One more week until break

 I typically don't tutor on Friday mornings, so it was nice being able to take my time getting out of the house.

During my break at school, I ran some errands.

Then, after school, I ran more errands.  

I went shopping for a Secret Santa gift exchange at my school.  Then, I went to the vet to pick up cat food and the pharmacy to pick up my medicine.

For dinner, we picked up food from Cypress Grill.

Evan has assignments that are due at midnight tonight, so I helped him some this afternoon with his math and getting organized.  Morry is helping him now with his computer class. 

Shopping

This morning we took it easy.  We ate brunch at home.  Noah and I had omelets.  Evan had scrambled eggs.  Morry had garlic bread.

Early afternoon we left for the outlets in San Marcos.  

It was a long afternoon.   We bought shoes for all of us, socks for the boys and Morry, some clothes.  The deals weren't as good as last year, but we still did pretty well.

The boys convinced us to go to Cracker Barrel for dinner.  It was convenient, so we gave in.  They ate very well.  The both had fried shrimp, broccoli, and apples.

Now the boys should be getting ready for bed.  They just had tea and dessert.

Birthday and Shopping

Yesterday was my birthday.  I had a nice day.  The kids were in camp for most of the day.

For brunch Morry and I went to Snooze AM.  We both had very good pancakes.

For dinner Morry, the kids, and I went to the Melting Pot. We had a good time there and the kids ate really well.

Today, we took it easy in the morning.  Evan and I walked to the school and he played on the basketball court for a little bit.

In the afternoon we went to a Taco Cabana opening party in Kyle, Texas.  I got invited as a blogger to come to the party.  We got our meal comped, in exchanged for me writing about the event and new restaurant location.  It was surprisingly good.  We went in with low expectations and were pleasantly surprised. We all liked our food.

From there, we went to the outlet malls in San Marcos.  We did pretty well there.  We got some good deals and bought things for all of us there.

We got home around 10pm.

The kids are getting ready for bed now.

Here are some pictures from yesterday and today.

Boys with Grandmom

I dropped Noah off at school and then went to tutoring and a meting. Evan and Grandmom spent the day together.  They went toy shopping.

I picked up Noah, came home to eat lunch, and then went out for another meeting.  The boys stayed home with Grandmom.

Evan had his first basketball practice today.  Morry said he did well and seemed to enjoy it. 

After the practice they came home and picked up Noah and Grandmom and went to eat dinner at Red Lobster.

We just got the boys ready for bed and Morry is reading to them now.

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday, Blogger was down and we couldn't write the blog. I'm sure there were some really upset bloggers out there yesterday. It was down for almost 24 hours.

Anyway, yesterday Evan wore his Woody (from Toy Story) costume to school. They had a cowboy/cowgirl day. When we dropped Noah off in his classroom all the little kids were gathered around Evan staring at his costume.

Gabby babysit while I tutored.

For dinner last night we made pizza and let the boys put on their own toppings.

Today, we took a walk and then stayed at home. Oh, and I gave the boys haircuts today.

A little before 5pm I took the boys to the Wildflower park and Morry met us there after work.

For dinner we went to Red Robin. Then, I went purse shopping in the same shopping center while Evan, Noah, and Morry played in Petsmart. I came and met them when I was done.

Now it's time to get the boys ready for bed.

Shopping without the boys

I didn't sleep well last night. This morning the boys were both cranky and fighting a lot. Noah was being bad. I had to put him in his room and he made a big mess in there because he was mad. I needed to do some shopping today, but I was afraid to take the boys with me. I just wasn't in the mood to have to deal with that while we were out in public.

Evan has been asking me for awhile to go back to Clubhouse for Kids. I decided I would drop them off there so I could get some shopping done. I quickly made a sack lunch for the boys and dropped them off at Clubhouse for Kids.

I was able to get my shopping done and the boys had a good time. It was good for everyone.

Noah actually took a nap today.

For dinner Morry picked up Blue Bamboo for us. While he was gone I made dinner for the boys and juice for everyone.

We just got the kids ready for bed. Morry is reading to them now.

