Dentist and Finished Office

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, Noah had a dentist appointment first thing.  We needed to get the tooth removed that was causing the abscess.  We left the house around 7:15.  The actual extraction only took 10-20 minutes.  Most of that time was cleaning out the infection around where Noah's tooth had been.  Apparently the baby tooth should have come out and it didn't come out so the tooth was dying and causing issues.  We were home by 9am.

When I got home the contractor was finishing up my office as well as the transition from the family room into the kitchen and the backsplash.  I worked in the morning from the dining room.  By lunch, they had fully finished and I was able to move back into my office.  Below is a picture of the office.  I still need to hang pictures and put in the filing cabinet behind my desk with the printer.

Rachel came home after lunch.  Then she went for a run.

I had a meeting to end the day while Rachel tutored over the computer. 

For dinner, I made grilled chicken.  I marinated the chicken breasts with olive oil, lemon zest, oregano, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper.  It was good.

The boys are upstairs playing on the Playstation.

Until next time...

No Sports This Weekend

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Evan was supposed to play baseball in Dallas this weekend. He was going to go up with one of his teammates on Friday and I was going to go up on Saturday.  But there was 100% chance of rain this weekend so the parents voted to not go.  That saved everyone a drive as well as paying for a night at a hotel.  It did rain and the tournament was cancelled so it ended up being a good decision.

I was happy because I thought I would get to see Noah play football.  Unfortunately, it rained heavily yesterday morning and Noah's game was cancelled.

I took the boys to Target where they spent some money from their birthday.  Then we picked up a movie from Redbox that we watched in the afternoon. Rachel tutored while we did that.

For dinner, we went to Hula Hut.  We did some shopping at HEB on the way home.  We saw Grandma and Papa as well as our neighbor Rita there. 

Today, I got up with the animals and fed them and then went back to bed.  Later in the morning, Rachel got up.  She didn't realize I had fed them and took them downstairs and fed them again.  I think they were quite happy.

Rachel and I took Chewie for a long walk this morning.  Then we came home and had lunch.

In the afternoon, I did some work.  Rachel left to go to a Pink Ribbon Cowgirl event. 

Noah had Sunday School in the afternoon.

For dinner, we were able to eat outside.  It was nice.  Chewie loved having us outside.  We let Calvin come out too.

The boys are playing upstairs now.

Until next time...

HitTrax Tournament

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

There is no baseball tournament or flag football game this weekend.  But they did have a HitTrax tournament at the facility.  HitTrax is a system that measures how the ball is hit, the velocity off the bad, the angle and the launch angle and tells you where the ball goes and if it's a hit or not (based on their age).  Evan's team had to form smaller teams and were allowed to bring friends that weren't in the organization to compete. 

Before we left for that, Rachel left to tutor a girl for the ACT.  It turns out she had other math homework so Rachel ended up not helping her prepare for the ACT.

Evan had already formed a team with Cooper, Angelo and Cooper's friend.  They called themselves the "Megabombers".  They ended up winning the whole tournament.  Evan was very excited. 

Rachel stopped at HEB on her way home and got some stuff for the week.  She said it was very crowded at HEB.

We got home about an hour after her and we had lunch.

The rest of the afternoon, we took it easy.

For dinner, we went to The League with Papa.  We had a nice time.

The boys are playing on the Playstation now and Rachel is making cake balls for a Super Bowl party tomorrow.

Until next time...

Nothing Special

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Today was nothing special.  The boys didn't have any activities in the afternoon.  Neither boy went to Grandma and Papa's.  Rachel did tutor in the afternoon, but it nothing stood out.

It started with our normal walk to school.  It was threatening to rain but it hadn't rained before we walked.  It wasn't a real pleasant walk as it was cold and humid.

I worked from home for a little while and then went into HomeAway.

Rachel taught and then came home and picked Noah up.  I had a meeting at HomeAway that made it so I couldn't get back in time.

I had a phone meeting when I got home.

For dinner, I grilled fajitas.  Evan ate a ton.  He probably ate more than half of the meat.

Evan just finished his homework.  He and Noah will go to bed soon.

Until next time...

Constant Movement

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

I needed to get into Touch To early this morning.  We were having a client come in early so everyone needed to be in the office.  Because of that I wasn't able to walk Noah to school.  I drove him to the trail and then drove in.  Evan closed up the house by putting Chewie in his crate and turned the alarm on as he left the house.

Rachel worked this morning, then she went to see the sports medicine doctor to work more on her shoulder.

