^●●● American Museum of Natural History

We decided to spend the morning at the museum.  The museum offers a discounted "one price includes all exhibits" deal, which we decided to take.  We spent at least six hours in the museum (plus the two hours we spent on Monday evening), and still didn't get a chance to see everything!  We saw a butterfly zoo, lots of dinosaur bones, an exhibit on the horse, a planetarium show, an IMAX movie about Sea monsters and even some live lizards and snakes!

Dylan and Kyle are probably the only young children on earth who think going to museums is fun - but then again - look at the museums they have gotten to see this year!  No wonder!

^●●● Rockefeller Skating Rink

After we had spent a little downtime in the apartment and recovered from the museum, we went back downtown.  Dylan had been asking for the last couple of days to go ice skating - and where better to go then Rockefeller Center!!!  Well, one thing that isn't mentioned in the movies is the hour long wait to get in (nor the outrageous entrance fee!).  Now, the kids don't know how famous this place is, but I know one day, they'll be watching a movie, and see the rink, and think "I've been skating there!"  So, we decided to give it a try. The kids waited in line somewhat patiently - bribed with a few hotdogs.  We had tried to catch dinner beforehand, but the restaurant we had picked had an hour long wait, so we had bailed and headed to the rink instead. Then it was our turn to enter the rink.  Having grown up in Texas, my boys have never been on ice before (actually, I think Dylan was once).  Kyle clung to me, and Dylan to Dave, and we slowly wobbled around.  That's it, I thought.  We had spent all day walking the museum, it is late and

cold, and this is *really* hard. I bet we make it around the rink once, and they'll be done.  But no, once again, the endurance of my children surprised me.  Both boys continued to skate for the next hour, and managed to do reasonably well (Dave was a great coach!).  By the end, Dylan made it around the rink 4 1/2 times without falling!  We finally pulled them away from the ice around 10pm!  Exhausted, but triumphant! Right before it was our turn to enter the rink, the rink briefly closed down to clear the ice.  Everyone exited the rink - except for one couple who continued to skate by themselves.  Of course, they captured everyone's attention "Why are they still out there?!?", until the guy stopped the girl in the middle, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry him! She apparently said yes, and the crowd watching cheered.  It was very fun and sooo very romantic.  Almost as romantic as getting engaged 60 feet underwater (Almost... but not quite :o)

Friday, November 28th, 2008

^●●● Miracles on 34th Street and Beyond

The amazing thing about today is that we started off the day with little idea of how we were going to spend it - and wound up having one of the most incredibly fun and random and wonderful days in memory! To me, this is one of the wonders of New York, how there are these incredible opportunities and experiences, just waiting to be found!

We thought we'd start off the day checking out Grand Central Station and they play it by ear. We arrived at Grand Central via another subway ride (Still exciting for the boys). Grand Central Station is an amazingly beautiful building. Dave said they had renovated it since he was a child. For us, it was breath-taking; an immense cavern with huge ceilings and windows and an amazing sense of movement and mystery!

Located within the station was the NY Transit museum. I had read that they were having a model train Christmas exhibit. The museum had set up a very large platform with probably half a dozen trains, including a Hogwarts Express train and a Polar express train, and a replica of a NY subway. The kids were mesmorized for at least forty five minutes - we had to pull Kyle out kicking and screaming!

Afterwards, we walked down Fifth avenue, taking in more of the store windows. Lord and Taylor has some amazing views, all done up in old-time (Victorian?) Christmas scenes. We walked down the vibrant, city streets, chock-full of Black Friday shoppers. Eventually we made it to Macy's, who also had some amazing windows - done up in a futuristic Christmas scene. The amazing thing about these windows is how detailed and intricate each one was, with mechanically moving parts, a story lines, and lots of detail!

I had read about a neat NY Puppet comapany that put on a great show with old-time wooden marionettes, and they were supposed to be doing a 30 minute rendition of Miracle on 34th street at, you guessed it, Macy's. We decided to check it out - but Macy's was a zoo! I am sure if a fire marshal was there, he would have shut the place down, because I know it had more the a safe number of people. It was literally wall-to-wall. The first employee I asked about the puppet show had no idea what I was tlaking about - but finally I found an information booth - and they directed us to "8th floor - in the back". Swimming through the huge crowds, we managed to ride the old-time wooden escalators (there since Macy's first opened its doors!) up to the 8th floor and bought $5 tickets. The show was, in a word, amazing. The marionettes were beautiful, and it was increidble to see how life like they could make the wooden dolls move. It was accompanied by music and songs. The kids were riveted. But, then again, so were Dave and I!