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.

Cousins

Morry’s cousins Jamie, Nate, and Olivia are in town this weekend. We met them and Matt and Rachael at the Oasis for lunch. It was a nice day and we had a great view of the lake. The kids were well pretty well behaved.

After lunch we decided to go to City Park, a park on the lake. As we turned on the street to get to the park a sign said the park was at capacity and they weren’t letting anyone else in. We decided to drive down there anyway and just see if they might let us in. It was very crowded at the entrance and were not allowed to drive into the park. Since it was getting close to nap time we all decided just to go home and meet up later.

While Noah was napping at home, I took Evan out with me to do some shopping. Old Navy was having a sale on t-shirts so Evan wanted to come with me to pick out more superhero shirts. Also, Evan has been wanting GeoTrax and a light saber toy for a while. We made a deal with him and said he could pick out one of those if he agreed to give up his pacifier. He was very excited by the idea and couldn’t wait to get to Target. We spent a long time in the toy section at Target, but Evan finally decided it was GeoTrax that he wanted.

For dinner Jamie, Nate. Olivia, Matt, and Rachael came over to our house. We ordered dinner from Blue Bamboo and made pasta for the kids. It was a fun evening. The kids enjoyed running around and playing together.

We just put Evan and Noah to bed. Evan told us he didn’t want his GeoTrax anymore, he wanted his pacifier back instead. He had a little bit of a hard time with the fact he wasn’t going to get his pacifier back. He said he was angry with both of us. A few minutes after putting Evan to bed he came out and said he needed something for his mouth. It seems quiet now, so hopefully he’s asleep or almost asleep.

Shopping and Cleaning

This morning Evan gave me a hard time getting ready for school. I was able to get him dressed after a little while, but I couldn’t get him to put on his sweatshirt before Jodie came to pick him up for school. He ended up just bringing his jacket with him in the car since he wouldn’t put it on either.

Noah and I went to Newflower to do some grocery shopping. Noah was very well behaved there. He ate an apple, some samples, and the free kids cookie.

We came home and I put away the groceries. Then we had lunch and Evan came home. I let the boys play for just a little bit and then put them down for naps.

They both took good naps. While they were napping I cleaned out my car. It was really dirty. Then, I was able to nap a little too.

For dinner, Jill and Michael ordered Blue Bamboo for us so Morry picked It up on his way home.

After dinner Evan and Noah played while Morry folded laundry and I cleaned up around the house.

We put Evan and Noah to bed. Noah’s room seems quiet, but Evan is still up.

Here’s a video from earlier today when Evan, Noah, and Lizzy were playing with bubbles.

Busy day of Shopping

Evan woke up at 7:20am today, a littler later than normal. Morry had already left the house for work so I got Evan set up in the gameroom.

Once the boys were fed and dressed we went to Southpark Meadows for some shopping.

First, we went over to Marshall's. I tried to find a printable coupon for Marshalls before we went out there, but didn't have any luck. At the store I was able to get 2 cute sandals for Evan and Noah for just $15. They both have really wide feet and we normally have to shop at higher end stores like Stride Rite. I was really happy to find these cheap and cute shoes that also fit their feet. I went there looking for dress shoes for Evan, but didn’t have any luck.

Then, we went to Carters. Almost everything in the store was on sale. Sweatshirts were 60% off. Most of the other items I bought were at least 50% off as well. Then, I hit the clearance rack and found a few shorts for $1.50! Evan and Noah had a great time playing with the toys in the store while I shopped. For most of the time we were the only customers in there. I brought my $10 off $50 printable coupon. My total was going to be over $100. I saw a coupon for 20% off but it expired 8/25. I thought I might as well ask, and sure enough the checker allowed me to use it. Yea!

Then we went to Target and of course I had a bunch of coupons there too.

The boys were very good while we were shopping. It was a successful trip.

At home they ate a little bit for lunch and then I put Evan and Noah down for naps. They both napped. Noah slept for 2 hours and Evan slept for 3 hours.

For dinner we had pork tenderloin and mashed potatoes.

