Let the Planning Begin!

So, after a rocky 2014, we have made a decision for this year, and we hope all works out.  Our decision - Take Jake to Walt Disney World the 1st week of December for his Birthday!  And, as the Holiday season will be in full force, we will also get to see all the Great Christmas stuff in WDW I've always wanted to see!

So, it's only February, why are we planning already and have since January?  Because you MUST!  That's why!  There's a bunch to consider, a bunch to plan, and a bunch to get all worked up about.  I'm trying to find that balance of having fun planning and knowing that not all plans will work, but some unexpected things will happen, both good and bad!  We have already picked the dates and will be staying at 1 of 2 resorts depending on availability, so it's time to gather information.

I have started off with making my WDW Planner, that will double after the trip for Jake's very own scrapbook of the trip.  I wanted to have something simple, that looked good and that I could easily customize, so I did what I thought and swore I'd never do.  I bought an 8 1/2 x 11 3 ring binder scrapbook - a SN@P! album from Simple Stories.  I am a CM scrapbook girl, and I was highly disappointed about all the changes CM / Ahni to Zoe did this last year, making it really hard to get the one album type that I LOVE.  I HATE POST BOUND AND 3 RING BINDERS for Scrapbooks!  YUCK!  But, with this, pages going in and out, I thought it would be okay.  We shall see....

Anyway, this is what I got...
I actually saw at Michael's a SN@P! binder that was 8 1/2 x 11, which is what I was looking for, but I don't think they are available anymore.  I almost got the 8x6, but I wanted to just print out stuff on my computer and put in in the binder.

Simple Stories SN@P! Album - red

And, this is where I got my ideas and downloads to get the binder together.  I'm changing it up a bit, and once I get it finished, I'll post all the goodies here.

WDW Prep School - Binder

I am changing up the dividers.  The link above goes a little more granular than I want, separating dining as it's own category, I'm going to put it in the parks sections/other section since we will be dining mostly in the parks anyway.

Here are my dividers I'm going to do:

• General - travel plans, "best/worst" charts, daily trip planning, packing lists, etc
• Hotel - Maps, contact information, Magic Bands, etc
• Park section - each park will have it's own section which will include park hours, dining options, what we want to do here, FastPass+ tips
• Magic Kingdom
• Epcot
• Animal Kingdom
• Hollywood Studios
• Other - this will include stuff for Downtown Disney, extra activities, etc

It should be fun getting this all together!  I've already started printing out and reading all about the FastPass+ system.  However, there are so many tips and suggestions on how to use this wonderful thing called FastPass+ it's a little overwhelming, and you start to get worried you will do it wrong and nobody will have any fun, and then....take a breath... it will be alright and everybody will have fun.  Really. They will!

Again, this is the hardest part about planning.  There are some people that so over plan this that they forget they need to enjoy it too!  I want to do as much planning as we know whats going on, but I don't want the plans SET IN STONE because not all plans work.  I just hope we get a good reservation at a restaurant.  You have to make them 6 months in advance.  Yes, I said 6 months!  And, they fill up fast.  I'm just hoping we at least get a reservation!  Last time we called 6 months in advance and all we could get in the parks was at Hollywood Studios at the SiFi Drive in Diner at 5 pm, which was awesome, but we also had late lunch plans that day so we were not too hungry at 5 pm.  Oh well, it was fun!

Oh, and apparently, the wait for Anna and Elsa in the magic Kingdom is generally 5 hours.  Yes, I said 5 hours.  Can you freakin imagine??  I so hope Jake won't be disappointed he doesn't get to see them, and I'm hoping seeing all the other characters are enough!

We are also trying to focus on "non-princess" things to do, and we have read about some great games and suggestions for the boy to enjoy.

Anyway, let's plan!

Long wait again

Hurry Up and Wait

Even though the wait wasn't nearly as long as last time, Dean's schedule surgery at 3 pm wasn't until 6 pm. The surgeon had a scheduled 4 hour procedure prior to Dean's so why they schedule things like this is just crazy.

Anyway Dr D. got to pre-op around 6 and Dean went back about 6:30 pm.  Waiting is nerve wracking.  He said it may be less than an hour then recovery then admitted to Memorial Hermann again.  Not sure if this one will be longer than a few days. We shall see. Let's hope and pray it will take less than 8 weeks for him to get better and come home finally.