I got home in time to walk to get Noah.  Rachel rested for a bit when we came home and then left to tutor.

Just as Rachel got home, Evan and I left to go to a hitting lesson.

When we came home, we had dinner.  Then we helped Noah with his science fair proposal.

The boys are in bed now.

Until next time...

Still Boiling, Evan's OK

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Day 2 of boiling our water continued.  We boiled enough yesterday that we actually didn't have to boil anything today.  People are definitely freaking out here.

It was raining (of course) when we got up this morning.  Chewie and I drove Noah the trail and dropped him off.  It was just drizzling so he didn't mind walking the trail.  But it was still too wet to walk.

Rachel didn't come as she has early days on Tuesdays and Thursday for teaching.

I went into Touch To today.

I left a bit early and picked Evan up from school.  I took him to see a Sports Therapy doctor.  He's the one who works with TRPD.  He was great.  He was able to show us that Evan had hurt his ligament from his tricep to his elbow.  It was a bit inflamed and irritated.  He worked on it to ease the swelling.  He gave Evan several exercises to do, and he has to alternate cold and heat.  He has another appointment on Friday morning to see how he's doing and for the doctor to work on him some more.  And then he'll have to come in one more time next week.  He won't be able to play in the field this weekend but he has a chance at playing in the field at a tournament next weekend.

Rachel picked Noah up and then dropped him off at home.  Then she left to tutor.

I came home and worked for a while.  The boys played upstairs.

We grilled chicken for dinner and roasted garlic to put on a loaf of bread that Evan and I picked up after his appointment.

Evan is doing his exercises and watching the World Series.  I guess when Evan can't play baseball, he watches it.

Until next time...

New Dog Gate

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Our walks to take Noah to school in the morning go very quickly now.  Chewie pulls so much that we walk very fast.  It's certainly faster than Lizzy towards the end as she walked quite slowly.

Rachel went into work when we got home.  I left for the office a bit later.  We had someone coming in for a job interview and I had another meeting in the afternoon.

Rachel had a doctors appointment at the time we would get Noah, so I went by myself to get Noah.  Chewie was surrounded by four kids at one point.  He was so happy.  As we walked home, a car drove by us and a boy yelled "Hi Chewie!" out the car window (not one who had been petting Chewie.  Noah said he thinks all the kids at the school know Chewie.

Rachel stopped home for a few minutes before she left to go tutor.

We found a gate that we can put up between the kitchen and laundry room that has a cat door built in.  That way the cats don't have to jump over the gate, they can go through the cat door.  But we can keep Chewie out of the laundry room.  I put that up this afternoon.  So far, so good.

While Rachel was tutoring, the boys and I watched The Usual Suspects.  I think they liked it.

We had pasta for dinner.

The boys will be getting ready for bed soon.

Until next time...

Out All Day

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Rachel left the house to teach this morning and is just getting back now.  In between, she went to South By Southwest EDU conference, then to tutor, then to some event where an app was debuting.

Meanwhile, I left the house around 10am.  I went to Touch To, to HomeAway, back home, walked to get Noah, met Cooper's parents and got Cooper at Wendy's, up to practice (which is across from HomeAway), over to TopGolf for a HomeAway event, picked up Chick-fil-A for the boys, back to practice, drove back and dropped Cooper off and then drove home.  From there, I walked with Chewie to Grandma and Papa's to pick up Noah.  It feels good to be sitting down and relaxing.

Noah had a good day at school and he had a good time at Grandma and Papa's.  He ate a ton.  He had flank steak, a baked potato, popcorn, pomegranate, and a self-made cookie-wich.

Evan had a good time with Cooper in the car to and from practice.  On the way home, they were being so silly that they both started laughing to the point of having a hard time breathing. 

The boys are now relaxed and getting ready for bed.

Until next time...

Rain = No Baseball

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

It was raining when I got up this morning but it wasn't raining at the time we were going to take Noah.  But it still seemed like it might rain.  So we put Chewie in the car and drove Noah to the trail.  Just as we got home from driving, it began to rain again.  We were thankful that we didn't walk.

Rachel left to go teach.  I worked from home for much of the morning.  I did run into the office for a bit, but not for very long.

Rachel saw a sports doctor after teaching.  Her ankle and shoulder are still bothering her.  They want her to wear a new brace on her ankle and not do any exercise on it for several weeks.  For her shoulder, she can continue to go to physical therapy.

After that, she went to the Pink Ribbon Cowgirls lunch.

We drove to get Noah.  It was barely drizzling.  We brought Chewie in the car with us.  We dropped Noah off at Grandma and Papa's.

