Friday, September 26, 2008

It's Been Interesting Around Here

It has been some time since I last posted but it has been a blur the last couple of weeks. Since the hurricane Shelby has had a bad cold, she is teething (getting her top two teeth), and has a bad case of poison ivy. I've wanted to jump head first off the roof to say the least!!!!!!!!!!!!

I took Shelby to the doctor with her poison ivy and they gave me two prescriptions for ointments to put on it. I dropped it off at the pharmacy along with my insurance info and before I had even gotten home they gave me a call to let me know that it was going to be $420....WHAT???....I can't believe I didn't get in a wreck!!! Luckily that was before insurance and it turned out to be $230.....oh what a relief (sarcastic of course). Whatever is in the stuff, I'm assuming crushed up diamonds, has done the trick. It is much better. We don't know where she got it and for the most part it was just on one arm. She is back to her happy smiley self and mommy is feeling less like she wants to walk the plank (that was for you Cade).

Shelby has learned a couple of new things. She has learned how to wipe her own nose. I guess the positive side to having a cold. She has learned where her nose is, of course.

Shelby did go to her first bar. Okay, it is also a restaurant. We went with her grandparents and Aunt Kristen to the Thirsty Parrot. As you can tell from the name it is a really classy place. I promise it has good food. They have a jukebox that plays all the time and they have bands at night. Shelby got in the middle of the dance floor and danced to the jukebox for everyone. She is quite entertaining!!! Some man told Ross that he is going to have his hands full. Uhhhohhh.....

Ross has been super busy at work. He has been putting in 12 and 13 hour days. Cinco Ranch keeps selling like crazy, thank goodness!!!! He comes home exhausted but Shelby makes all the difference......

I have finished my 5 real estate classes and mailed everything into the state today. I have to wait for them to review everything before I can go take my test and have my fingerprints taken and run thru the FBI......oh no, they are going to find out about this one time at band camp, hahaha I crack myself up. If you didn't get that, don't bother, it really was not that funny. I'm just easily amused.

I promise I will take and post some pictures of Shelby soon....she is getting so big and smart.....

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Happy Belated Birthday!!!

Happy Belated Birthday to Shelby's Great-Grandma Doris. We hope you have a great day!!!

Monday, September 15, 2008

How It Went Down

Well, Hurricane Ike was quite an experience. We prepared early and I baked and cooked all day before the storm. We knew that if we lost power we would still be able to cook on our cook top since it is gas and that we would still have water because of the generators at the Katy water plants. I bought groceries to cook on the stove, loaded up both freezers and coolers with bags of ice, etc. We discussed having Shelby and I leave. But we did not know how far or to where we should go? The predictions for the storm were all over the place. We decided to stay put. Friday afternoon when Shelby woke up from her nap she was burning up and had a terribly snotty nose. The child had not been sick since January and she picked the day of a hurricane to get sick?? Grandma checked her out and said she had a cold. Once again Ross and I discussed Shelby and I leaving but we were only a few hours from the storm coming in. I was afraid that without a/c Shelby would get worse. It was a little late at that point so we stayed put. About 7 that night our lights went out. It was not really even blowing yet?? We went next door to a hurricane party and I called over to grandma and grandpa's and they still had power. We decided that Shelby and I should head over to grandma and grandpa's and Ross wanted to stay and look after the house. I called Ross around 9pm to see what he was up to with no power. He said he was making macaroni and cheese. I bought it just for the storm. I knew he would be excited! The power came on about that time.

Shelby had as much fun as could be expected at grandma's house. She got to play with her cousin Tink (the dog) also known as Tink the Stink. She really loved Tink and by the end of the hurricane they were walking around the house together. Shelby would chase Tink and then Tink would chase Shelby.

Shelby and I slept with grandma and Shelby had a rough night since she was sick. She woke up around midnight crying and what did she want....Tink. She finally went back to bed and woke up at 4 and wanted to play. I think she woke up because I was laying in bed texting back and forth to Ross about how bad the storm was and this is about the time the power went off. We let Shelby play in bed and we had a flash light on so she could see. Grandma pulled the sheet over her head and pulled it off real quick and to our amazement Shelby said, "Peekaboo". I am glad Grandma was there to witness it so Ross doesn't think I'm crazy by myself. She said it clear as day!!!! She ended up playing for 2 hours in bed. We put her bag on the bed and she is really great at unpacking. She was throwing diapers and clothes all over the place.