After dinner we introduced Evan to his new behavior chart. I got posterboard at Target the other day and finally today I was able to make the chart. We will reward him with stickers and take them away if he misbehaves. After a certain amount he will get certain rewards. His first reward will be a trip to Target (or wherever) to pick out a matchbox or hot wheels car. He needs to get to square 26 to get the car. Evan earned 2 stickers today. We’ll see how this goes.

I’m about to go out with Alissa. We’ll go downtown for a little bit.

Noah is in bed now and Evan is still up. Morry’s in his room now trying to get him to sleep.

Doctor, CVS, and Newflower

Evan was up at 6:24 am this crying for Daddy and did not go back to sleep.

This morning I made a doctor’s appointment for Evan. He’s had this little bump on his butt for a while, but the last week he’s been scratching it and it got bigger and more irritated. I was able to make an appointment for 9:45. Evan, Noah, and I went to the doctor. It took a while. We were there for about an hour. The doctor said Evan has Molluscum Contagiosum, a skin condition that causes raised, round, bumps on the skin. We have to give him an antibiotic cream 3 times a day for a few days.

After the doctor we went to CVS. There were a lot of items on sale there that we needed. We were there about an hour. Evan was not well behaved and it made the shopping take extra long. I also had to take him to the bathroom twice. I guess it’s not in a good neighborhood because when I was trying to get out to the car I realized the shopping carts don’t fit through the door. I had lots of big items (toilet paper, paper towels, ..). There was no way I was going to be able to get that stuff and the boys to the car without a cart. The checkout guy offered to help me to the car. That was very nice of him, but I was annoyed at the store.

Then, we went to Newflower, across the street. I got our groceries for the week and also got some good deals there. Evan and Noah were better behaved there. I gave them both apples to eat to keep them busy. After checkout I took the boys to the bakery to get their free cookie (kids get free cookies).

We came home, ate lunch, and the boys took good naps.

For dinner, we ate rotisserie chicken and leftover potatoes.

After dinner, I made Morry run with me. :)

I want to try and start exercising more. Maybe we’ll try running after dinner and see how that works out.

Evan and Noah are in bed now, but Evan is still awake.

Smoke Detectors

Last night our smoke detectors went off at two different times during the middle of the night. It’s so annoying. They went off for just a few seconds each time. We had someone come and look at them before when this happened. He said that the smoke detectors have motion sensors and if a bug gets in there it will set it off. That’s most likely what happened last night. We have no idea which smoke detector is was. Because of the baby monitors it makes it even harder to tell where it is coming from. Luckily it didn’t seem to bother Evan and Noah. I’m sure they woke up, but just went back to sleep. It made Lizzy really nervous though.

I was really tired this morning.

Evan and Noah slept until almost 10am. They really needed the sleep.

Yenis and Kevin came over around 10:30 and then we went to the Hill Country Galleria. The kids played in the spray water fountain and then we sat at a table and had snacks. Noah did not really play in the water fountain. He didn’t want to get wet for some reason. Evan and Kevin had a great time though.

When we got home I made a smoothie. Noah drank his pretty quickly so I filled his cup with more. Somehow he managed to get the top off the cup and spilled the whole thing on the carpet.

Evan and Noah took good naps today.

When they woke up I put Sesame Street on for them so I could make dinner.

Morry got home a little after 6:00. We ate pasta salad and then drove to the mall. Morry needed more nice clothes for work. Before leaving I printed out coupons. We got a 15% coupon for Old Navy and a free cookie at The Great American Cookie. Noah was a pain at the mall. He didn’t want to be in the stroller and he was very fussy. He was throwing a fit at the cookie counter. He really wanted a cookie. We let Evan and Noah eat their cookies in the car.

We left the mall around 9 and got home and put the boys to bed. Hopefully they sleep well tonight and hopefully the smoke detectors don’t go off again.

Zilker Park and Hula Hut

When I was pregnant with Evan I found an online message board on Baby Center. It was for first time moms with babies due in April 2006. Almost every day I would read and participate in discussions. I got to know the other women on the board and the message board is still going (though I don’t keep up with it as much as I did). For the first time, I met one of the moms in the group. She and her family live in Tacoma and are here in Austin visiting her husband’s family. She has a boy just a few days younger than Evan and a girl who turns one next week.

