Another month....down the hatch

Time flies when your having fun, eh? Ok, fun might be a bit of a stretch, but it is sure flying. I feel like I haven't posted forever...well, I guess I haven't I feel like I have to put a picture on when I post, and my computer is sooooooo slow, that I just don't have the time or energy to do it. Seriously....it takes about 15 mins. I am too busy and too tired to deal.

So, for everyone looking for a picture, sorry. Just not going to happen tonight. I did want to get on and say HI!

Life here in Houston has been fairly calm. The weather has been nice, and after Ike, we didn't get any more storms. November wraps up hurricane season here, so I guess we are good. Life in Houston is pretty much back to normal. There are still lots of signs that are broken out, and a lot of blue tarps on the roofs of houses and buildings that haven't had the repair work done...most of the trees have been cleaned up. I am a little worried about the big Pecan tree in the back yard....it is leaning a lot. I guess I just have to hope that it will hold out for another year. Then it can crash into the house. Do the landlord a favor, anyway. Haha. Just kidding. It is nice to have a place to live, and I am grateful for it. I have been too spoiled the last few years, and we have always had nice new places to live. This house has seen some years....decades....about 5 or 6 of them. Decades I mean. I doubt it will see many more, however. The neighborhood is really being gentrified. Basically, the house isn't worth anything, it's the lot. The location is fabulous. Nick and I have about a 5 mile commute to work. That is the first time since I left Idaho that I haven't had to commute for at least 45 min. one way. We are saving lots of money in gas and wear and tear on the cars. It is right off the beltway, which will take you anywhere you need to go. What has been happing to the neighborhood over the past few years is people will buy the old house, tear it down, and rebuild. Next door we have a HUGE house going up. It is a little crazy if you ask me. There is no yard this house is so big. I will send a picture...one of these days.

Anyway, they tear out these old houses and start over. Which, would probably be good. There are some serious foundation issues here. We are talking, the cupboards in the bathroom won't close anymore!! So, after next year...won't be my problem.

Lexi is good. She gets bigger and bigger every day! I think that I am about to have a serious milestone....she is starting to do the army crawl...Houston, we have a problem. Mobility in the child. No more can I put her on the blanket and have her in one place. She'll roll and scoot to where she wants to be. Gracie was laying on the floor, and Lexi crawled up behind her and grabbed her nub tail!! It was hilarious. I can't blame her. The little nub gets wagging back and forth so fast...who could resist? Gracie does really good with her. She's like a little mother. She'll come in and help me give Lexi a bath. Basically, I'll sit Lex in the tub and Gracie will come in and lick her all over her hands and face. Don't gross out, ok? I think that they will be good friends. I guess it is going to be time to babyproof this house... I don't know what all that involves, but I think I'm about to find out, one way or the other.

Lexi also has 2 teeth. Sharp teeth. Nick, for some reason, was letting her bite on his fingers, and she really bit down. He did the "OW" thing and pulled his hand out to reveal 2 little teeth marks. Hilarous. I didn't feel bad, because I breastfed for the first seven and a half months. So there.
Nick doesn't expect sympathy from me, anyway. I think that it has rubbed off onto him. I was trying to open a bottle with a knife the other night (I know...not smart) and the knife slipped and sliced me between my thumb and finger...you know, that web part of your hand that you can't put a band aid on, because it is right in the crease? Yeah, that part. I am telling you, the knife went in about a quarter of an inch, and started to bleed. Now, I work in the operating room and I see blood all day long. Doesn't bother me a bit. Blood coming out of me? Totally different story. I almost passed out. My eyes started to tunnel and I got really hot and I felt like I had cotton in my ears. I yelled for Nick to come and save me....well, he took his sweetass time getting in the kitchen...I'm holding onto the edge of the sink for dear life and he finally saunters in...and with a classic Nick touch... Why were you trying to open the bottle with a knife, retard? I can see into this wound through the fascia and into the muscle, and he doesn't even care. He says, look where I cut myself with a razor at work....you'll be alright. Um, ok, I think I'd get more sympathy from my mom (who isn't that sympathetic.....sorry mom, but it's true.)
I thought about going to the ER, because I am sure that I need a couple of stitches, but after a few phone calls to nurse friends, I trash that idea. Mostly because I didn't want to sit in an ER for a few hours. I knew I was going to work in the morning and I'd just fix it up there. Maybe even get stitches for free from a friendly doc. Well, I found my friendly doc the next morning. He took a look at it, and told me it had been too long to get stitches. He didn't want me to get MRSA or some infection in there, and I didn't want to do that either. He patched me up with some steri strips that lasted for about an hour and a half. Like I said, that part of the hand, between the thumb and first finger....you can't put anything there, and expect it to stay. Especially if you wash your hands. So, the good news is, it's healing. It looks good. A little red around it, but nothing serious. I'll have a scar, but I'm not a hand model, so I don't really have to worry about it.

And, now I have rambled on and on....I'm going to go to bed. I did want to say a few things that I am grateful for.....this being Thanksgiving and all....

I'm grateful for my family. I have a beautiful daughter and a wonderful husband. Even if he doesn't care that I'm bleeding out in the sink, he is a good man and a great father.
I have the best parents that anyone could ask for in the world, and great brothers and little sis. I have wonderful grandparents. I am truly blessed with a loving family.
I'm grateful for my good life. I have a good steady job, my husband has a good job, and in a time when people are struggling, I am able to be at peace.
I'm grateful for the challenges that the Lord gives me. Although it is trying, and things sometimes seem like they will never be right, it always works out. Every day is a new day with new obstacles to overcome, but I am never alone. I know that.
I am surrounded with wonderful people in my life. Good friends, good family...a good life.

Trick or Treat???

I thought this Halloween would be a milestone. The first time since 5th grade that I could shamelessly go door to door begging for candy....
Well, we didn't take Lexi trick or treating. We weren't planning on going door to door, but we were going to get together with some friends and go to the Children's Museum. They were having a big Halloween thing...but, I was on call for work, and wouldn't you know it....I got called in. So, I left the house with Nick in charge, and 3 giant bags of candy in a bowl and the back-up bag (I call it back up, but it's more like, hidden bag for me to consume) I got back home about 11 pm. The jack o'latern was on it's last tea light. I blew it out and went in the house. The entire bowl of candy was sitting there, back up bag still sitting there....Nick and Lex were asleep, so I went and woke Nick up and asked how many trick or treaters we got. NOT ONE!! Not one little globlin or ghostie, no witches or monsters...nothing.
I guess that is the inevitable. People don't go shamelessly door to door anymore. I thought surely we'd have some kids. We live in a nice neighborhood. But apparently that isn't the trend anymore. I guess I was saved from certain embarassment by being the only mom going trick or treating. Sheesh.
We did get to dress up last weekend and go to a pumpkin carving with our friends. Our neighbors down the road do this shindig every year. We had just moved in last year, and they invited us. I was still prego!! So crazy that it was a year ago. Anyway, I dress Lexi up last night after her bath in her little princess outfit. I took the entire bowl of leftover candy and dumped it all around her for a nice photo-op. Well, she didn't think it was that fun...


Clearly, not fun.



She was intrigued by Nick's scary clown mask. I don't know why. That thing trips me out. Like Stephen King's "It".

And our pumpkin (courtesy of Nick) was very original, I think.



So, next year maybe we won't live in big scary Houston, and we will have trick or treaters. Plus, Lexi may be more down with the whole dressing up thing. Or not. But she made a pretty cute princess. She's definitely the princess in our house!