We are really hoping for 4 weeks still in the hospital.  This should be when his blood levels go normal and healing will be well on the way. It may take a little more time after that,but we will be happy to have him home!

Surgery went well

Well, surgery went ok. The surgeon is hopeful things will heal up better this time. But, I've been waiting for an hour and a half not in a waiting room but in chairs by an elevator bank in the Children's hospital where there is no desk or reception area or even a way to contact the recovery area. This process is absurd! The day surgery waiting area should remain open until all day surgeries are over so family members can have a little peace of mind and have a way to know what the heck is going on.  In the day surgery waiting area, they have monitors telling you the status of the surgery, and have a reception desk for any questions.  I've been in there twice now and neither time I was able to have the status update screens.  

It's really horrible.  Very frustrating.

I was finally told around 9 pm that Dean was being admitted and the room number.  When I get there I actually get to his room before he does. He is only a few minutes behind. The transfer person told me to stand in the corner and I quote "you will have plenty of time to see him" I wanted to shout that is sooooo not the point. Then she walked out and asked the desk for help with transfer and waked off.  Like I'm going to not come out there to say Hi to my husband after surgery where I haven't seen him in 3 hours. Then when I do say hi to him, the transport person and a tech try to get me away from him. I was crying at this point and said "I just  want to say HI to my husband!" They finally back off holding their hands up.  I must have looked like I was about to pounce, they actually looked scared. They should be ashamed of themselves, telling me to move and get out of the way.  Who the HECK do they think they are?  It's really frustrating dealing with nursing staff who are so programmed and used to family members not knowing how to care for the patient.  After about a few times Dean telling they what to do, and about 10 times of me showing them how to do things, they finally get it that we know what we are doing.

Dean was also able to get his "easy touch" call light and tv channel changer, but when they change it out, you can't control the volume, so I unplug it, plug in the regular call/tv remote, turn the volume down and try to plug the easy touch back in, but I bent a post and it wouldn't go in.  They called the maintenance guy, but by the time he got there I managed to straighten out the post and it was fine. :)

I did stay the night with Dean, which is always interesting.  He needs attention every 2 hours, so neither of us got much sleep.  

We woke up early, about 5ish, to get things started.  I did manage to find the coffee machine and had 2 cups before I left at 7:30.  Thank goodness the food is about a million times better!  I was able to help him with breakfast and headed home.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

I would like to thank Andy and Melissa Audirsch for taking care of Jake through all this.  Thanks for picking up Jake, taking him out to dinner for Uncle David's Birthday, having him stay at your lovely home, and taking him to daycare this morning.  We really appreciate your help!

Here We Go Again

So, Dean met with his surgeon on Friday and he did recommend and schedule another surgery. He will have his surgery at Memorial Herman on October 7th and have a follow up on October 14th. It will be the same surgery as last time, go in, clean up, put in antibiotic beads for a week then remove them and plastic surgery (if needed) to stitch up and then get to healing.  We do expect him to be at Kindred for about 6 to 8 weeks after the 14th. We are not sure if it heals faster than that he may go home earlier than 8 weeks.

Dean feels okay about this 2nd surgery.  We could postpone it but we feel it's better to get this done now.  We now know what to expect but the bad part is his extended stay at Kindred.   HOWEVER since his move to the 3rd floor he is being taken care of now.  We heard from a few of the staff that there is a group on the 4th floor that do not work on different floors like the rest of the hospital's nursing/CNA staff. Apparently because they do not get along with anybody else. Sort of a clique that do not work well with others and love to say "that's not my job" if you know what I mean.  So we are wondering if it was just REALLY unlucky that he was placed on the 4th floor and the rest of the floors are different.  We have been wondering how the hospital is running with as much neglect he was dealing with, but if it was isolated on the 4th floor it makes more sense.  I'll be sure to let everyone know if his good care over the weekend continues.

In other news...
I went to a lovely luncheon on Saturday for my lovely niece Linda. She is getting married in 2 weeks and we could not be happier or more proud of her! She and her future husband Brendan, are really wonderful people and they were lucky enough to find each other.  I offer up best wishes for her and I know they will live happily ever after!