We met at Zilker Park. We rode the train and played on the playground. Then, we ate lunch at Hula Hut. She and her husband were very nice. The kids were cute. I wish we could have talked more, but I was having a hard time dealing with both Evan and Noah. Evan threw a fit when it was time to leave the park and he was very antsy at the restaurant. Noah was good at the park, but cranky at Hula Hut. He wouldn’t eat much there. We might see them again when we go to Seattle later in the summer.

The boys took naps when we got home.

Blanca came at 3:30 so I could shop and then tutor.

I came home at 7:00 and we ate leftovers from last night.

Evan and Noah are in bed now.

School and Shopping

I dropped Evan off at school this morning. Noah and I came home for a little bit and then went to HEB.

Noah didn’t eat much for lunch. He was really cranky for some reason.

We picked Evan up and school and I had to change his diaper in the back of the car.

Blanca came over at 2:15. The boys were still not down for naps so I asked her to try to put them down around 2:30. Noah napped, but Evan didn’t.

I had an appointment to get my bangs trimmed and I did some shopping. Then, I tutored one student at 4:30. I got home around 6:00.

We had Coke ham and salad for dinner.

Evan and Noah are in bed now. I hear Noah playing with his bear.

Rainy Day

We finally got the rain they have been talking about for a while. It got really cold here and it was wet all day.

I needed to go to HEB, we didn’t leave the house until almost noon. It took a while for me to get everyone dressed and fed.

We spent a long time at HEB. Evan and Noah loved trying all the samples. Noah ate cinnamon roll, various bread samples, and some of my pasta sample. The woman at the pasta demo table commented about Noah doing the “more” sign. Noah really liked that pasta. During the shopping trip I fed Noah animal crackers as well to keep him occupied. Both boys did really well. Having all that food really helped. We saw Katy, one of the girls in Evan’s class. Evan was acting really shy when I was talking to her mom. Oh, and I did well with my coupons as well. I saved $18 in coupons today.

We got home at 1:30 and I started getting lunch ready and putting away the groceries. Blanca came about 1:40. She fed the boys while I did some stuff around the house and got ready for tutoring. On the way to tutoring I stopped at the party store to get some decorations and favors for Evan’s birthday.

I tutored 3 students and got home about 7. We heated up the leftover cornbread casserole for dinner.

Below is Evan’s class picture.

School and Shopping

Morry worked from home today. He wasn’t feeling well and didn’t get much sleep last night. The boys slept late and woke up around 9am. We were a little late to Evan’s school. When we walked in one of the girls ran up to him and said, “Hi Evan!” and gave him a big hug. It was very cute.

I took Noah with me to library. It just so happened there was a story time about to start so I took Noah to the story time. Not even 5 minutes into the story time Noah got antsy and we walked out. I checked out a few books and we left.

Then, we went shopping. I bought Noah some shoes. All we have are Evan’s old shoes and they don’t fit him well since they are pretty worn out. I also got a shirt for Noah and a Toy Story book for Evan. I happened to see the Toy Story book when I was checking out and couldn’t pass it up.

At home Noah took a short nap. Then we ate lunch and picked up Evan. When we were getting in the car I pointed out Noah’s new shoes. Even was very interested since they had Thomas the Train on them. I told Evan I bought him a new book and it was on his bed waiting for him at home. Then, he asked if I went shopping and what else I did while he was in school.

I put Evan and Noah down for naps but neither one wanted to nap. Noah eventually fell asleep, but Evan did not nap.

Blanca came at 4:00 so I could tutor. I got home about 8:00.

Morry took Evan and Noah to McDonalds for dinner. He asked Evan where he wanted to go for dinner and he picked McDonalds. Morry said both boys were well behaved and had a good time.

