October

October was crazy!!

New York

 I went to New York to see my sister.

To help Ryan out with the kids, my mom came to my house and stayed there while I was gone. 

Unfortunately, the day I left Ryan got sick and came home early from work. He stayed sick the entire time I was gone and was still slightly sick when I returned.  My mom is a ROCK STAR because she took care of everybody while I was gone. Go Nonni!!

My view from the window, we were above a storm and it got crazy adn this is what it looked like most of the flight.  It was not fun going through because all you saw were clouds and then bam the ground. Luckily our pilot knew how to fly and land through the clouds.

My sister lives in the city and has for awhile but I've only visited her in Hoboken.  Since I've visited her a few times already, our main goal was just to hang out, watch movies, eat lots of greasy, non-nutritional foods, and of course to go shopping. 

My favorite memories of my trip

1. Visiting Chelsea Market

We were very hungry when we arrived so we saw it, took a picture, and then went to a Mexican restuaurant to go eat food.  We will definitely have to go back when we are not so hungry so we can check out the different shops and food places.  It was such a neat place to go!

2. Macaroni Bar

We happened upon this place by accident and Tamara had heard of it and she loves macaroni, so of course we had to check it out. They served macaroni by itself and other various macaroni concoctions.  We of course had to have just straight up macaroni. I thought it was okay but was glad to do something so uniquely New Yorkish.

3. Observing a protest

We in a Crate and Barrel store and looked out the upstairs window and observed a 10 minute long group of protestors walkind down the street.  They were armed with signs, shirts, and police.  It was kinda crazy!

4. Wicked

We were able to go see the Broadway show, Wicked.  It was absolutely amazing. I loved it!  I wouldn't mind going to see it again.

5. Bed, Bath, and Beyond

Tamara needed some pillows so we headed to Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  It was 2 stories and gigantic!!  I had the most fun on the escalator because they had one for your basket.  You pushed your basket on it and it took all the way to the top.  I thought that was the coolest thing ever. 

  6. Walking around

I've been to New York but I never went out and about by myself.  Tamara had to work one day while I was there so I was able to just wander around.  It was raining at one point, so I did hang out a beautfiul church for a little while, but I was also able to do some shopping.  It was crazy and fun at the same time.  When Tamara got done with work, we met up and kept shopping.

7.  Breakfast

One morning, Tamara made me breakast.  We had eggs, bacon, and biscuits and it was great because she made her sissy a home-cooked meal in her apartment. It was sweet and delicious!!

I had an awesome trip and can't wait to go back and see her again.

Corpus Christi

We went to my mom's house in October when they were finishing up completing the work on our house. We spent several days in Corpus and the kids got to play and enjoy the weather.  They especially loved using our old blocks, which were some of Mom's old blocks to make buildings and roads.

Z's first pigtails! (Ignore the scratches, the girl likes to injure her face, almost always has several scrapes, bumps, or bruises on her face!!)

Deep in thought

Cheese

Thinking and planning  

My mom's church had a Halloween trunk or treat so we dressed up and went to it.

Batman, who refused to wear his Batman costume but instead preferred the Batman shirt and Tinkerbell

Mama and Schroeder

Why am I the only one smiling?

Checking out the candy buckets

Halloween

When we left Corpus we went to stay at a hotel a few days while they finished up everything at the house.  Our first day back was Halloween.  My kids have never gone trick-or-treating in any neighborhood because nobody really handed out candy in our other neighborhood.  Our new neighborhood does up Halloween like crazy.  People have golf carts and trucks pulling flat-beds.  We went with the neigbor kids from across the street and had a blast.  My kids only let me take one picture before we left.

Schroeder still wouldn't wear his costume but we did convince him to wear his belt and cape. 

That wraps up October!

the leak

So back on Labor Day weekend, we decided to take the kids to the museum to see Dinosaur bones and butterflies. We had so much fun. 

We were gone all day and when we got home we had supper, played a little, then went to bed.  I had a migraine all day so my medicine was keeping me awake.  I thought I heard water running so I opened our door and it got louder.  I went around the stairs and I had waterfalls coming down 3 different walls which is not soemthing you want to see espeically not at 2 in the morning. 

As I watched, the dinding room celing decided to open up and water poured out. 

I called for Ryan and he rushed in his sleep stupor.  We finally started moving and turned the water off but we now had standing water EVERYWHERE. On carpets, tile, dining room, entryway, furniture, it was everywhere. As I got my camera and started taking pictures for insurance,  the dining room celing decided to completely fall down. 