Jake stayed with our good friend Louisa and her family. Jake had a lot of kids to play with but I'm afraid he's still weary about staying new places without me.  He was fine I know and I thank Ms. Louisa and her girls and Bubba for having him over.  We always have so much fun with them!

I also listened to a very disappointing (at the time) Aggie game on the way home from this luncheon.  By the time I got home the Aggies were 1 touchdown behind. Then it was a blur of yelling and jumping up and down for the most AWESOME COMEBACK WIN EVER!!!! WHOOP!!! And what a great fast score followed by some awesome defense in OT! Way to get it done, Ags!

Super Marvel Sunday!!!!

As stated in my last post, Spider-man and Captain America were at the zoo! Jake and I got to the zoo at 11 which was packed in the parking lot!  Then the line to the meet and greet was long but that's why we're there. So we got in line.  An hour later we get in the building only to discover there was an even longer switchback line. We waited inside for an hour and a half INSIDE. But at least it was air conditioned.   We did get a great picture, so that was all worth it!

Spider-man and Captain America!  They were really great!

And the Texans had a come from behind win too!!! FREE SLUSHIES!!!

After the game, Dean had a nice surprise guest!  His mom AND his Dad came to visit!  Dean had not seen Durwood in person since before his surgery and before Durwood's accident.  Durwood was doing really great Dean was so happy to see him again!  We also were able to share our dinner I brought up since I had so much, and had dinner together.

News, Visits, Football, the Zoo, and Glasses

So, coming up with titles is actually the hard part about blogging about something not fun to report on, especially when they are all basically "News about Dean". :)

Monday, we found out that the ID doctor said that of the 2 numbers he's watching in Dean's blood tests, 1 is now NORMAL, 1 is the same from last week (which went up from the week before).  So, good news there.  I believe he has 1 more week of antibiotics and we hope that number goes normal.  We also found out that he will be at Kindred for at least 2 more weeks.  Confused?  Well, last week it was 2 weeks because of blood tests, so we were hoping/expecting to come home next wee (week of 9/15) but now that's been extended at least 1 more week, so we hope to come home the week of 9/22.  Prayers for healing as that's what's holding us in the hospital right now.

He also had his PICC line accidentally pulled out about 6 inches 4 or 5 days ago by one of the night staff Tech/Nurse when he was being re-positioned.  He asked the nurse during the day to have a look she said, "it's not my job, ask the supervisor."  Nice, huh?  Anyway, it was early, he forgot, and when the ID doctor came by to check his IVs on Monday, he noticed it was pulled out.  So, he had to have it removed and they put in a midline, which is same thing, just shorter.  Hopefully he won't need it too much longer anyway.

My mother came up to help me around the house, get ready for Dean to come home when he does, and just spend time with me and Jake.  We had Sushi last night!  YUMMY!

Jake eating the "Chick Fil A" Roll.  It has chicken, cream cheese, cucumber wrapped in rice paper.  Dean's favorite, and Jake INSISTS on eating Sushi (not chicken nuggets) when we go to the Rising Sun in Fall Creek.

Top roll - can't remember the name, it was mother's and has tempura soft shell crab (YUCK!)

Middle roll - mine!  (but i shared) tuna, cream cheese, cucumber, topped with strawberries, kiwi, and mango sauce

Bottom roll -THAT's the Chick-fil-a roll.  It's really good actually.  Chicken and rice, YUM!

Tuesday, we found out his glasses we ordered online to replace his 3 year old glasses the nursing staff broke came in!  So, I did a quick trip down there just me and helped him do some things.

Thursday, my dad came through town, he was meeting with his Accountant and then going fishing with some Friends.  We went to see Dean at the hospital with some YUMMY Fajitas from Julia's Mexican Grill in the Fall Creek Area.  EXCELLENT restaurant, delicious tortillas!

I got home Thursday night and realized I LEFT MY PHONE at the Hospital!  DOH!  Poor Dean had to deal with the pings and beeps and alert sounds all night!

Friday, since I left my phone, we (my mother, Jake and I) visited for dinner again.  It was designated left over night, as we have a ton of left overs in our fridge!

Saturday was quite long and boring!  The weather wasn't good so we all stayed in the hospital most of the day.  I had planned on watching movies with my computer only to find out the DVDs just didn't want to play without an internet connection.  So, that went bust!  And, the Aggie game was really late this weekend!  But, at least we won!  GIG 'EM Aggies!!!

