A Weekend with a Honey-Do List

I have this running to-do list in my head, and this weekend I got to get it out of my head, on to paper, and off the list thanks to my in-laws. I even made a second list once they accomplished the first! My list included...fix droopy outdoor light fixtures, hang chandelier in dining room, make the air conditioner quit whining, fix jammed window in guest bedroom, fix lawnmower, hang mirror in entry, inspect lights in bathrooms, haul tree branches to the dump, mow and edge, and one I'm enjoying right now...relocate birdhouse to alternate location...no more chirps by the backdoor!!! I'm sure there was more on the list, but I even got bonus work like having my sink cleaned and as well as the garage. Seriously, I think they should come more often, even though I joked they would never want to come again with all the work they did in two days! We even went to their family farm to look around.


Corn. It was like Field of Dreams...before shot. I also couldn't help but think...tourist attraction...corn maze!

Corn is tall but makes a lovely backdrop!

Malouf and Sons. The next generation!

What a great weekend we had! Thanks Mitch and Sherry for all your hard work!

Oh, and I just got the official word...Highland Elementary has been rated as EXEMPLARY for our scores! What a good feeling to have as the school year is about to gear up again!

Much love,

My Week Part III: CAMT

Conference for the Advancement for Math Teachers or Math Teaching. Who knows? Don't say it's so? Doesn't Colby hate math? The conference was actually really good! It does take me a bit to get fired up to teach math. I love reading and social studies, but math is nice and logical...I suppose...I really don't mind 4th grade math. I heard some awesome speakers, and I even bought a nifty math sing song CD. I LOVE music in the classroom (I used to even teach my seventh grade students songs!) so I suppose my 4th graders will like it, too. I went to this session about integrating physical activity into math lessons--love, love, love this. Our kids are eating crap and not active enough and besides sitting in a desk all day is a snooze!

Besides all the learning I did, I really got to know our new 4th grade teacher. She will be so much fun to work with! She even likes my math song CD! We found a Macy's in downtown Houston and did some sale shopping. And, eat. Oh, man...we ate! We went to this swanky new restaurant, The Grove. It's mostly organic food from local farms. So good with a cool view of downtown Houston activities! We also took a taxi out of downtown to the Galleria for some more shopping and Cheesecake Factory!

Oh the things I make people do! We were shopping, and I made everyone put on a wacky pair of shoes and I took a picture of our feet. Hint...mine are the red toes!


Glad to be home sans humidity! I'm looking forward to a great year!

Much love,

Week Part II: The Land of Enchantment

Off to Ruidoso for some cool mountain air. We had lots of fun chatting on the deck looking at the stars, eating and laughing, going to the races, a little shopping and of course, a traditional putt-putt game after the boys played real golf.

Ashlee and Jason at the races Micah and I at the races. My $2 show ticket betting was not impressive.

Malouf family


Time for some putt-putt, and who doesn't love a wooden bear picture?!?



We saw many deer.


And, as fun as it was we had to return to Texas for Micah to return to work and for me to go to a math conference in Houston. The drive back was long and it wasn't long past Roswell that I had to GO potty. Desolation. Micah thought it would be appropriate to take these pictures and shake water bottles in the car to make it so much better. In fact, he thought it was funny. Soon, I found the town of Elida and got to go!


My turn to take over the camera. His phone rang from work that afternoon.


But soon we reached Texas. Don't you think Texas is the best?


And, naturally when I am bored, I will make people in the car do things they wouldn't normally do like making a "Keep Texas Safe" infomercial.


We were soon among cows.


Those fruitful Maloufs are everywhere. Here they are in Friona.


Lastly, Dodger was back with us after stopping by Amarillo to pick him up! Whew, long day!


Off to pack for Houston before the alarm rings at an hour I haven't seen in a long time!

Much love,

My Week Part I

I've had a rather busy week in and out of town so I'll break up my week into a couple of parts. I've been to Amarillo, Ruidoso, back to Amarillo, and Houston for a math conference.

Before we left, my friend Kim (who loves painting...is she nuts?!?) came over to help me paint!

Micah teased about wanting a bowling pin for his birthday so they found a pin for his belated birthday and I got one just 'cause! How fun and funny!

Jonathan, Kim and Kate


The next night we were off to Amarillo to drop off Dodger for my parents to watch him. I had to go love, love, love on my nieces!

The girls share a room and it is just a delightful space of all sorts of sweet, girly fun!

Karli and Reece (she had been running through the sprinklers that day). She is being more gentle with Reagan and getting use to this idea of having a new person in the house taking some of the attention off of her.

My mom and hungry Reagan

Uncle Micah and Aunt Colby LOVE sweet Reagan!