Spent Too Much

Hello everyone, this is Morry. Rachel read a statistic today that said that when people bring their kids shopping, they spend 40% more. Well that seemed to be very true for us today. We went shopping for Hanukkah for the boys and had some other errands to run and we spent way too much. We will be accepting donations for anyone that wants to help.

So the day today began late. Both boys pretty much slept until 10am. I was awakened at 8:15 by one of our lovely neighborhood outside dogs. We talked to our next door neighbors about the dog in the video that Rachel posted, and to their credit they seemed to have really reduced if not eliminated the barking. I'm not sure how but it seems to be quiet. However, the dog behind us, the one who used to spend time in our backyard has decided to try to make up for the lack of barking. Everyone who reads the blog knows my feeling on keeping dogs outside, so I'll spare everyone another rant.

We needed to run to go furniture shopping today because my mom, very generously, got us a flat screen LCD TV for Hanukkah. Now we need a TV stand or entertainment center to put the TV on (yes, I did end the sentence with a preposition). On our way to Lack's (a furniture store), we stopped at Kohl's to see about getting Noah some toys. Evan had a great time looking at the toys. He stopped to look at every single GeoTrax thing they had. He'd bring the box to me and say "Look Daddy, look at this GeoTrax. I want it. I want to bring it to my home." We did end up getting a couple good gifts for Noah.

Next we went to PetCo to get food for Lizzy. While we were there, I picked up litter for Mottel and a Hanukkah present for Lizzy. Every year we get her a rawhide bone in the shape of a candy cane. It's so big I can actually use it as a cane to leave the store.

Finally, we made it to Lack's. We had seen an entertainment center that we liked and I had called about it previously. In person, it looked to be exactly what we needed. So we ended up buying it.

We came home, had lunch and put the boys down for a nap.

After the naps, we went to a new burger joint for dinner called Willy O's. They have shakes there so after dinner we got shakes. Rachel poured some of her shake into a little cup for Evan. He used a spoon and ate it all himself. Rachel poured more in there and he ate that, but he also spooned some out and fed Noah. It was really funny to see Evan feeding Noah. I think Evan really enjoys taking care of Noah.

To top off our day of spending, we went to HEB. We hadn't had a real shopping trip since returning from our vacation, so we had to buy a lot of food. Rachel cuts coupons and the trip is always made longer by her organizing the coupons for what we purchased. Sometimes she has multiple coupons for the same item, so she tries to figure out which one is the better deal. It adds about 10 minutes to any shopping trip. However, to her credit, she did save us over $25 in coupons. I guess that's worth the extra 10 minutes.

Finally, Rachel wanted me to relate this one store. The night the boys and I went to McDonald's, on the way home, Evan asked for music. I had my iPod in the car so I turned it on and Nine Inch Nails was playing. It was their most recent album. Anyway, Nine Inch Nails, for those of you that don't know is Industrial, hard, electronic music. Evan paused after it started and said "This is fast. This is fast. Put on another kind of music." So I laughed and put on another song for him that he'd like better. He then said "That was fast. I didn't like that music." So Evan does not like my Nine Inch Nails. Last night when Rachel asked him about it, he said that it was too loud and said it "sounded like this" and started hitting his legs with his hands. I guess he likes more mellow music.

Until next time...

Evan speaks Spanish!

I walked Evan to school today. Then, I walked back home and it was time to turn around and come right back to school for Evan’s parent-teacher conference. Morry worked from home today, so we went together with Noah to meet Wendy. It was fun hearing about Evan and how he is doing at school. Wendy said he’s doing great and meeting all the developmental milestones. It really seems like she takes the time to get to know the kids. She said the only thing Evan needs to work on is cleaning up, especially after lunch. She said after lunch he just wants to run off and play.

Morry picked Evan up at school. When he got home I noticed there were stamps on his arm and I asked where he got them. He said Ms. Aranza gave them to him during Spanish. I asked what he learned in Spanish class and he said “ojos (eyes)”. I was so impressed. I asked where his ojos were and he pointed to his eye. I asked Evan what else he learned and he pointed to his nose and then said “nariz.”