If Shelby would have slept I would have slept right thru Ike. First of all, I can sleep thru anything. I know the Johnson's know about Ross' snoring. Second, grandma and grandpa's house is cinder blocks and concrete so you really couldn't hear much.

We woke up to a disaster zone. There were leaves, branches and trees everywhere. I think they lost 6 trees over 15 acres. One tree was lodged in the front gate and Ross and dad cut it out and moved it so we could get out. Grandpa started the generator in the morning and we watched the news report on Galveston and grandpa hooked up some sort of small blower thing that felt like an a/c. We were doing pretty good. We walked out on to the porch and walked around the side of the house and noticed that one of the a/cs was running. The lights had come on!!!!!!!

Shelby was sad to leave grandma, grandpa, and Tink but she was happy to see her Daddy. We went home to a disgusting pool and one small limb down. The five miles between our house and grandma's was covered with down trees and fences. It was a lot of damage. A little cleaning and some chemicals and our pool was crystal clear the next day. We ended up getting 6 inches of rain Saturday morning after the storm.

We were very lucky, the people in Galveston, not so much! What would possess anyone to stay on an island that is about to take a direct hit from a hurricane??? That is another blog in itself.

Well, Shelby still has her snotty cold but I think she is slowly getting better and now grandma is REALLY sick. Sorry grandma!!! Grandma keeps saying it wasn't Shelby but we know better.

Our other house fared well also. Just a small limb down. The renters cleaned it up before we could even get over to look at the other house and they helped all the neighbors clean up. They seem like great people and the neighbors seem to like them.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Thanks Ike!!!!!!


Post hurricane party at our house, bring your swim ear.


In all seriousness, we are all okay. We were only without power for less than 7 hrs (3:30 am - 10am). We had the a/c so cranked down the hottest it got was 74. Grandma and Grandpa Leyendecker lost quite a few trees. One was over their electric gate and we had to cut our way out. Shelby and I spent the night at Grandma's and Grandpa's because Shelby woke up late yesterday afternoon with a fever and a runny nose. It is good to have a grandma near by that is a nurse. Thanks for taking us in!!!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

We're Getting Company This Weekend

Yes, Ike is on his way and he will prove to be a terrible house guest. As of right now, we are staying put. The roads are already getting jammed. Shelby and I have been baking and cooking all day. You would think that the army is going to be staying with us. We will come out of this storm much heavier than when we went into it. We have not decided if we are staying at our house or Grandma and Grandpa's. We live in the city limits and the City of Katy has generators on their water plants so if we lose power we will still have running water. I do enjoy my toilet flushing!!! But, Grandma and Grandpa's house is made of cinder blocks and they have a generator. We will see. Say a little prayer for the gulf coast and if any of our family in Port Lavaca reads this please be safe.

Shelby's first hurricane.....this is a first I'm NOT excited about!

Stay tuned....

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Down to One

We do have some good news about our old house. We have leased it out to what seems like good tenants. We had been negotiating a contract to sell our house for the last week and it did not happen. All along these people as well as others had filled out the application and intended to lease our house. The couple is in their late 40s with no kids or pets and the lady's family is local and well known. The man works for a custom home builder so we hope this means they know how to take care of the granite and the hard wood floors. They will be leasing it for a year and then we will see.

I guess this is a good time to divulge what I have been busy with. I have been taking classes online to get my real estate license. I am in my 4th of five classes and I hope to be licensed by the end of October. I try and get online, when I can, to work on it. This is a huge part of why I have not been good at blogging. I will work under my grandmother's broker's license and basically will work from home so that I can stay with Shelby. I decided to do this because I've worked with about every part of real estate except the actual selling and I enjoy it. We will see what the future holds.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Pictures

Here are some of the latest pictures of Shelby.



Shelby loves to brush her teeth. We had to break down and admit to daddy that she uses daddy's toothbrush while mommy brushes her teeth. Shelby does have her own toothbrush and toothpaste for her tooth and a half.