Finally, as I was getting ready to leave, my daddy picks up my slanket which I brought for Dodger to sleep on. Since it is Dodge and my nap blanket, I thought he would find it comforting. Daddy thought it was so bizarre that I would have a blanket with arm holes. Therefore, I made him get in the blanket and pretend he was cheering for a team. This was the best he could do. His enthusiam was underwhelming.



Then, off to New Mexico! More to come...

Much love,

Glued to the coverage today

I have literally been glued to the MJ coverage today. I now have a massive headache from bawling my eyes out at the last scene of everyone singing and then his little girl's remarks about her father. I am really so sensitive about people losing anybody or anything that even though I don't know them I just feel so deeply for his family and friends. It could be Joe Blows family on the screen and I would be the same way. Such a tragedy...

Besides slinging snot, I am in the midst of a laundry room freshening up. I have painted my cabinets and glazed over them with a walnut stain (a long, smelly, messy job!), filling nail holes, and painting the walls. I'll take a picture or two when all is said and done.

I miss my little Reagan and Reece. Reagan is still in the NICU, but they have moved her to an open bed instead of the tube like bed with portals to put your hand in. She also had her nose feeding tube taken out and is eating from a bottle in tiny doses. Karli has to go up there quite a bit. I really feel for her. She gave birth a week ago and has been running non stop since she's been home getting the girls room ready, Mike has been painting, assembling the crib, cleaning carpet, run, run, run. She told me that she's not sleeping and has been staying up until 4 AM working and nesting or her mind races. How miserable. They've been told that Reagan should be home soon!

The 4th of July brought Micah's friend Robert and his wife Sabrina through town as they are moving to San Antonio from Fort Lewis. We barbequed, chatted , went to view the local fireworks and then they were off to drive some more the next day.

Speaking of Micah he's back in the full swing of golf...pun intended. He even won a tournament a little over a week ago. All he got back was his money instead of the trips that were just drawn for. Shucks. As I type, he's at the driving range! He's been busy working, too. This is what I open the paper to read...
http://www.myplainview.com/articles/2009/07/01/breaking_news/256517dh_xml.txt

And, lastly, rabbits. Last year was the summer of the frog. This year we've still got the frogs, but add to that...rabbits. Note: Dodger wants to have some rabbit stew. Maybe I'll catch one with the camera one day. I'm still glad I've not seen a skunk or raccoon out here!

Much love,

Reagan Averie

At 7:42 PM on 06/29/09 God brought another beautiful blessing into my life, Miss Reagan Averie. She is long 18.75 inches long and weighs in at 4 lbs and 5 oz. I love being an aunt, and I'm now blessed for a second time. I don't know where to begin with all of this...it's been a wild ride the last 72 hours, but God is so good. After Karli's baby shower in the hospital her blood pressure wasn't coming down and topped out at 188/127. I'm no nurse, but about 15 rushed into her room Sunday night trying desperately to get it down. They decided that even though Karli was 35 weeks and they knew the baby would be small due to Karli's severe hyperemisis that Karli's body could go into a stroke or seizure with her blood pressure continuely high for preclampsia. I'm not going to lie...it's scary to see that padding they put on the bed around her head and all the people running around. They put her on the this awful medicine called magnesium sulfate and man she was out of it and sick. Ick! She's a trooper, no whining or complaining. By Monday evening it was time for Reagan to make her entrance. I was asked to be in the delivery room, but I'm not kidding there were so many nurses for Karli and the NICU team that I was overwhelmed and decided I would do best in the hall so instead Michael and her very good friend (who happens to be wrapping up nursing school) were there to be supportive. I think I would have just stood there silent with wide eyes. I'm guessing that's not considered "supportive." Off they rushed Reagan to the NICU past us down the hall. The first big news was that they didn't have to put her on the ventilator like was first thought. The magnesium was in Reagan's system so she bascially felt like it made Karli feel. Today was the first day Karli got to go down and hold her. They just started feeding her today through a tube (which she pulled out this morning) a teaspoon at a time. I got to scrub in and hold her, too. I was so afraid with the monitors and tubes. She is tiny, but responding well to all the necessary things to get sprung from the joint. They aren't certain how long she'll be in...estimates vary but no longer than her orginal due date of July 31 is pretty much agreed on. She has to maintain weight, eat on her own without tubes, not be jaundice, eat within a certain amount of time, and maintain her temp. Can you tell I learned a lot the last 48 hours? Karli could go home tomorrow if her blood pressure drops back down. She's also pretty excited that they will take out her central line she's been sporting the last seven months out of chest tomorrow. As for Reece, she still can't see Reagan and really misses her mama and desperately wants to see this baby sister she's waited to see. She told me she was going to put her in a stroller. She also explained that babies wear diapers. She also woke me up at 2:30 and 3:30 each night I was there to go to the bathroom (and if I remember correctly, she sang the ABC song after our potty trip). I like my sleep.