Sunday, what great weather!  Jake and I went to the zoo and had a great time!  I mostly let him see what he wanted, which can be very frustrating because he tends to sometimes just want to run around a tree trying to figure out how to climb it.  Some Highlights:

 

So, this was the entrance at the zoo when we got there around 1pm.  The lines were HUGE to buy a ticket!  And, as one of the zoo workers was talking about "If you had a membership you could be walking in right now" as we walk past here!  I said to her "It's days like these i'm glad we have a membership!"  BEST. GIFT. EVER!!!

 

Look at that beak!

Thai the 49 year old Asian Elephant.  He is the largest living elephant in the United States!  

A few selfies while watching Thai.

Monkeying around.

we left the zoo around 3:30.  THIS was the crowd to get in!

Also while at the zoo, I finally brought in the antlers my parents gave Jake to give to the swap shop, they are sheds they tracked down for one of the hunters who least the property.  Last time we brought something in, we got 650 points!  That was for a rattle from a rattle snake over 2 inches long, and a horny toad skull in perfect condition, and some knowledge points.  He spent a few points last time we went on some fool's gold.  This time, he got a few more points than that.  When the volunteers were ready to tell him how many points the told us, well, you are going to get a ton of points!  HE GO 6000 points for those antlers!  Way to go Jake!  He also got 20 points for some of those white snail shells, and 50 KNOWLEDGE points for knowing the Antlers were from a white-tailed deer and they fall off every year so they can grow new ones!  Way to go!

So, Jake saw a HUGE "Lion's Paw Shell" last time we were there, but they are worth 2000 points, so he was happy he got the biggest one! It's about 6 or 7 inches wide and he's very proud of it and showed it off to his Daddy later! He also picked up 3 small pretty shells, and some Bornite aka Peacock ore.

We also got to go see Papa for an early birthday while the Texans were beating the Raiders (YES!!!).  It was good to see him in the Cafeteria watching the big screen instead of in his room.  Jake brought him balloons, a card and a movie.  We also got to see Uncle David too!

More blood and test have been taken, but we have not heard anything yet.  Once we do, I'll post again!  We hope he is out of there next week, but these tests will tell.

So, what ELSE is going on?

Hello Friends and Family.

NOTE:
I wrote the below post yesterday before my Father-In-Law, Durwood, had to be rushed into surgery for his fall yesterday afternoon.  I've revised it a little (if you already read it).  If you want to know more about Durwood, please feel free to ask.

As far as helping out with meals, I was able to cook up a couple of freezer meals this weekend, and in some twist of faith, one of Linda's friends cooked up 12 (yes that's a dozen) freezer meals for us, which will really come in handy now that Linda may need some too!  She was going to store them in their deep freezer anyway.  Please pray for Linda and Durwood as they are also going to go through some rough times.

Original post about Dean:

I know some of you know this, and some of you don't, but I thought it be best to keep everybody updated with what's going on in my blog.  This seems to be the best way people are sharing information these days that need to go to a wide range of people, and it helps the poster (me) to get a few things out there and ask for a prayer request without crying multiple times a day.

So, what ELSE is going on? 

Dean is going to be having surgery Wednesday, 7/23.  We found out he may have a bone infection.  This is a treatable condition, but how severe or not can only be determined with surgery.  Basically, the usual way antibiotics are delivered to the body to fight infection is in the blood, but the blood doesn't go through the bone, so it needs to be surgically explored and cleaned.  We will not know the extent of any infection until after the surgery, but based on the X-rays, which is not always completely reliable in cases as these, it looks like there is an infection.  Again, it could be small but it could also be big.  

Also, we learned last week that after surgery, his recovery may be more that just a few days in the hospital then come home to heal and recover.  He most likely require a long term stay in a facility designed for extensive wound care, and of course there is not one really close to our house.  If we need to use a long term care facility, it's been recommended to use Kindred.  It's funny, coming from a "country girl" who had to drive 30 minutes to the nearest small town, 30 minutes in the Houston Area seems so long to me now.  There is a facility in the medical center, one in Spring, and one in the Heights, all around 20 to 30 minutes away.  There is a Kindred Rehab hospital (ironically it's a SCI/Brain Injury rehab facility) but they do not specialize in the wound care we may need.  So it will most likely be another facility around Houston.

