Thursday, February 26, 2009
Photo Shoot
Melanie & I had our very first photo shoot yesterday! The weather was AWESOME! We had a lot of outside time and I couldn't help myself with the camera! She looks really GREAT in some of the pictures. Again, she's stolen our neighbors "bunny" and is toting it around wherever she goes! Melanie just adores that BUNNY.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Kyle Won A Jump Rope Contest!
Kyle participated in a "Healthy Challenge" at his school on Monday and received a medal for jumping rope the longest! He jumped rope for 1 minute 50 seconds! He had so much fun and felt so proud! We are so excited and proud of him too! Congratulations Kyle!
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Towne Lake Park-Melanie Feeding the Ducks
Today was such a beautiful day-71 degress out! I didn't want to waste the day so I took Melanie to The McKinney Towne Lake Park. The park is huge-they have paddle boats, fishing, DUCKS, play ground, ring toss area, and Disc Golf. We took a stroll around the park-about a mile, we fed the ducks-which she wasn't too sure about. Some were a bit bigger than her. And we of course played on the playground. It was a very nice hour and a half. I can't wait for the weather to be nice on the weekend so all of us can go and enjoy the beautiful park.
This HEART'S For You-Papa
This HEART is dedicated to Kyle's Papa from the American Heart Association. Kyle is donating this HEART to his Papa-Tim in rememberance of him quiting smoking 11 years ago to improve his quality of life, and to keep his HEART strong. Thank you Tim for being a great example to Kyle.
Words/Signs Melanie Can Say/Do
I don't know if anyone paid any attention to my columns on the side for the words and signs Melanie was achieving. I had to take it down. First of all I haven't even updated it. Second, I can't keep up with updating it. Melanie says 10 NEW words every couple of days! Right now she's working on "backyard!" What 18 month old can say "backyard?" I don't know very many. Just like her second word was "outside." That's usually NOT a "first words" kinda word. CRAZY! And the signing Melanie is doing-she's better than I am! She tries so hard to do/say "butterfly." Yesterday she walked around signing /saying "book!" Melanie is so smart-I don't know if I can keep up with her.
Don't get me started about how smart Kyle is. Do you know how many books Kyle has read since he started school in August? He has read 31! With the exception of a few/handful, they have ALL been CHAPTER books! That's 5 books per MONTH! I don't think I have read 31 books in my life for pleasure. I only read if I had to. Although, that is changing-I am getting better. Kyle's vocabulary is amazing, his thought process is awesome, his imagination is just coming alive with some of the stories! He's doing wonderful! I couldn't be more proud. And by the way, he can sign too! He's always asking "What's the sign for this, what's the sign for that?"
I have two really great, smart kids.
Don't get me started about how smart Kyle is. Do you know how many books Kyle has read since he started school in August? He has read 31! With the exception of a few/handful, they have ALL been CHAPTER books! That's 5 books per MONTH! I don't think I have read 31 books in my life for pleasure. I only read if I had to. Although, that is changing-I am getting better. Kyle's vocabulary is amazing, his thought process is awesome, his imagination is just coming alive with some of the stories! He's doing wonderful! I couldn't be more proud. And by the way, he can sign too! He's always asking "What's the sign for this, what's the sign for that?"
I have two really great, smart kids.
15 Things I Like About Being Home
My list is in no particular order.
1) Waking up in the morning before anyone else-having my time & it's quiet.
2) Helping Kyle get ready for school and hearing about his day when he gets home.
3) Going for daily walks.
4) Taking Melanie to the park to see Kyle on his lunch break/recess.
5) Going to the grocery store anytime I want to.
6) Helping Melanie feel better when she has a big fall.
7) Endless play time with Melanie.
8) Going on fieldtrips with Kyle & his school.
9) Having lunch with Kyle at school or taking him out.
10) Not having to worry about getting "approved" to take time/days off for appointments or vacation.
11) When my kids are sick-I'M RIGHT THERE. And I don't have to worry if I lose out on sleep or if I get sick.
12) Having a clean house for my family and a dinner ready when they come home.
13) Being able to take Kyle to/from school on rainy days.
14) No School for Kyle on "snow days" and playing outside on those "snow days."
15) Taking a nap to recoup when Melanie takes a nap.
1) Waking up in the morning before anyone else-having my time & it's quiet.
2) Helping Kyle get ready for school and hearing about his day when he gets home.
3) Going for daily walks.