Life is such a miraculous gift God brings to us out of love.

Weighed in

Off to NICU. I sleep in this machine looking thing that keeps me warm. Mommy and Daddy have to put their hands in holes to change my diaper (which by the way, I learned is pretty nasty business the first few times...especially when you are trying to go around wires working in a dimly lit room with your hand in a hole!)

Reece Madelyn watches the rain. We played and had fun. Now, Aunt Colby is tired.



Now for the other interesting things aside from birth:

1) Baptist St. Anthony Hospital has the nicest cafeteria around. Where was all this when Mom was sick???
2) Micah has decided that he would like to check into BSA with a "cough" in April during the Masters on the labor and delivery floor so he can have a flat screen, dim room, and warm blankets.
3) We walked down to the regular nursery and those babies seem like giants compared to Reagan. I still don't comprehend how something that big comes out of something so small. It gives me shivers thinking about it.
4) Right before I left tonight, Karli's nurse comes into the room. Karli announces, "Colby, remember the cat you ran over and killed in high school?" My eyes go wide. She looks at her nurse, "It was her cat." Side story. I was driving home for work one evening and I ran over something. My dad is crazy about tire pressure so I turn around thinking I hit a wood board and whipped a U to make sure it didn't have a nail in it. Nope, there was a whole family sobbing in there front yard with the cat wrapped up in a towel. I hit the cat, not a board. The cat died. The little girl went to school the next day crying. Karli and her were library assistants and the girl explained that her cat was killed the night before. Karli told her I killed it. I seriously don't like cats, but I still feel awful about it. We all had a good, awkward laugh. Small world for a cat killer!


Much love and thanks to God,

I'll be an aunt for a second time

It's midnight as I type. After chuch today, I got home and saw two missed calls. No one ever calls on Sunday morning. Two new messages. One from Karli. One from my mom. Karli was checked into the hospital last night with a terrible headache and she got scared after her body began swelling rapidly. She fought tooth an nail not to go to the hospital (she's a little sick of being poked and prodded), but my mom and Michael weren't having it. Her baby shower was scheduled for 2 on Sunday. The message was a sobbing Karli upset because the hospital wouldn't release her to go to the baby shower. Now, not having a clue about this whole pregnancy business, I asked, "Seriously, they can't let you go for an hour...don't they know how important a shower is?" I hopped in my car and headed north to my baby sister's baby shower. Well, the doctor agreed to let the shower come to her in the room because he wasn't letting her go. Good thing too. Apparently, her blood pressure has been hanging out at 161/110. Normal for a pregnant person is anything below 120/80. I just got off the phone with her and it's now up to 200/?. She was wearing pj's with no makeup (she literally didn't think anyone would come up to the hospital until a few minutes before everyone walked in the door) completed by a corsage. It was a very sweet shower with lots of love in the room. Karli is a very giving person, and it was evident by all her friends and well-wishers who came to stand in a hospital room and eat bright pink cake and fruit. As we speak, they are inducing labor and I'm going to be an aunt again tomorrow. She's 35 weeks and she's just a tad bit freaked out by the fact that the clothes are washed, room isn't finished, etc. I know it won't matter near as much when she sees Reagan Avery. I can't wait to show her off, but in the meantime I've come home and taken off my spanx and four inch heels I've had on for over 13 hours (I didn't know all this would be going down or I would've packed a bag)! Say prayers for my sissy and new niece!

Much love,

Since we last talked...

Good afternoon! I've been spending a day relaxing drinking fluids and popping Tylenol. I have to get to feeling better for Karli's baby shower tomorrow. She called me not long ago afraid she's going into labor, but didn't want to call her doctor so that she could still go to the shower. Silly girl. C'mon, she'll still get the loot!

Here's what I can remember from the week:

1. Summer is going by WAY too fast. Seriously. It's the last week of June. I basically start school the beginning of August. And I have to go to a math conference in July. When I start seeing school supplies on the store shelf, expect tears.

2. My favorite decorator came over this week for more help. I love, love, love soaking up her knowledge!

3. I have primed by laundry room cabinets. I really want to paint my bathroom cabinets, but wanted to practice on the laundry room first. I had to move the washer to paint. Do you know what's lurking behind your washer? Eeewww, I do now.

4. Micah's started playing golf quite regularly these days. He's been playing at least once a week if not two times a week for the last couple of months. He was burned out for so long so I'm glad he's enjoying it again.

5. I was watching Oprah this week and dressing your best was the featured topic. There was a recommendation for pants...Banana Republic Martin trousers. I own them. I love them. If you carry your weight in your tummy, run, don't walk to go get these pants!