There are pros and cons to Dean staying at a long term care facility.  Pros like he will be cared for 24-7, they specialize in healing, so it *should* be good (Note: if they are not I will make sure they are!), stuff like that.  However, the biggest con is he will not be home.  This is of course the worst part.  It will be hard on both me and Jake, and it's something I am not looking forward too.  But, if the healing is somehow better at a place like this, then we can get it over with and (hopefully) not have to think about it again.

Now, I know all of you are wondering "How can I help".  Right now, we are so in Limbo that we don't really know our needs.  But, believe me, we will ask for help.  If I've learned ANYTHING about the situation we are in, we welcome and ask for help when we need to.  For now, please pray for the surgery to take place as scheduled, as the doctor does not have another opening for 3 months.  Also, pray for the surgery to be successful and be able to clean up anything and take care of anything that is needed for healing.  And, pray for me and Jake to have the strength to support Dean in anyway we can.  Easy cook or freezer meals are a good idea - ready made crock pot recipes where you dump and turn on are awesome for both of us too.

To top it all off, My PHONE DIED!!  :(  Hopefully I didn't loose too much.  I'll be getting a new one tomorrow as it was still on warranty. 

Pixel - You Are My Sunshine

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You never know, Pix, how much I love you

Please don't take my Pixel away

When I was probably around 5 years old, my parents thought it would be great if we got cats for me and my brother.  We thought it was a great idea!  What it probably was is that a friend in town had kittens and we had a country home so cats would be great for us!  What I didn't know is it was a start of a beautiful trio of black felines, each bringing such joy to my life.

First there was Inky.  he was my first black cat, dark as midnight with golden eyes.  Loved him so much!  He would sleep with me at night as I clutched him like a stuffed animal, and he loved it.  Truly loved it!  I fell asleep to his purr and found it hard to fall asleep otherwise.  He was a great cat!  Then, a few years later, I came home from school to the worst news ever.  He had gotten into something, or possibly bitten by something, that was poisonous.  My parents rushed him to the vet but living out in the boondocks, they didn't get there in time and there was nothing that could be done.  I was devastated.

Fortunately for us, another family in town had kittens to give away, and wow, they had a black one!  I was overjoyed!  I named him (of course) Inky Junior.  I wrote his name down "Inky, Jr" and, well, Dallas was big at the time, and I asked my parents if I could call him JR.  They said whatever you want!  And, there you go.  HE was the best cat ever!  But, he had a diva side!  He would get mad at me and "leave" for weeks at a time.  We believed he lived down at the barn in the front pasture (told you it was country living!) but we never knew for sure.  Once he was not mad anymore, he would come back like nothing happened.  He would sleep with me too, not quite like Inky, but he would sleep on my bed.  He was with me though High School and then I left home for college.  My 4th year of college I moved into an apartment for the first time and I choose to bring him with me.  This was the best decision ever.  I thought he would have a hard time transitioning from a farm cat to a house cat, but he was old and wanted to be with me so it worked out.  Then, one day, he wouldn't come out from under the bed, and he stopped eating.  He was 15 years old and sick.  I had to make a horrible decision one month before my wedding, and my Mother graciously took him to the family vet at home and put him to sleep.  This was the worst day ever.  I was actually trying to figure out how to get him to be in the wedding.  So, it hit hard.

Dean and I got married in 1995, and were living in College Station for about 6 months and I said, "Hey, I want a cat!  A black one, can I?"  Dean said "Sure!" so I called the animal shelter there in College Station and asked if they had any black kittens.  They said, why yes, we actually have 2!  I was overjoyed!  I went to the shelter that moment, saw the first black cat (not a kitten, he was about 2 or 3) and then this estimated to be about 3 months old black kitten that was apparently found nearby.  I stuck my finger in the cage, he purred and rubbed it and that was it.  Love at first sight!  Poor Dean!  He thought it would take weeks to find the right cat, not the same day I asked if we could get one!  We named him Pixel.

