Monday and Tuesday

 Yesterday the dog trainer came around lunchtime.

I Zoom tutored in the afternoon.

Evan's baseball lesson was canceled.

I made salmon for the boys and me and Morry had bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin.

I was up late last night working on lesson plans.

This morning I Zoom tutored in the morning and then went to school.  I stayed an hour after my classes to give a retake quiz to a student.

On my way home I stopped at Dollar Tree to get some prizes for my students.

I had more Zoom tutoring and teacher in this afternoon.  On Tuesdays, I teach a Hebrew class to 6 kids on Outschool.

Today was Noah's day to work on Hebrew with Grandma too.

Evan and Morry went to baseball practice.

When I was done tutoring, Noah and I walked to Grandma and Papa's house to get some food they had for us.  Grandma had ordered smoked whitefish for Yom Kippur and gave some to us.

We had a late dinner at around 9pm when Morry and Evan got home.

Now Morry and I are going to watch some tv and the boys are playing video games.

Recovering

Today I'm recovering from the half marathon.  I'm sore, but not too bad.

We walked Noah to school today, like usual.

Between my classes, I went to HEB to pick up a few things.

I had a few things I needed to do at school before I left, so I got home right at Morry and Chewie were leaving the house the get Noah.

I quickly put the groceries away and then walked to catch up with them.

After Evan got home the kids played outside with some of the neighborhood kids.

Evan went to Grandma and Papa's house for dinner.

For dinner, we had bacon wrapped pork tenderloin and salmon with corn on the cob and homemade bread a friend made for us.

After dinner we walked to get Evan and Grandma and Papa's.

Now the boys are getting ready for bed.

Two Hour Delay

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

School was delayed for two hours this morning.  I guess the district wanted to give as much time as possible for and water over low water crossings to recede and any clean up to be completed.

When we got up it was not raining.  We walked Noah to school and then came home.  Evan didn't walk with us.  When we got home, we sent him out to the bus stop.

Rachel had to go to more meetings at the school where she'll be teaching.

Later in the morning, a fence guy came and measured to give us an estimate.

I had several meetings back-to-back before going to pick Noah up from school.  Rachel was home by then.

Rachel left to tutor just before Evan got home from school.

When Rachel got home, we put Lizzy in the car and went to Austin Pets Alive.  There have been abandoned dogs in all the places affected by the hurricane.  They need foster families to hold the dogs until either their families can claim them or they get adopted out.  We thought we have the ability and the resources to foster.  But they suggested bringing Lizzy to meet any potential dogs so we can determine whether it would get along with Lizzy.  Unfortunately, they said we were too late (we got there at 6:30) and said they don't do any "meet-and-greets" after 6:30.  We found a very shy, very scared older dog.  But we're not sure we'll take it without knowing that it will get along with Lizzy.

For dinner, Rachel and I had leftovers and the boys had salmon.

The boys are upstairs playing.

Until next time...

Laser Tag

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

I had a bunch of work to do today so I got up a bit early to do work.  First I got breakfast for the boys. The boys played well.

Rachel made lunch for the boys later.

After lunch the boys cleaned up.  Then Rachel took them to Jude's birthday party at Blazer Laser Tag.  Jude was having his birthday party there.  Evan was not invited but Rachel brought Wade and him there and paid for them separately so they could join in.  All the kids had a good time.

When they got home, the boys and I ran to HEB to return a Redbox and get steak for dinner.

We made salmon and I grilled steak for dinner.  We ate it while watching Timeless.

The boys are getting ready for bed.

Until next time...

Not as busy

This morning we walked to drop the kids off at school.

We did not have CG today.

I got some things done at home and later met Deborah to take a little walk.  There's a trail behind a shopping center nearby.  We walked for about 30 minutes.

I came home and then Morry and I walked to pick up the boys from school.

Evan had baseball practice from 5:30-6:30.  Noah wanted to go with them.

They got back around 7pm and we made dinner.  We had steak, salmon, and corn on the cob.

The kids are getting ready for bed now.

First Day of School 2015

This morning was the first day of 2nd grade for Noah and first day of 4th grade for Evan.  They were both in good moods this morning.  We took some pictures and then walked to school.  First, we dropped of Noah in his classroom and then took Evan to his.

After drop off I met some other moms for breakfast at Waterloo Icehouse.

Then, I went for a run and gave Lizzy a haircut.

The day went by pretty fast.  Soon, it was time to pick up the boys.