6. I'm really scared of wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, bees...anything with a stinger and I've seemed to encounter one of those anytime I've been outside this week.

7. I really should see an allergy doctor. I wheezed, sniffled and sneezed my head off at the park last night. I literally came home and had to get in the shower to get whatever pollen was on my body.

8. Ed, Farrah, and MJ died this week. I watched Star Search. RIP Ed. Karli and I loved '70's television growing up. We watched Chips and Charlie's Angels everyday in the summer. She had a great smile. RIP Farrah. I feel terrible for MJ's children and all the speculation going on about them. RIP MJ.

Much love,

5 things tag

I've been tagged by my new bloggie friends, The Reed family. They used to live in Plainview and we even have a similar friend in common. It really all does come back to Plainview as the center of the universe!

Five Random Facts

1. I chew on blankets, sheets, and t-shirts when watching television. It's disgusting to even me. It looks like a mouse lives in my house.

2. I run into more walls and couches than any other person I know.

3. I think life can be hard as a perfectionist. I try to play it off, but I tend to think my way is the best way.

4. My favorite smell in the house is called the Smell of Spring...I'll probably burn it all year.

5. I really want to buy some hot pink converse high tops!

Six Things I Wish I Could Do

1. Dance. I would love to be able to be twinkle toes on the dance floor, but at this point, I'd settle for just being able to keep time (without counting under my breath) two stepping.

2. I wish I could go back to college and live in the dorms and fall asleep talking to Micah. Gosh, so much fun!

3. I wish I loved cooking. I only like cooking if I'm entertaining, but I wish I loved to cook every night.

4. I wish I could speak Spanish so I could communicate with more of the families in my school.

5. I wish I could be more fearless.

6. I wish I could play the piano.

Five Mommy Confessions

1. I took a pregnancy test today, and it came out negative.

2. If we were pregnant this month, our due date would have been around the end of February which makes me nervous about Leap Year...I wonder if 2010 is a Leap Year?

3. Yesterday was Father's Day and my mom was praying for all the fathers and "future" fathers.

4. Dodger is our son and we treat him as such.

5. I started planning for this mommy business over a year ago...reading books, taking vitamins, and Micah started financial spreadsheets!

Seven Favorite Movies of All Times

1. Steel Magnolias

2. A Few Good Men

3. The Notebook

4. My Dog Skip

5. You've Got Mail

6. Home movies shot by my granny

7. Parent Trap

Five Favorite TV Shows

1. Oprah

2. The Today Show

3. Grey's Anatomy

4. Desperate Housewives

5. Army Wives

Six Bands I Want to See in Concert

1. George Strait
2. Garth Brooks (at his last concert [that I watched in the movie theater as he performed in Kansas City because I'm a Garth head] he said, "If you wait for me, I'll be back..." I'm waiting bud.)
3. Reba McIntire
4. Chris Tomlin
5. Justin Timberlake
6. I wish I could've seen The Supremes

Six Places I want to go...

1. Maui

2. A tour of the South

3. Washington, D.C.

4. A tour of Europe

5. A cruise around Mexican beaches

6. A roadtrip to see U.S. landmarks in a van with whomever could stand me for a couple of weeks

Five Favorite Pictures of the Last Year (and why)

Micah gave this book to me for our anniversary. I love the idea of having this to leave to my children and grandchildren.


I love gardening and these were my inpatients in October of last year.


My slanket was a great gift for Valentine's Day! I'm wrapped up in it right now!


Joseph and the angel picture.


What a fun weekend and a great win!


Much love,

Birds

Big Bird is okay in my book. The second photo is my fear. A real, live bird. Piazza San Marco =worst vacation idea for me, ever!

I don't like birds. In my mind I know it's an irrational fear, but I truly am afraid of them. I am even freaked out by their feathers, the noises they made, and the sound of their wings flapping together. My fear started in ninth grade after watching Hitchcock's The Birds in English class. I, then, would walk out to my car after school my junior year and see those big, black crows eating fellow student's lunch litter.

My mom found this Texas Tech birdhouse with a license plate roof on it last year. She thought Micah needed it since the license plate has the initials MM on it. So, here sits his birdhouse that makes me want to cuss every time I see it. Now, straw and other kinds or bird matter are poking out of it, and there are tiny chirping noises. Great. Guess I have some more bird friends. One of these birds overshot his birdhouse the other day and made it way into my house. It quickly flew out. I'm haunted by it. I can barely let Dodger out without recalling it. I was taking a relaxing nap yesterday only to hear a tiny baby bird on my window sill ruffling its feathers against the screen. The birdhouse will need relocation...quick.



Much love,