Now, Dean didn't grow up with many pets, so he wasn't so sure about this one.  He made silly rules like he can't ever sleep on the bed with us.  Dean actually thought a closed door would keep him out of our room.  Pixel had something else in mind, he would sit by the door and paw the door non-stop in perfect rhythm.  Bang Bang Bang Bang.  He would do this until we opened to door.  He would Never Stop!  So, he got his way (and mine) and slept on the bed with us. :)

Then, being the young college student married couple we were, we moved often.  I mean OFTEN!  We started out at (1) Lincoln Square apartments, then to the (2) Silver Spur apartments.  After I graduated, Dean's job moved us to Denver, Colorado, and Pixel had to ride in the cargo area of the plane!  This was fun!  I couldn't find him when we got to Denver, but all was well.  He was frantic!  I don't think he liked it much.  While in Denver, we moved into (3) Mill Pond apartments.  Then an unfortunate accident happened and we had to move to (4) Lakewood, but I don't remember the names of those, we were only there 6 months.  But, while Dean was in the hospital, Pixel visited him often.  Was really good for all of us.  Then, once our house was finished in (5) Castle Rock, we moved there.  This is when Dean made the HUGE mistake to get another cat, and that would be Jack!  That's a whole other story.  After a while living there, we decided it was time to move back to Texas, so we moved in (6) "Tom's house" on the Ranch my parents were working on.  Once I got a job in Houston, we moved to (7) Kingwood in yet another apartment.  This was just until our 2nd home was built in (8) Humble, which was in 2005!  So, from 1995 to 2005, Dean, Pixel and I lived in 8 different places!

Pixel lived his older years out happily and playful.  He and Jack only got real close when we got Buddy in 2008, then in 2010 we were blessed with Jake.  We just KNEW Jack would love Jake and Pixel would have nothing to do with him.  Boy were WE WRONG!  Pixel LOVED Jake almost as much as he loved me, which warms my heart.

A few months ago, Pixel started slowing down.  Jake would take care of him with such sweetness.  Pixel fell of the couch arm one day, so Jake put his blanket under it because it was soft. And, one awesome afternoon, Jake took an nap with Pixel laying in his bed at his feet.  So very glad I got the picture.

Last week, we noticed he was not walking as well as he was, and he was staying in one place for longer times.  Then, over the weekend, he stayed in only one place, just under Dean's desk, and only got up to get some water or use the box.  Then, Tuesday morning was the last time he ate something, so we called to make an appointment for Wednesday to see if we could help him.  By Wednesday afternoon, he could no longer walk, so we knew this appointment's purpose had changed.

Pixel had kidney failure, which is the number one cause of death for an old cat.  When we took him in, he laid on Dean's lap the whole way.  He tried a couple of times to get up, but wasn't able to.  We talked to the vet for a while, then discussed our options and we both felt the best thing for Pixel is to help him slip away.  At approximately 5:30 pm on May 7, 2014, at 18 years 9 months, Pixel slipped away peacefully.

Every time I took him to the vet, I would sing "You Are My Sunshine" with his name in the song.  I just couldn't do it this one last time.  He took my Pixel away.

Pixel was the best cat ever!

Pixel laying on Jake's bed while he naps

Mid March - at the vet getting a check up

Halloween 2013

I loved dressing him up for Halloween!

This was probably 2000, Castle Rock Co

in our first apartment in College Station 1996

He got his head stuck in a Kleenex box once!  Yes OF COURSE I took pictures, then helped him get out!

around 1997

Santa (aka Dean) got the Cats these little beds.  They used them probably about twice.  Buddy actually used them more when he was a puppy.

Humble, Tx about 2005

Halloween picture from 2004 - Kingwood

Halloween I believe a few years ago.  Probably 2010

He was about 4 or 5 months old here!  College Station, TX

His first Christmas Tree in College Station, 1995

He LOVED the tree and climbed it every year until we got Jack in 2001.

Not sure why that made him stop?  Jack never climbed the tree.

Castle Rock, soon after we got Jack.  Probably early 2002.  HE HATED JACK at first, was so mad at me for about 2 weeks.  He would growl and hiss at me every time I walked in the room.

College Station around 1997

He would always get into the computer box if Dean took it apart!

Gosh, I miss him so!

Vinny, you've been good, but it's time

So, as you may have heard or already know, Vinny (short for Vincent Van Go our 14 year old minivan) had decided he no longer wants to work.  Dean and a friend tried to go to the movies last week, but something started to rattle and clank so loud they decided they needed to come home instead of trying to drive it home at midnight and have it break down.