Well, after hearing about the "true Santa" at Macy's on 34th street - Dave suggested we check the old man out ourselves. I was sure the line would be outrageously long. The lines at local malls can be up to an hour long - and we were at Macy's on 34th street on the day after Thanksgiving! But when we asked how long the wait was, they told us "20 minutes"!?! We decided to give it a try. The man in line ahead of us looked at us, "First time?" He then pointed to his twenty-something old boys and said, "We've been coming here every year since they were babies. Always on this day." It was very moving! The wait may have been 20 minutes, but a large part of it wound through Christmas displays that were even more intriguing and intricate than the store windows outside - with model trains, dancing bears, and an almost believable train ride. And the line moved so quick. It wasn't until we made it to Santa, that I realized they had room after room available for viewings! It was an industrialized affair, but still felt very personal. Truly an amazing experience. They snapped a professional photo, but then kindly let Dave take his own. You can see by Dave's picture (better than the professional) that the boys were memorized by Santa!

After our visit with Santa, we wandered back outside and down to Times square, which is a sight in itself. We then caught a cab to Central Park, with the idea of letting the boys run for a bit, and then maybe catching a little bit of the Metropolitan museum. The cab let us off at a little plaza on which three young men and a boy were putting on an impromptu "breakdancing" show. It included the typical dance moves and spins, but these men took it to a new level. They would do some incredibly amazing moves - balancing acts, flips, etc, , and then pass around a bucket for donations. The boys enjoyed watching, and Dave and I gladly contributed a few bucks. At the end of the show, they picked out four kids from the audience (they probably had at least 100 people watching them at this point). One of the kids they picked was Dylan! Dylan had been giggling and laughing the whole time watching the men, and thought he was being picked out to do his own show. It was one of the most hilarious things I have seen, with Dylan doing his (very unique) imitation of breakdancing - while the crowd laughed and clapped along. Finally, the guys convinced him that his job was to just stand there, very still, while one of the guys took a running jump, and did a flip over all four kids!

When the "show" was over, we walked over to Central Park. As with the last time we were in Central Park two years ago, the boys *loved* climbing on the rocks. After my feet had frozen to the ground, I finally pulled the kids away to head back to the apartment (it was waaay to late to think about going to the museum now!).

On the way back, we passed by a little public building that was heated called "Chess and Checkers". It reminded me of the scene in Frosty, when Frosty and Sarah? randomly come across this greenhouse - and go inside to keep the little girl from freezing (except that girl was me!) Anyway, the building had a bunch of chess and checker boards set up for the passersby to play. The boys are very enamored with chess, so they played a round with Dad, and then we watched a round of some very serious chess players. This time, it was Dylan we had to drag away kicking and screaming!

Immediately outside of the Chess room was the Central Park carousel. And, of course, our boys cannot pass a carousel without getting on. We were in luck, and caught the very last ride of the day! We then walked our tired and cold bodies back to the apartment to end a very fun, very memorable, very exciting day!

Thursday, November 27th, 2008

^●●● Happy Thanksgiving

The big event today was seeing the parade.  The logistics of getting close enough to see the parade were somewhat difficult.  The corner closest to us was closed off for "ticket holders" only, and by the time we figured that out, all of the other side streets were packed with people.  For awhile I thought the only thing the kids would see at the parade was the backs of other New Yorkers!  But eventually we found a great spot on our street, on top of a wall, that gave us a great view of the parade. 

Our street, 77th street, was the very start of the parade.  So, we watched as all the balloon handlers pulled their balloons up the street and the turned onto Central Park West.  By far, the favorite balloon of Dylan and Kyle's was Pikachu.  But they also loved the other balloons, and the marching bands and floats.  It was a very magical experience for us!  And at the very end, the crowd had cleared enough that we got off the wall and Kyle and Dylan could worm their way to the front.  So, they got to be the very first children to welcome Santa to the Christmas Season!

We then went back to the apartment, and watched the tail end of the parade on TV.  We spent the rest of the day hanging out in the apartment and relaxing.  Rather than trying to cook a big meal in an unfamiliar kitchen, we picked a local restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner.    

