So sorry I have been so "absent" with my postings. I have gotten completely addicted to the "Twilight" series and have just begun to read book 4. This is the last in the series, so I hope to be back to normal soon.

Took the kids to see Santa on Saturday (yes...that is how we spent my birthday).

Later that evening, we picked up the new addition to our family.

Bowser is a Beagle Terrier mix puppy that is about 2 1/2 months old. Claire and Jake are having a great time with their new puppy.

As promised...

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this posted, but I have been crazy busy this past month.
Here is Claire's birthday party...
Enjoy :-)
I will hopefully get some Halloween stuff up soon and then it will be Thanksgiving....AAAAGGGGHHH where does the time go?

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy Halloween

We had a great time at the St. Ambrose Halloween Festival on Friday night. Claire was Cinderella and Jake was a pirate (but wouldn't keep his head decoration part on).

Both kids played lots of games, danced and danced, and got lots of candy and prizes.

Jake and I decorated a pumpkin on Thursday afternoon to enter into the pumkin contest on Friday.

OK...I know, it's been awhile...

Let's see,
Where to start...
Well, work has been very busy this past month for month for me. We have had our regular routine with the addition of picture days (yes...it takes 4 days to get all the pictures taken), 50 yea anniversary celebration (2 days and 1 evening of events), Claire's class fireld trip, adn now this week we are "selling" pictures and we have the annual Scarecrow fest on Wednesday.
With my kids, I had Claire's birthday last weekend and then we have all the Halloween festivities this Friday. I'm really ready for November to be here!
Claire is finally 3. She had her party this past Saturday with 13 other kids. It was lots of fun. Had it at Build A Bear, so of course she had to have a Cinderella bear to match HER. Then she had a Dora Cake to end the event. (I will add pictures soon).
Jake is doing very well in school. He has all A's and 2 B's for this report period. Not too
shabby :-)
Claire is going tobe Cinderella and Jake will be a Space Alien for Halloween. I will add pictures of that next week as well.
Hope all is with everyone.

In IKE's wake...

Well...Ike was sure fun, but now I'd really love to get back to something that resembles normal. I fled Houston on Saturday afternoon with both kids. Leaving Andy and the dog behind, we headed to my Aunt 's house in Austin.
My house is missing siding on one side of it and we lost several large tree limbs, but aside from that we did pretty well. However, the city is not in as good a shape. Still no power after two days and many don't have water (although Andy reports that ours is back on now, just can't drink it).
We are staying in Austin until the power retunrs to our house. The mayor has said that it could be days or weeks...we really have no clue....please pray for sooner rather than later.

Surviving "IKE"

OK...so the hatches are battened down, the water bottles are stocked, the freezer is full of tupperware with frozen water in it, and the flashlights have fresh batteries. Now all we need is the hurricane itself.

The TV has been preparing us all for DAYS and we have decided that we would "hunker down" as they say and enjoy the ride.

The news has done it's job well enough and has people freaked out enough to be scurrying around like wild mice in the stores and parking lots and they are driving like crazy people.

However...I am much more impressed with the way things are going this go 'round than I was this time 3 years ago during the "Rita" fiasco.

Winds are starting and they say we should be in full force after midnight tonight... so hang on tight...

Will let you know how we fared when things are all over with.

Second go 'round

Well...after finding a deal I couldn't pass up on a practically brand new day bed, Claire now has an official BIG GIRL bed in her room.

She is very excited about it, but not at bedtime. We set it all up and made it pretty with all the new bedding (that matches her decor). But, we left the crib in her room too. She now has a choice of which bed to sleep in. Last two nights she has slept int he crib, but yesterday, she actually took a nice long nap in her BIG bed.

Hopefully this will be a nice, smooth transition for her.

Jake got a new game for his Nintendo DS this weekend (he had some b-day money and this was what he wanted to buy). He got Super Mario Bros. and has not put it down except to sleep and then today to go to school Seriously.... he is literally GLUED to his game system. I am just hoping it is increasing his intelligence in some way :-)