Rachel left to tutor shortly after we got home.

Evan came home and relaxed for a few minutes and then he started getting dressed for practice.  He was almost dressed when we got the email that practice was cancelled.

We made some small stuff for dinner and then we drove to pick Noah up.

The boys are getting ready for bed.

Until next time...

Election Day

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

The temperature today was warmest on our walk with Noah to school.  Since then it's been slowly getting colder.

I worked from home all day.  Rachel was teaching. 

Around lunch time I went and voted.  There was a big school bond package that I wanted to make sure got passed, as well as a county bond package that will build a park closer to us with baseball fields.  It looks like both have passed.

Noah went to Grandma and Papa's after school.

Evan got home and shortly afterward, Rachel left to tutor.

For dinner, Evan and I got slices of pizza at Jersey Giant Pizza.  Then we went to a hitting lesson.  Evan is working on trying to hit breaking balls.  He has struggled with that a bit the last two weekends.

The boys are getting ready for bed now.

Until next time...

A Normal Day

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Today was a fairly normal day.  We were not overly busy, we didn't have to rush anywhere.  We walked the boys to school and then went to Camp Gladiator.  Rachel did not have to tutor after it so we drove together and came home.

I worked all day long, though I did have several phone meetings.  Rachel did some work and the rested.

Rachel did have to leave to tutor before pick the boys up from school so I went alone.  The boys were in a good mood as we walked home from school.

For dinner we had some leftovers.  Then we walked to Grandma and Papa's to get the camera that Papa was letting Rachel borrow.  Papa is in Dallas this week though.  Lizzy joined us on our walk over there.

When we came home, the boys played for a bit and then went to bed.

Until next time...

Kickball

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

We did Camp Gladiator after taking the boys to school.  There were no fits or problems on the way to school.

Rachel went straight from Camp Gladiator to tutor.  After that she stopped at HEB on the way home.

I worked all morning long.  At lunch time I went out and got gas and picked up a smoothie at Smoothie King.

We only picked up Noah after school.  As a fundraiser for the PTA, Evan was participating in a kickball tournament for the fifth graders.  They were able to get shaved ice too while they were there.

Rachel left to go tutor and Noah and I picked Evan up.  We stopped at Jude's on the way home and brought him home with us.

For dinner, we grilled hamburgers and ate outside on the porch.

The boys are asleep now.

Until next time...

Very Full Day

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

After walking the boys to school, Rachel and I went to Camp Gladiator and worked out.  From there, Rachel left to go tutor.  I went home and got ready for a demo I was giving.

I worked all the way to the time of the demo and then gave the demo.  After that, I showered, and left for a meeting at a client.

Rachel went from tutoring to a lunch for the Pink Ribbon Cowgirls.

After my meeting, I drove to TRPD to meet Evan there for his hitting lesson.

Rachel came home after the lunch, was home for a bit, then walked to get the boys.  As soon as they got home, they left to go up to meet me at TRPD.  Noah stayed at the facility while Rachel left to tutor some more.

For dinner we just had leftovers.

The boys are getting ready for bed soon.

Until next time...

Very Very Busy Day

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Today both Rachel and I were going non-stop.  We took the boys to school and then came home.  I was at home for about an hour before I left to go to Aaron's where I worked for the day.

Rachel left just before me to meet a client for a meeting.  She said the meeting went well.

At Aaron's, we had two phone meetings back-to-back with Focus Forward.  Then we grabbed some lunch and then we went over some things for a potential client as well as some projects we already have going on.  I was not able to go with Rachel to pick up the kids.

I got home just after Rachel left to go tutor.  I was home about 30 minutes before Evan and I left to go to his baseball practice.

Noah stayed home alone until Rachel got home.  Then they picked up Grandma and went to a grand opening for a place called the Parking Spot which is airport parking.  They are opening their second location at the airport - this time on the other side of the highway.  Rachel was invited as a blogger and she was able to bring guests.  They had pizza and another food truck.  They also got a goody bag.

Evan and I went to dinner at a new pizza place called Jersey Giant Pizza.  The small pizza is 18".  We both really liked it.  We managed to eat 3/4 of the pizza.

The boys are now sleeping.

Until next time...

Early Bagels

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Rachel had a meeting with the Austin Tennis Academy this morning after walking the boys.  The brother of one of the students that Rachel tutors goes there for school.  I guess it's a way to get better at tennis where you go to school and do tennis each day.  Anyway, the boy needs some help and Rachel is going to go to the school to tutor this boy three times a week.  The school wanted to meet Rachel first.  Rachel said it was a good meeting and there is the potential for Rachel to tutor more students there.