Morry and I walked to pick them up.

They both seemed to have good days.

For dinner we had steak, salmon, and corn on the cob.

We took a walk and now the boys are getting ready for bed.

Here are a few pictures from today including pics of the boys reorganized rooms.

The Pooch is Back

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, just after I got up, the vet called.  We got the unexpected news that Lizzy was really doing well and she could come home any time after noon.  Rachel went back to sleep for a bit and I did work but around 10:45 all of us left to get Lizzy.

We got down to San Antonio quickly.  The vet spent about 10-15 minutes with us explaining what he did with Lizzy and how we should take care of her for the next 10-14 days.  He was really nice and made us feel good about how things had gone.  He said she's on some pain medicine that may make her lethargic.  Then he went and got Lizzy.  Lizzy seemed very confused - as if they had just woken her up or something.  She seemed basically happy to see us but just not sure what was going on.  Even when we got her in the car, she wasn't sure what to do and just stood there for a bit.

By the time we got back home, though, Lizzy was really back to her normal self.  As soon as we got in the house she wanted to go in the backyard.  When she came in she ate a bit.  A little while later she found a rawhide and threw it up in the air and chased it before checking on it.  Really, she didn't have a big incision on her neck and shaved around there, I wouldn't have guessed anything had happened to her.

Rachel tutored in the afternoon.  When she got home, we had salmon, steak which was cooked on the grill and corn on the cob.

After dinner, we went on a very short walk and took Lizzy with us.  She did well.

The boys are getting ready for bed.

Until next time...

Heavy Rain

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning it appeared to be sunny.  We put a leash on Lizzy and got ready to walk to school.  When we got outside, it was drizzling - in the sun.  We ended still walking because we weren't really getting wet.

In the morning I had a meeting that I went to in central Austin.  Rachel stayed home.  Around 11am, the skies opened up.  It poured and hailed with thunder and lightning.  It was crazy.  Our backyard is not able to soak up water quickly anymore.

I stopped at Smoothie King on the way home from my meeting.

The rain stopped after about 30-45 minutes and the sun came out.  We walked to get the boys.

In the afternoon, Rachel went to tutor.  Noah and I took Evan to the doctor.  He's been coughing for a week.  He's had no other symptoms.  I think it's affecting his sleep somewhat and since today is the eighth day of coughing we decided to take him.  The doctor didn't think he was sick and prescribed an allergy inhaler for a week.  He should be ok.

We came home and had steak, salmon and corn for dinner.

The boys are about to go upstairs to bed.

Until next time...

Allergy Doctor

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

The dentist diagnosed Noah with enlarged tonsils last week.  So Rachel made Noah an appointment with a pediatric allergist for this morning.  The thought is that his tonsils are enlarged because Noah has bad seasonal allergies.  Rachel walked Evan to school early in the morning.  When she got back, we took Noah to the allergist.

The allergist agreed that the right course of treatment is to handle the allergies first and see if that helps with the tonsils.  Noah will start taking Flonase today.  Next week he'll go in for an allergy test.  She doesn't want Noah to be on medication all year long so she wants to know what he's allergic to and therefore he might only need to take medicine during those times of year.  Or he could get allergy shots.  But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Rachel took Noah back to school while I went into Aaron's.

Rachel went to a lunch for the Pink Ribbon Cowgirls.  Then Deborah followed Rachel home and worked on Lizzy some.

We drove to get the boys because it was raining.  The rain also caused Evan's baseball practice to be cancelled.

Rachel left for tutoring around 5 and we I took the boys to CVS to get Flonase.

We had steak and salmon for dinner when Rachel got home.

Noah is reading with Rachel now.

Until next time...

Five Weeks Left

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

There are only five school weeks left in the year.  We officially started the countdown this morning.  As of this morning there were 23 days left of school.  We are keeping track on the white board in the laundry room.

We walked to school as normal this morning.  As we were walking, we bumped into a woman with a 7-month old golden retriever.  We think this is one of the golden retriever puppies that Lizzy had seen a few months ago.  Lizzy and the puppy were so excited to see each other.  It's funny to watch Lizzy.  Even after walking away from the puppy, Lizzy walks with a trot and even pulls on the leash some.

I went into Aaron's today.  On the way home, I stopped at Smoothie King, the bank and HEB.