EEK!! 

It was not fun.  We were able to get a plumber out and an emergency plumbing service who put about 30 fans in our house to help dry out everything.  It was a crazy few days and then when the vacuums left, we had a big gaping hole in our dining room ceiling, ruined furniture, floors, celings.  It was crazy. 

Anyways, it was crazy and chaotic around here for awhile.  Fortunately, we got everything fixed or replaced.  It took our contractor forever and we wouldn't use him again, but it's done and I have my house back.  It still feels like I just moved in because once it was fixed, it was Thanksgiving, then Mackenzie's birthday, then Christmas and then Ryan leaving.  So I feel like I am just starting to breathe again and figuring out how to get the house organized and looking good.

Carrie

Eeek, it's been so long!

Wow, it has been a long time since I've updated my blog.  A lot has happened since the last time I updated. Let's see, we moved in our this house in July and Labor Day the upstairs toilet sprung a leak and it flooded the upstairs and most of the downstairs.  We spent several months not living in certain areas or using certain areas and the contractor took forever to get things going and finished.  We lived here some, went to my mom's in Corpus and lived in a hotel for awhile.  We finally got all work finished the day before Thanksgiving which was good because family came to our house for Thanksgiving. 

We had another leak in our house the day after Thanksgiving but the plumber was able to stop it but he did inform us that we need new plumbing throughout the house.  Oiy!

  What else, oh we didn't sell our house but we got our other house rented in December which helps out a lot.  And just recently Ryan left to go to Afghanistan.  I'm hoping it's the last time he goes far away from us but I tend to say that a lot so we will see what happens.

 I have found all kinds of projects I want to work on and finish and I have already informed my dad and Ryan's dad that they get to work whenever they come visit, heehee.

I am hoping to be able to update the last few months quickly but we will see how it goes.

Carrie

Dinosaur Exhibit

This summer we joined the Museum of Natural Science and History and got to see the Dinosaur Exhibit at the Sugarland museum.  I don't know about the kids, but I had a blast checking out the dinosaurs and can't wait to go back again.

  

 my kids, so photogenic!!

 T-Rex

 this is a turtle, wow, that's one ginormous turtle!!

Moving and Selling

It's almost official!!

We will officially have our house up for sale by this Saturday. 

When Ryan came home from Afghanistan it was to a new job in the Woodlands.  That's great, we love him having a job right after coming home except that we live in the Cypress area which is very far away from the Woodlands. 

 I love my house. 

I love the open spaces. 

I love all the space and nooks and crannies that I've been afforded in this house. 

I do not love my small yard. 

 I do not love sitting on my front patio and having people's car lights in my eyes because we are at the cross street. 

We decided it would time well spent to just look and see what houses were available near Ryan's office.  We happened to find an older home that has an large, shaded big back yard and a covered patio.  It has a big garage and a storage shed and it's only 8 miles from ryan's office. 

Woohoo. 

The downside, no gameroom and an itty bitty kitchen/pantry.  It also has wood paneling throughout the living room and a fireplace. 

But I can live without a game room and I can paint over the walls and one day redo my kitchen if it means my family can have an awesome back yard and we can be minutes from Ryan's office.

So we put an offer on it and after some negotiations they agreed to sell us their house.  We will be closing next week and moving out of our house about two weeks later.  We will have our house listed this weekend but only living here while it's listed for a few weeks.  Hopefully, all our updates and paint will help our house sell fast so we only have one mortgage to worry about.  I'll post pics soon of our new house. 

I can't wait to get in the new house and paint, paint, paint!! 

My cutie patatooties

So my kids are close in age and usually have a love/hate relationship.  Lately they love much more than they dislike each other so they have been getting into all kinds of trouble together.  And of course everything brother can do, sister can do better, this seems to be the motto in my house.  (Please ignore my daughter's lack of shorts, lately she pulls them off as soon as I look away.)

Mackenzie is trying to pull her brother on the blanket.  He is ginormous and she had a hard time getting him around.

She finally has given up and has decided to play with him, I love their smiles!! 

 Schroeder has decided it's his turn, of course Z is much easier to pull around.

 Mama and Schroeder before school (ignore the jelly covered mouth)

 Z decided she should pose for Daddy

Z got a new Dora nightgown and a pink hat, so she decided she should wear her new nightgown in the middle of the day.  And Schroeder thought he should wear a hat if she was wearing a hat.  Of course, he picked one of Z's hats.  

What is she thinking, that is a confused look. 

My Dora gown and spring hat, tada!