My very own cake!


Where to begin?


Grandma, I will share with you.

Grandma, I was saving that icing for later.



I love to squish it between my fingers.

Bananas, a natural moisturizer and hair gel!

I'm watching you!!!!

The Birthday Girls!

Yes, Shelby and I are a whole year older. Thanks to everyone for the calls, cards, presents, and text messages. We really appreciate them!

My birthday was Saturday followed by Shelby's on Sunday. It was a pretty relaxed weekend. Ross and my father went to Sonora to help my grandfather put in a septic tank so they would be ready for deer season. Of course, Ross and my dad did not pick the weekend. Grandma stayed with us at night (my sleep walking gets a little crazy when Ross is gone) and most of the weekend.

Some things I would like to remember about Shelby at a year old.

1) Expressions - she has a million of them and flashes them all day long. They each have a meaning. There is....I just heard the puppy next door bark, I tooted, I'm surprised, you just told me daddy is on his way home, I'm mad at you, you told me no, basically she cracks us up all the time.

2) She LOVES to dance. If you have some good dancing music on, Shelby is shaking something. On Saturday we were alone and I was feeling kind of down that we were by ourselves for our birthday so I turned the radio on loud and Shelby and I danced in the living room (thank goodness for mini blinds). About every three days Shelby does her crazy dancing. She runs around and dances at the same time. She stops to laugh and then you laugh and she starts up again. She goes CRAZY to the point that she will fall down and she will start shaking on her hands and knees. It is a riot and Grandma and Grandpa Johnson got to witness this the last time they were here. I think they were a little surprised!!!

4) She loves her baby doll that she picked out for her birthday. She carries it around and hugs and kisses it and wants you to do the same.

5)She does not like the church nursery. We have been told by so many people that they have never heard Shelby cry. Feel free to come to church with us Sunday morning and you will witness the crying wrath of Shelby. Taking Shelby to the nursery is probably the most stressful thing I have ever done.

6) She is running all over the house and getting into everything. She loves to climb and stand on top of things. She must have her dad's balance.

7) She understands "bye, bye" and waves and blows kisses. She understands tickling and loves to tickle her daddy.

I'm sure there is more that I should add to this list. But this is a good start. I will upload pictures of Shelby's 2nd round of birthday cake shortly.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Let's Eat Cake

We had a princess party this weekend and no it was not for Ross' birthday.....little Miss Shelby is turning one on the 7th. The theme was little princess and in true diva spirit Shelby decided to take a nap 10 minutes before the party started. When she woke up her house was full of family and friends and she had a BLAST!!! We had lots of food and good weather so I would say the party was a success! We really appreciate everyone that came and celebrated and those that celebrated from afar. Shelby received many fun toys, cute clothes, and money that we are putting away for college. To say the least she is well loved and maybe a little spoiled??? I have to say thank you to my parents, Ross' parents, and Ashley Niesner for all of the help getting the party together.

The part that we were looking forward to was the infamous eating of the birthday cake. She was not quite sure at first but then she was double fisting it - eating icing from one hand and then cake from the other. Or was that me??? No that was Shelby. Ross has video so I will try and talk him into putting it onto the blog. I hope you enjoy the pictures!



I'm really a princess.


Grandma Johnson and the birthday girl.


Grandma Leyendecker and the birthday girl.




I love my balloon!!!


It's my party and I'll scowl if I want to!!


I think I've got this down.


Daddy showing me the Disney princess legos he bought me. Daddy builds, I tear down.


Shelby and her first kisses dolly that she picked out. I took Shelby to Babies R Us to try and find something for her birthday when she made a sound and stuck out her arm to get this doll. I gave her the doll and she kissed it on the forehead. I pushed the doll's tummy and it started to speak Spanish. I did find the English version and she was very happy to see it again at her party. Shelby is like her mama and daddy and likes to pick out her own birthday presents.


The cake I made Shelby. Okay, so the cake Sam's made Shelby. All the Disney princesses....Bailey, I hope we made you proud.


This stuff is good. Mama told me it would be good but I didn't believe her.


Mmmmm.....cake.


Weight watchers here I come!!!!