After her meeting, I met Rachel at Wholy Bagel.  It was good.

We walked to get the boys...well boy.  Evan went home with Wade.  Noah walked home with us.

One of Noah's friends was going to be back at the school at 4 and invited Noah to join him to play around there.  Rachel took Noah over there.  Noah played with his friend and another boy.

Rachel and Noah picked Evan up on the way home.

For dinner, we ordered Pizza Hut and watched Timeless.

The boys will be getting ready for bed soon.

Until next time...

Independent Boys

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

We were back at Camp Gladiator this morning.  It was a tough workout.  It was a lot of running, a lot of reps and it was warm - in the 70s at 8 in the morning.

I had a call in the morning but otherwise stayed home all day to work.

Rachel left to tutor before picking up the boys from school.  I went alone to get them.

When I got to the school, Evan told me some of his friends were staying after school in the schoolyard and wanted to stay.  I agreed and told him I'd pick him up in time to go to baseball.  I left his iPad with him.

Then, Noah and I began walking home.  On the walk, I got a text from Jude's mom wanting to know if Noah could come over.  Not wanting to leave the house twice - once to drop Noah off and once to get Evan - I let Noah walk from where we were to Jude's house on his own.

Evan texted me after about 30 minutes that he was walking home with one of his friends.  He and the friend stayed here until we needed to leave for baseball.  Then I dropped the boy off back at school.  His mom is a teacher there and so he was going to get a ride home with her.

Evan's baseball went well.  I thought he played well.  He was mad about a base running mistake he made at the end, but in general, he did well.

Until next time...

Thrift Store

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

After walking the boys to school, we had our second Camp Gladiator class of the week.  It was in the high 40s with a wind when the class started, but that didn't bother us for too long.  Most people were down to t-shirts by the time the class ended.

Rachel went to a thrift store after we got home.  She wanted to try to find some ski pants for herself.  She was also looking for boots for Evan to wear while we were walking around the town in the evening.  She found some stuff for her as well as some other clothes for Evan, but not the boots.

Rachel did not come to pick the boys because she had to leave to tutor a student.  She stopped at JCPenney on the way home to pick up some other ski stuff that we had ordered.

For dinner, we had Sprite chicken.

The boys are upstairs now.  Evan is doing some hitting drills.

Until next time...

Morning Baseball

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, we met Josh and his dad at Oak Hill to play baseball.  Josh's dad talked to Coach Chris last night and Coach Chris met us there as well.  The boys worked out together for about an hour.  Then Evan worked for about 10 minutes on robbing home runs because he wanted to.  Chris taught him how to feel for the fence.

On the way home, we stopped and got smoothies at Smoothie King.

After lunch, Rachel met a student to tutor her.

When she got home, Rachel, Evan and I walked to the school and Evan played with the football on the field for a bit.

For dinner, we went to Tarbouch.  The boys ate really well.  We had to get a second order of the beef kabobs for the boys.

On our way home, we stopped at HEB and got food for the week.

The boys are getting ready for bed now.

Until next time...

Vacation Officially Over

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Our vacation officially ended at 6:25am when our alarm went off and we had to get up to take the boys to school.  Evan had to get dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt because the fourth and fifth graders were going to the symphony today.

We stayed home most of the morning.  Rachel did things around the house.  I ended up having to run into HomeAway because the stuff I needed to connect to their network didn't work.  Their IT guy was not helpful at all.

I stopped at Smoothie King on the way home.

Rachel left to tutor and I walked to pick up the boys from school.

After Rachel tutored, she met some friends from junior high for dinner.  One of the women was coming in from out of town and Rachel had seen her since junior high.  She moved away at that time.  The other woman lives up in Georgetown.  They went to Hula Hut.

Evan met with Coach Chris today.  Noah came with us.  Josh and his dad met us there and Chris worked with both of them.

For dinner we stopped at Popeye's.

Evan is watching the Penguins play now.  Noah is upstairs.  They will get ready for bed soon.

Until next time...

Misty

This morning when we walked to school it wasn't quite raining, but it was misty.

I went to the doctor this morning.  I don't have strep.  It’s pharyngitis - a virus.  She just recommended drinking tea and taking ibuprofen if needed.

I rested most of the day.

Morry and I walked to pick up the boys.

A little while later I left to tutor.

I got home around 7:15pm and we ate leftover Chinese food for dinner.

The boys are getting ready for bed now.