4) Taking Melanie to the park to see Kyle on his lunch break/recess.
5) Going to the grocery store anytime I want to.
6) Helping Melanie feel better when she has a big fall.
7) Endless play time with Melanie.
8) Going on fieldtrips with Kyle & his school.
9) Having lunch with Kyle at school or taking him out.
10) Not having to worry about getting "approved" to take time/days off for appointments or vacation.
11) When my kids are sick-I'M RIGHT THERE. And I don't have to worry if I lose out on sleep or if I get sick.
12) Having a clean house for my family and a dinner ready when they come home.
13) Being able to take Kyle to/from school on rainy days.
14) No School for Kyle on "snow days" and playing outside on those "snow days."
15) Taking a nap to recoup when Melanie takes a nap.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sit N Spin Melanie
Do you remember "Sit N Spin?" I got this at a consignment sale. She's finally big enough to use it!
Kyle's Science Fair Project
Kyle had to enter the Science Fair at his School this year. We were originally going to make a submarine, but that fell threw. So after looking and looking I came across The Egg Experiment. Which coincidentally, I did this experiment when I was in school. I introduced it to Kyle and he LOVED the idea-fire involvement. So her it is.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Gatorade For Sale
Kyle had such an AMAZINGLY FUN Saturday. Kyle wanted to have a "Gatorade Stand," aka "Lemonade Stand." We made some signs, bought the BIG powder container & cups, put ice in the ice chest, set up a table/chairs, and a place for Kyle to keep his cash. Although it was over cast, windy, and a mild 68 degrees outside, Kyle made some MONEY! The girls across the street helped Kyle set up and sell the Gatorade. Then later on in the afternoon a few of Kyle's buddies showed up. They didn't sell as much then-they played instead. But Kyle had a great day! Aside from bathroom breaks, Kyle was outside from 10AM-5PM. He walked away with $12 and gave a portion of that $ to the girls for helping him. I can't wait for Summertime-we're going to have on again!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Melanie & Her New Slide
I just LOVE www.craigslist.com! We bought this slide for $20!!! That is an AMAZING deal!
Rescue
I know that to a lot of people this will seem so "Typical Michelle', and to others this may seem like "too many animals", and to others, "Oh my gosh!" But, I just have the biggest heart for animals. They have no voice or means of defending themselves. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always had a soft spot for under privileged animals and have always wanted to "rescue" an animal in need. I watch Animal Planet's "Animal Cops", "Animal Rescue" and other related shows probably way too much. So here is the newest addition to our family. Don't be scared, and don't roll your eyes. This little girl really did need a good family. Kyle, Melanie, and I went with Brownie to the Plano Animal Shelter on Friday to look at and play with what we thought was a young,female Cocker Spaniel dog. When the worker brought her out I immediately said "This is NOT a Cocker Spaniel." The worker said they didn't know what to classify her as due to her extreme hair loss, and lack of body weight. 3 weeks ago a man brought her into the shelter claiming she was a stray. The shelter scanned her for a micro chip and the information that came back was that of the man who dropped her off. At the time of her drop off this dogs weight was 50% below what her ideal body weight should be. And she had extreme hair loss-they thought due to mange. I was shocked at the sight of her, my heart filled with such sadness, and anger at the thought of someone neglecting their "pet" like that. Although when we saw her she had obviously put on a couple of pounds-she still looked like HELL. Despite her condition and inhumane treatment, she greeted us with a wagging tail, and slobbery kisses. She interacted well with Brownie, and Kyle & Melanie couldn't have been more excited. She didn't jump on Kyle or Melanie, bark, growl or cower at my presence. We weren't planning on adopting a dog, or a cat, but I could NOT turn this dog away. While our paperwork was been processed, we walked around with her and Brownie for an hour. We played, gave Brownie and her "cookies", and played some more. The longer I spent with these two dogs, the more I knew I was doing the right thing. This dog is absolutely SWEET, & has a FANTASTIC DISPOSITION. In fact, while were were walking around the shelter, Melanie tripped and fell down. I sat in a chair trying to calm her down and this dog came right up to us and started licking Melanie's leg-as if to say "Hi there. Everything will be OK. You just had a little fall." Still, I had to bring her home, introduce her to my 4 cats, and explain to Duane why we had ANOTHER pet. When we arrived at our house we kept her on the leash and walked her through our home. At first Harley ran out the back door, but Rascal stayed, blew up his fur, and the dog coward down, and walked a different direction. I introduced her to Smokey and she gave the same reaction. I said to Kyle "She's afraid of cats!" THANK GOD! Well, since then she ignores the cats, and they ignore her. She did get a little too close to Smokey while in the back yard and he smacked her a good one, she cried and ran away. All is good now though. Duane was a little "bothered" at the thought of "another animal". But I explained her situation to him and after thinking it over,he actually wants to keep her.