Blanca came at 2:00. I had an appointment for a mammogram. My doctor and I figured it was a good idea to get a baseline test since there is a history of cancer in the family. After the mammogram I had some time to kill before tutoring so I went over to Marshall’s. I went there to look for shoes for Evan, but didn’t find any wides in his size. They had some great deals and I bought a few things for me.

I got home at 8. We just put the boys to bed.


I just wanted to add…. When we were getting Evan ready for bed tonight, he was at his sink drinking some water and he spilled it on his pajama top. I brought him in his room to get another top. He wanted the truck pajamas, so I put the top on. He wanted the bottoms of the truck pajamas too, but I refused since the pajama pants he had on where fine and dry. Well, when Morry went upstairs to put Evan back to bed Evan said, “I put these on.” Morry looked down and saw Evan had taken off his other pajama pants, got his truck pajama pants out of his drawer, and put them on by himself.

Busy Friday

Last night Noah didn’t go to sleep until 2am. He would not sleep. I rocked him for a long time and then was able to put him in his crib without him crying. I woke up around 7:30am to the neighbor’s dog barking – still a problem and wakes at least one of us the majority of the mornings.

At 10:30 Yenis and Kevin came over to borrow some of Evan’s toys for Kevin’s birthday party on Sunday.

Then, at 11:00 Ana brought Manuela (her nanny) over to meet the boys. Manuela is going to babysit for Evan and Noah next week on Monday and Wednesday mornings when I tutor. Blanca has class at that time so I asked Ana (a mom in the playgroup) if her nanny would be available.

They stayed for about 30-45 min. Then, I took the boys shopping. We went to Old Navy first. I heard they were having a sale on winter coats. Evan outgrew his coat and we needed a coat for him for the one week it gets really cold here in the winter.

After Old Navy we went to Kohls. We needed to buy some birthday presents. Kohls is having a sale on toys, plus I had a coupon. We got a good deal.

After Kohls we came home for a little bit and then went to Matt and Alissa’s house to hang out with Alissa and the kids. Evan had a great time playing with Geo Tracks and Ben and Molly’s other toys.

We came home and fed Noah and then went out to dinner at Hyde Park. After dinner, we stopped at the bookstore so Morry could get some books for his trip. Of course I had a coupon. :)

We had a successful day of shopping. The only bad thing, is just now I checked my email and I got a coupon for 30% off at Old Navy. I wonder if I can go in there and get them to give me the discount on the stuff I bought today. Is it worth the effort? I’ll think about it.

I’m worried Evan might be getting sick. When we got home from the Podber’s Evan was very clingy and not acting like his usual self. Morry thought he felt warm and looked like he didn’t feel well. We took his temperature and it was normal. We thought maybe he was just really tired since he didn’t nap. But tonight before bed I took his temperature again and he has a slight fever, 99.7. I’ll have to check again in the morning and see how he’s doing.

Another Sunday

Noah slept until 10am this morning. He’s been sleeping really well lately. He was getting up about once or twice a night and we’d have to go in and give him his pacifier. Now he usually makes it through the night without needed us. Let’s hope this continues.

We were trying to decide what to do this morning, but since we didn’t have much time (the Steelers game was on at 12) we decided to take a walk in the neighborhood. We walked to the elementary school and Evan played on the playground for a little while.

I made scrambled eggs for brunch. Morry ate his in front of the TV. Evan and I ate outside on the upstairs patio. Evan loves to eat outside.

I took Evan to TJ Maxx. He needed a few more long sleeved shirts. The ones we had were a little too big on him. I wanted to just go somewhere cheap and quick.

After naps we went to HEB. We put both Evan and Noah in the cart. Evan always likes to eat something while we are there so I gave him a plum. He ate about half of it and left it in front of the cart. We were in the meat section looking at something and when I looked back at the boys Noah was eating the plum! He had grabbed it and was sucking on it.

So, we think Noah is getting another tooth. He’s been cranky today and we feel a little bump on the top of his mouth.

So, as I’m writing this I hear Morry cracking up. He says I have to come see this video on the internet. Here it is… pretty funny….http://video.yahoo.com/network/100284668?v=3710199&l=4418225