Rachel and I walked to get the boys.  Evan was invited to over to Wade's so Rachel and Noah walked him to the front of the school.  I decided to meet Rachel and Noah on the trail near the Community Center since that's closer to the front of the school.  A whole new set of kids got to meet Lizzy and pet her.

Rachel took Noah out to ride a bike this afternoon when we got home.

Rachel went to tutoring and I grilled steak and salmon for the boys for dinner.

The boys are about to go to bed and Rachel should be home soon.

Until next time...

New Start

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Noah went back to school today, thus starting a new streak.  When I woke him up, he seemed to be in a good mood and we didn't have any problems getting him to school.  It was cold again, so we drove but Evan rode his bike.

Rachel had a meeting with a client in the morning and I went into Aaron's for a bit.

It warmed up into the low 70s in the afternoon so we walked with Lizzy to pick Evan up.  Noah had Mad Science.  I waited with Lizzy at the top of the hill.  The family that has a 5- or 6-year old black lab named Crystal came with Crystal while I was waiting.  Lizzy and Crystal really like each other.  It was really cute.  After the initial butt smelling, the dogs laid down in the sun right next to each other waiting for their kids.  It looked like both dogs were smiling.

Rachel picked Noah up from Mad Science.  Noah seemed to have a good time at this week's Mad Science.

After getting home, Rachel left to tutor.  Unfortunately, it seems the family forgot about tutoring because they were not there when Rachel got there.  So Rachel stopped at Walgreen's on the way home and got leftover Valentine's candy.

For dinner we had some leftovers but the boys ate salmon.

The boys are about to go upstairs to bed.

Until next time...

Sick Noah

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

It was around 32 degrees this morning so we drove to school.  Also, I had an early meeting so it was going to be easier for me to drive.

I went into Aaron's for a bit, while Rachel went to HEB to pick up some things.  Rachel saw Aunt Sandy there who apparently is recovering from the flu.

In the afternoon, we walked to pick the boys up from school.  When I walked up, Noah's class was already out.  That was unusual.  Noah stood up and he looked very upset.  I asked Ms. Wenske what had happened and she said that they were supposed to be writing.  At the end of the writing time, Noah's page was blank.  He told her that he had a headache.  She told him that it's ok, but he should tell her at the beginning if he wasn't feeling good.  I didn't really believe Noah that he had a headache.  He claims to be sick at home all the time when he wants to get out of stuff.

We walked home, and I took Noah's temperature.  He did have a fever.  He wanted to do his homework and then he came into my office, laid down on the couch and fell asleep.  Rachel cancelled her tutoring to be with him.

Evan and I left for baseball practice.  Evan made great diving stop to his left got up and threw the ball across the infield perfectly.  A couple of the coaches were talking about.  I said it Sunday and I'll say it again - Evan just has fun playing baseball.

We came home and had dinner.  Rachel made salmon for Evan again.  Noah didn't feel like eating.  Evan was very hyper as he often is after baseball.  Rachel made cornbread for us.

Noah is in bed now and Evan is getting ready for bed.

Until next time...

Rain

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

It was raining very very hard this morning.  It was raining too hard to even drive to the trail.  When that happens, we leave early before the traffic backs up in front of the school and park in front of the school and run in.  This is Evan's fourth year in elementary school.  I think this was the hardest it's rained on a morning when we had to take him to school in those four years.

We stayed home pretty much the whole day though I got my hair cut and ran to HEB and picked up movies from Redbox.

In the afternoon, it was still raining but not nearly as hard.  We parked by the trail and ran down and into the school.  Because of the rain, we had to go to each child's classroom to pick them up.

Evan started watching the Transformers movie I got at Redbox for the boys.  For some reason, Noah didn't want to watch it.

For dinner I grilled hamburgers and corn.  The boys ate left over salmon from the other night.

The boys will be going upstairs to bed soon.

Until next time...

Goodbye Zayde

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

It was finally a nice morning to walk.  It's the first time in several weeks.  Everyone got up this morning.  The boys said goodbye to Zayde and we walked to school.  Actually the boys took their scooters.  The happiest living thing was Lizzy.  She was so happy to finally go with us in the morning.

We came home and Rachel went for a run.  Shortly after she got back, I drove Zayde to the airport.  It was a nice visit with him.

I stopped at Smoothie King on the way home.  I hadn't been there in two weeks.  They had noticed.  The girl working actually said something.

It got up to 82 here.  It felt really hot.  We walked to get the boys.  Again, Lizzy came with us.

