared of something in his room.

I dropped Evan and Noah off at school this morning and then ran some errands. I also did some things around house including getting dinner ready. I made a stew and put it in the crockpot.

At 12:30 we had Noah's parent teacher conference. We were worried what they might say about him. It seems like he's a different kid at school than at home. The teacher was surprised when we said he can be stubborn and talks non-stop. She said he's pretty quiet at school and timid. We weren't surprised about the timid part. Developmentally and socially he's doing everything he should be. He's right on track.

When we got home Evan and Noah were both pretty cranky. I think they were both tired. I tried to put Noah down for a nap, but he didn't sleep.

Blanca came at 5pm and I tutored just one student tonight.

When I got home we did Hanukkah and then had dinner.

We gave the boys baths and now they are in bed.

Cathing Up on Sleep

Noah caught up on his sleep today. He slept until 10:30 this morning and also took a nap. Now, at 10:50pm at night he's still awake though.

Today we went to the gym and then I took the boys to Newflower to get some groceries for the week.

For lunch I made eggs and ham for the boys (their request), but neither ate much.

For dinner we had baked potatoes. I had fish and Morry had buffalo chicken strips.

I tutored 2 students tonight after dinner and didn't get home until around 10pm. Morry took care of the boys and put them to bed. Evan was sleeping, but Noah was still awake when I got home.

Back Home from Dallas

We got back home from Dallas today.

The boys and I were there all week. I had a check up on Monday. Everything looked good. My blood test finally came back normal. My platelets have been low, but now they are in the normal range.

We had a nice time in Dallas, but it's good to be home.

Here are a few pictures.

Hiking and Picnic

Once everyone got up and dressed we went out to Emma Long, the 3 mile leashless hiking trail. The weather was nice and everyone, especially Lizzy, had a nice time. Evan did really well and walked almost the whole way.

At the end of the hike we found a picnic table and ate mostly Thanksgiving leftovers.

For dinner we all met Aaron and Mandy at BJs. We had to wait a long time to get our food, but the kids were pretty good.

We came home and put the kids to bed.

Gruene, Texas

This morning we took it easy and then left the house around 10:30 and headed to Gruene, Texas. Gruene is about halfway between Austin and San Antonio. So we met Aunt Diane, Uncle Jay, Susie, and Ryan there for lunch. We all had a nice time. The kids were good and enjoyed running around after lunch. There was a nice grassy field next to the restaurant. Then, we went to the General Store and got some tin boxes for the boys and some fudge.

When we got back home we tried to put Noah down for a nap, but he didn’t sleep.

For dinner we all ate at El Chile.

We just put the boys to bed. Michael and Jen went out tonight.

Here are some pictures from today and yesterday

Turkey Day

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, Rachel and I planned to run the 20th annual Turkey Trot here in Austin. We're normally in Dallas so given that Rachel's been running and our being in Austin for the first time since 2002, we decided to run it. It's a 5-mile run.

We set our alarm for 7:30am. At 7am, Evan came in and woke me up to ask me if I was getting up soon. I said in 30 minutes, so he went back to his room for 30 minutes. As soon as the alarm went off, he came back in.

The run started at 9:30. We left around 8:15. We got off Mopac at 8:30. It took us another hour to go about 2 miles to the parking garage. There was no one directing traffic, it was as if the city was unprepared for this run. By the time we got into the garage there were no spots left. We were going to leave and by some chance we saw someone pulling out of a spot and got that spot. The race was just starting as we got there but we were back with the walkers. As we ran we had to dodge and weave people walking with dogs and strollers and everything else for the first mile. By the time we finished the first mile, I was exhausted. It was incredibly humid as it was threatening to rain and the dodging and weaving was very tiring. We mostly walked the rest of the way but mixed in some running. All-in-all, we were very disappointed with the run. It just seemed completely unorganized. Even when we finished, they had run out of bottles of water.

We stopped and got Slurpees on the way home.

When we got home, Evan was sitting watching the Macy's Parade with Uncle Mike and Aunt Jen. He looked very cute sitting in between them.

We started getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner.

We planned on having dinner at 3pm. Papa's cousin, Jimmy came over. We got a Greenberg Smoked Turkey which we warmed up for dinner. We didn't end up eating until about 3:30 or 3:45 though. The dinner was very good. Grandma made sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping. I made a Jell-O mold. Grandma made cornbread stuffing. Aunt Jen made a salad and mushrooms. We also had cranberry sauce. Rachel made a Coke Ham. Noah ate the ham, the cranberry sauce, the Jell-o, a roll and turkey. Evan had cranberry sauce, a roll and the Jell-o. They both said they liked Thanksgiving.

After dinner, Evan and Noah ended up falling asleep on the couch. Papa took dropped Uncle Mike and Aunt Jen off at the Texas football game. When he got home, we woke the boys up, gave them baths and then we went downstairs for dessert. I made chocolate creme pie and Aunt Jen had made a pumpkin cheesecake pie. Noah asked for the pumpkin pie but didn't eat it. Evan asked for the chocolate pie but only wanted to eat the crust. The both ended up eating two clementines.

We put the boys to bed, and watched some of the Longhorns game. They are both still up.

Until next time...

Morning Walk and Preparing for Thanksgiving

This morning Grandma, Papa, Noah, Evan, Lizzy and I went to the school near us. Evan wanted to ride bikes so Evan and I rode the tandem bike there. While we waited for everyone Evan and I played on the playground. Evan and Noah played for a little while on the playground together and then we went over to the pond/dock. There was someone fishing there. The boys enjoyed feeding bread to the fish. We also had some fruit while we sat on the dock.

Once we got home, I left again and went downtown. I need to take care of something with the speeding ticket I got a while back.

The rest of the day was spent at home hanging out and getting stuff ready for Thanksgiving.

Papa picked up Uncle Mike and Aunt Jen at the airport and then we all went to dinner at Red’s Porch.

When we got back the house the kids were going nuts. They had fun playing with Uncle Mike and Aunt Jen.

Once the boys were in the bed the adults played Bananagrams.