Her name is Brandy. Her sweet disposition, and the color of her hair brought us to that name. She already knows how to use the cat/dogie door, is house broken (no accidents in the house), can sit, down, wait, stay, shake, walk on a leash well, & "go lay down" on her OWN blanket. She sleeps in Kyle's bed at night and during the day hangs out in the living room, computer room, dinning room & kitchen. Wherever I we are she's there. Her first 48 hours here were solemn. She just slept, ate, slept, went potty, & slept. We gave her a bone to chew on and tried to play with her but she didn't know how. Now she has become more lively and has devoured her bone. She tries to interact with Brownie but Brownie isn't quite ready. The animal shelter said she was about 6 months of age by the look of her teeth. Our vet said she is definitely NOT 6 months-more like 2 years old. Her teeth are broke possibly due to chewing on anything and everything to get nourishment. Our vet said possibly fences wood and metal, bricks, etc. She doesn't have mange. She has severe hair loss, and saggy skin due to neglect, and being left outside to rot. She weighs 23.9 pounds. Her ideal body weight should be 35-40 pounds. Our vet also can't tell what breed of dog she is and calls her a "total mutt." Since Friday she has eaten very well. Consuming dog treats, wet/dry cat food (I don't buy dog food-Brownie refuses to eat it), cheese, hot dogs, turkey, lasagna, Sloppy Joe's, french fries, just about anything we give her. In the last 4 days, I bet she has gained more weight with us than she did 3 weeks at the animal shelter. Here are a few pics of her. She looks like she was hit by a train. But, I know that as soon as she gains weight, and her hair grows back she will be absolutely breath taking. By the way, I PROMISE THAT THIS WILL BE MY LAST ANIMAL.
Her name is Brandy. Her sweet disposition, and the color of her hair brought us to that name. She already knows how to use the cat/dogie door, is house broken (no accidents in the house), can sit, down, wait, stay, shake, walk on a leash well, & "go lay down" on her OWN blanket. She sleeps in Kyle's bed at night and during the day hangs out in the living room, computer room, dinning room & kitchen. Wherever I we are she's there. Her first 48 hours here were solemn. She just slept, ate, slept, went potty, & slept. We gave her a bone to chew on and tried to play with her but she didn't know how. Now she has become more lively and has devoured her bone. She tries to interact with Brownie but Brownie isn't quite ready. The animal shelter said she was about 6 months of age by the look of her teeth. Our vet said she is definitely NOT 6 months-more like 2 years old. Her teeth are broke possibly due to chewing on anything and everything to get nourishment. Our vet said possibly fences wood and metal, bricks, etc. She doesn't have mange. She has severe hair loss, and saggy skin due to neglect, and being left outside to rot. She weighs 23.9 pounds. Her ideal body weight should be 35-40 pounds. Our vet also can't tell what breed of dog she is and calls her a "total mutt." Since Friday she has eaten very well. Consuming dog treats, wet/dry cat food (I don't buy dog food-Brownie refuses to eat it), cheese, hot dogs, turkey, lasagna, Sloppy Joe's, french fries, just about anything we give her. In the last 4 days, I bet she has gained more weight with us than she did 3 weeks at the animal shelter. Here are a few pics of her. She looks like she was hit by a train. But, I know that as soon as she gains weight, and her hair grows back she will be absolutely breath taking. By the way, I PROMISE THAT THIS WILL BE MY LAST ANIMAL.
Cookie Dough & Kids
I made chocolate chip with M&M and walnut cookies a couple days ago and what do you know...my kids love the COOKIE DOUGH. But, when the cookies were ready to eat only Kyle ate a few. Melanie decided she only wanted the M&M's from the cookies. I tried and tried and tried to encourage her to eat a cookie with the chocolate chips, walnuts, and the m&m's, but she didn't want it. Melanie actually threw it on the ground and said "NO!" She can't be my daughter-she must have been switched at birth. Just kidding. She must be more like Duane than just her looks. He's not a big cookie/nut fan either.
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