So, we get the idea to drive it to the car shop just outside our neighborhood since it's pretty close, and have them "SEE" what's wrong.  We discovered when we turn the AC off, it would stop the noise!  So, we tell them that, and to NOT FIX IT FIRST, to LET US KNOW how much and the like.  Well, it turns out it was a loose fly wheel, but they FIXED THE AC anyway and charged us $230 for it when we asked them not to.  They also tightened the fly wheel, but to no avail.  So, after a total bill of $350, the van still sounds clanky and well, we have decided it's time to retire Vinny.

So, what will we do?  Get another Van? NO!  Get a truck?  Time will tell!

STAY TUNED.....

He works hard for the money!!!

So, this was a busy, fun weekend (AGAIN!  We are having so much fun with our little guy!)  How can so much fun be in 2 days?  Woo Hoo!

Saturday, we did two things.  One for Mommy, the other for Daddy and Jake.  My lovely niece, Linda Jean, is getting married next year, and the bridal extravaganza was this weekend!  And, since everybody I usually ask to baby sit Jake was going as well, I decided to take him with me!  Nonnie, Jake, and I packed into BB (my awesome Black Beauty Jeep) and headed downtown to the girly part of the day.

We were doing well, until he got hungry, so Nonnie and I took Jake to get some overpriced food.  BBQ Sandwiches of that quality should not cost $8!  Just sayin!  He was upset with me because I took his Cheetos out of the bag and put them on his plate.  He said NO MOMMY!  and put each and every one back in the bag, then started eating them.  So, I decided we had had enough so after eating (or only eating Cheetos) we found LJ and her crew.  They only had 2 more aisles left so we decided to go ahead and stay a bit longer.  SOOOOOOO glad we did!  As I am talking to LJ about wedding dresses, her friend Amanda took Jake to the DJ booth.  I started hearing cheering and looked over to see Jake on the dance floor imitating EVERY MOVE another man was doing!  And, a crowd was starting to form, and the guy left, then he was there all by himself "Gettin' Jiggy With It!"  and of course "WIGGLE WIGGLE WIGGLE!!!"  The crowd grew and grew and cheers all around, he just kept on dancing!  Then, I spot a mother trying to tell her little girl to go on the dance floor and join him, but she wouldn't.  So, I told Jake to go over there and give her a hug, and HE DID!!!  The crowd again went CRAZY!  The DJ loved it so much he told LJ if we book with him AND Jake comes, he will give us a 20% discount!  Way to work your money maker Jake!

The whole gang!

Linda Jean NOT falling for the sales pitch! :) good girl!

Jake enjoying the string quartet playing Lady Ga Ga songs

Yep, that's my Jake, getting down!

WoOOOooOOOoOOO!

After doing all this girly stuff, we came home around 2pm, and after ALL that dancing and walking and running, he napped for a good 2 hours! Then it started to rain.  So, we decided to wait it out a little bit, and then take the boy to CHUCK E. CHEESE!  Since, that's about the only thing he talks about "I go to CHUCKY CHEESE!"  We have even resorted to calling it "Charles Cheddar" so he doesn't know what we are talking about.  We went and only to $5 of tokens, but he had fun showing his Daddy how awesome he is at the games, and dancing to the singing Chuck, and riding all the cool rides.  We had just enough tickets for a little slinky and some stickers, and he was happy!  We then went to the Brick House so Daddy could enjoy some real beer.  Their prime rib sandwich is just about the best thing on the menu.  YUM!

fun at Chuck E. Cheese!

Just a crusin!

Playing "Rocket Ship" with Daddy at the Brick House

Sunday, we went grocery shopping in the morning.  So fun.  At least it was HEB and he rode in the "car" buggy.  Then, the Astros were in town, so we again load up Vincent (our van, Vincent Van Go - get it?) as he's still limping along, and go downtown for the Astros game.  Jake actually fell asleep on the way, and continued to sleep riding on Daddy through the parking lot, along the streets of Downtown, and into the stadium, all the way to our seats.  After about 10 minutes the crowd started clapping which woke him up and he just started clapping!  He was so excited to be at the game!  After about the 3rd inning (after the Mariners scored 7 runs in the 2nd) we took Jake to the Astro's buddy booth to get his "game trinkets".  The lady gave him a cute orbit bracelet and asked if this was his first game!  We said no, just the first time we remembered to bring the badge!  She smiled and gave him a hat too!  Good thing, as Jake dropped the bracelet and lost it, so we only have the hat.  I don't think he remembers anyway.  :)  We left at the 6th inning (score was 10 to 0) and let him run around outside the stadium where the statues of Biggo and Bagwell are.  He liked it!