At 4:30, Evan and I went to his football practice.  Evan did really well and he's basically become the main wide receiver.  I think he's enjoying it.

Meanwhile, one of the boys, Brody, across the street knocked on the door to ask Evan and Noah to come out and play.  Noah went out with them and a ton of the kids in the neighborhood were all out playing together.   Rachel said it was really nice.

Rachel and I had leftover stew for dinner and she made salmon for the boys.

The boys are now up in their room, ready for bed.

Until next time...

Maya Walks To School

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, Grandma and Papa came along when we walked to school with the boys.  Jack came out of his house as we walked by and walked with us to school.

I went to work from Aaron's while everyone was here.

Grandma and Papa went along with Mike, Jen and Maya to Zilker Park.  They also had ice cream at Amy's Ice Cream.

When I got home, we walked to pick the boys up from school.  We bought Lizzy and Maya walked with us.  Grandma stayed at the top of the hill while Rachel, Maya and I walked up to the school.  The boys were excited to see Maya.  They each held a hand while walking her up the hill.  Part way through our walk, Jack came up.   He and Evan ran to Jack's house.

Evan and Jack played together this afternoon.  Maya took a nap when we got home.

Rachel went to tutor.  Grandma made salmon and I grilled steak.  The boys each ate both the salmon and steak for dinner.

Noah and Evan are both reading now.

Until next time...

Fast Week

We walked to and from school today.  The week seems to be going fast since the kids didn't have school on Monday.

Morry was going to take the kids to Academy today, but they saw the new Minecraft came out for Playstation and wanted to play that all afternoon.

I went to Noah's Back to School Night.  Morry stayed home with the boys.

When I got home we had dinner - steak for the boys, salmon for me.

The boys are all ready for bed now, but don't appear tired.

Haircuts and Tiffs Treats

This morning Evan went out with Jack and Jack's dad to play baseball.  Evan came home for lunch.

After lunch Evan and Noah were both invited over to Jack's house to swim.

We ate steak and salmon at home for dinner.

After dinner we took the boys to Great Clips for haircuts.

We told them they could pick a place for dessert, so they chose Tiff's Treats.  We picked up a dozen cookies and then came home.

The boys are getting ready for bed now.

Night Play

Evan was up a lot of the night last night with an upset stomach.  He said he wanted to go to school today though.  He was feeling a little better, but still not 100%. 

We drove the kids to school.

After school Morry drove to pick them up while I was out tutoring.  They went to Noah's game and I met them there after tutoring.  Noah's team played well.

We came home and had steak and salmon.  We ate outside.

The boys were playing outside while we were cleaning up and they were talking to Sebastian and Santiago though the fence.  We invited them to come over a play for a little bit in the backyard before the boys got ready for bed.  They all seemed to have a good time.  They took turns hitting balls off the hitting machine.  They played until about 8:30.

The boys are ready for bed now and in their rooms.

Summary of Yesterday and Today

Yesterday we had a busy day.  The boys were invited to Christian and Connor's birthday party (across the street).  The party started at 11am and they had a game truck at that party too.  The party ended around 1:30. 

Later in the afternoon Morry took the boys baseball bat shopping.

Then, we went with with Gabriela, Bernardo, Sebastian, and Santiago to a 6pm showing of the new Muppet Movie.  The boys seemed to like it.  After the movie we all got dessert at TCBY.

Today, we went to HEB in the morning.  On the way home we took some bluebonnets pictures.   Morry and Evan ate lunch at home and then headed out to the baseball field.  I packed a lunch for Noah and me and then we went to Evan's game.  Evan had a good game and got a homerun with his new bat.

For dinner we had steak, salmon, and corn on the cob.  We ate outside on the porch.

The boys are taking a shower now and then we'll get them to bed.

Here are some pictures from today.

Sick Evan

Last night Evan had a slight fever and this morning he still wasn't feeling well.  We kept him home from school.  As we were dropping off Noah at school we saw Evan's teacher and she said Strep has been going around the classroom.

When we got home I made an appointment to take Evan to the doctor.  It turned out he does have Strep so we got him started on an antibiotic.

I had a muscle activation appointment and Morry had a meeting during the day.

Morry picked up Noah from school.

For dinner we had salmon that Michael and Jen made along with some other yummy foods.  The boys ate very well.

Both boys are ready for bed.  Evan is in his room.  Noah is in the game room playing with Maya.