Jake Sleeping at the game.  He did wake up soon after, clapping!

Jake and Daddy in front of Biggio's wall in Home Run Alley

Go Astros!

Bagwell Statue

Here's Our Brick!

Then, we went home, and I cooked some of those pre-seasoned HEB Fajitas!  They were DELICIOUS and so very tender!  Even Jake loved them and ate everything on his plate!  To quote Jake "I Like Tortillas!" and he does! :)

(NOTE:  I HOPE TO ADD MORE PICTURES SOON!!! - UPDATE!  Pictures Added! :)

Independence - Yes Please!

WOO HOO!  We had a GREAT July 4th Week at my parents ranch this year!  We have made it down to the HEAT of the Rio Grande Valley probably at least 4 times out of the last 5 years (skipping Jake's 1st July 4th since he was only 7 months old).

We are not sure why we think this is a good time to go to the ranch, in the middle of the summer where temps reach 110 EASILY in the SHADE!  It wasn't actually too bad, but it was HOT and we needed to stay inside for most of the afternoons.  The evenings were however really nice!

We did have a bit of drama, as we always do.  Someday I hope to have a trip with NO DRAMA!  Two weeks before we headed out, our Vincent (our mini van - aka Vincent Van Go) decided it didn't want to go to the ranch anymore.  EVER.  We apparently need a new transmission which cost $3500.  NO FLAGS!  NO MORE GO FOR VINCENT!  Anyway, we are in the market for a new car.  Anyway, we start calling and calling and calling van rentals, but since it's a holiday, most places are booked.  So, I called one more place that serviced Texas, and YEY!  They had a van available, but it was in Dallas so we had to pay extra for them to drive it to us.  So, we paid the $800 to rent for a week and have them deliver and pick it up, which we THOUGHT we were being smart.

We head out to the ranch on Wednesday Afternoon after I get off work, since I got off at 2 for the holiday.  Everything is going fine, the van is a little "shaky" but we are so used to that we didn't think twice about it.  Then, around 6:30ish, as I'm passing a car with another truck tailgating me something horrible, it happens.  I start smelling something burning and the car starts shaking really really bad!  We had a #$%@ing FLAT TIRE!!!  Seven miles outside of Edna, Tx, just on the East side of the Navidad River.  Me, Dean, Jake and Buddy and a STUPID FLAT TIRE!

 See that Arrow, that's where we were!!!

We call the rental company to see if the guy (Ken) can help us call around the area for a tire shop.  We also call the  roadside assistance hotline on the back of our driver's license, and we get two cops come out to change our tire with a DONUT tire!  ARGH!  Ken calls the Victoria Walmart tire shop and they close at 7, but agree to wait for us to get there at 7:30.  Well, we were a bit late, we got there at 7:45, however they were all still there, changed our tire as fast as they could, and we were on our way.  Thank goodness for small towns!  We owe a load of gratitude to that Walmart in Victoria, Texas and their tire shop, and to the rental guy from Primear Rental that did all the calling and set it up for us.

After all this, we finally get to the ranch and were able to have a great weekend on 4 good tires on the Silver Bullet Robby the Rental Van.

Here are some of the great pictures we had.  My brother Joe and his family were also there, as well as another family friend, Tom.  We had AWESOME Fireworks and great BBQ and fun!

The fam!

Jake and Lexi playing with an iPod

my Dad, and his BBQ!!  OMG the Ribs were so delicious!!!

More Jake and Lexi and an iPod

Let's get dirty!!!

Jake, Lexi, and Alfredo

Jake was FEARLESS with all the fireworks, especially the sparklers!  HE LOVED THEM!!!

I'm trying to light them as fast as I can!

They both had a blast!

I'll make another post later!