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008

^●●● Window shopping and Balloons

Today we headed downtown to see some sights.  We arrived at Rockefeller center, and then headed up to 5th Avenue.  Lord and Taylor had the first window for us to view, and it was amazing.  Turning, spinning, mechanical scenes that were breath-taking!  Then we saw the Cartier window, which had even Kyle quiet!  I think I've picked out my Christmas gift, if we even have a spared $300k :o)  We then walked with the hustle and bustle to FAO Schwartz.  FAO Swartz is amazing, with six foot tall stuffed animals, a huge piano that the kids could run on, Lego statues that were six feet tall, a whole section full of Harry Potter stuff.  We could have played in there for hours!  Just about every cool toy you can imagine... except Pokemon.  I had thought they had a whole Pokemon section for Dylan, but apparently that was the one toy they did not sell.  So Dave discovered that close by was "Nintendo World" which had a whole section full of every Pokemon you could think of.  This time, we had to pull Dylan away, with his mouth wide open in wonder! We returned to the apartment by mid-afternoon, and they were already beginning to blow up the balloons.  It was amazing to watch the balloons slowly inflate to life!  We watched for about an hour, before the cold got the best of us, and we headed back inside the apartment.  We did come out later that night to see them all inflated!  It was another magical moment!  And the coolest thing was that we were on the "private" side.  Because of Karen's location, we were on the non-public side.  Across the street, lines formed for an hour as people waited to catch a glimpse of the balloons, and then were shooed on down the street.  All we had to do was walk out our doorway, and there they were!

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

^●●● Lady Liberty

One of the things the boys and I really wanted to do was to see the Statue of Liberty,  I don't know what it is about New Yorkers, but they are very ho-hum about their Lady of liberty.   Neither Dave or Karen expressed much agreement with me on the excitement of visiting it.  But, we just couldn't come all the way to New York, and miss out on one of its most famous monuments!!  Dave half-heartedly agreed :o) We bought ferry tickets to Ellis Island.  Unfortunately, the gate attendant on the mainland told us all of the tickets to enter the statue were taken.  Fortunately, it was such a cold grim day, that there the employees on Ellis Island were letting anyone enter the line to go in the statue.  After about a 45 minute wait, we entered the museum.  The boys and I thought it was super cool!  They had a bunch of different life-sized models from the statue (a foot, her face and part of the torch).  Because of 911, we were only allowed to climb as high as the pedestal - but we were still able to glimpse up her skirts to see the insides of the statue, and we got a great view of the New York skyline from the height of the pedestal. After we visited Lady Liberty, we went back to mainland and saw the 911 memorial, which was very moving.  We then headed over to ground zero - where there really wasn't much to see.  We then walked over to Wall Street, and then headed home.

Kyle chasing a huge flock of geese

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

^●●● Officially a soccer mom!

Dylan's soccer team had its tournament this weekend - nine teams, double elimination.  We somehow picked the bum line up, and had to play our first game 8am Saturday morning (the morning after Halloween!).  We won our first game, and then lost our second.  We then joined the "losers' bracket", and proceeded to win two more games.  After each game, we had about an hour and a half to go home, rest, eat, and then return.  All day long until the last game at 5:30pm.  Yup, that's right, Dylan played four games of soccer on Saturday!  And that was about all we did on Saturday!

And then, 8am Sunday morning, we played our next game.  I want to know who our coach pissed off to get such a lousy schedule! :o)  Dylan's team won that game, and then the next one, to put us in the final tournament game!  At this point, our boys had played 6 games over the last two days, and were exhausted.  Our competing team had only played 3. 

The boys went out and played their hearts out.  They were exhausted, but just kept going.  The game ended in a tie, and had to be decided by a "shoot out".  The five boys playing on the field when the game ended shot one goal a piece again the other teams goalie.  The team with the most scores won.  And the other team managed to beat us.  It was very sad for many of the boys, as they had tried so hard.  But, to come in second of nine teams was still an accomplishment.  And because they were in the top two, the boys have been invited to play in the Austin tournament in two weeks.

I really enjoyed watching our team play, and found it as exciting as watching many professional sports game.  The boys knew where they were supposed to be, and what they were supposed to be doing.  Despite taking up the entire weekend, it really was a lot of fun.  And Dylan had a great time, also ;o)

Immediately after Dylan's final tournament game, Kyle then had his football practice and game.  A very sportsy weekend - but a lot of fun.

Friday, October 31st, 2008

^●●● Halloween

I spent the morning with Kyle's class.  The kids aren't allowed to have a Halloween party, but his teacher made it as much fun as possible without calling it a party.  They played games, carved a pumpkin, and ate pumpkin chocolate chip muffins made by yours truly ;o)  (No cupcakes allowed - too party-ish, AISD rules).

At 4:30, we had our annual Covered Bridge Halloween party (coordinated by yours-truly!). 

Last year we had a bunch of different booths in a "festival" style event.  After the event was over, we asked everyone to pitch in a help clean up.  Whoosh, you've never seen 100 people disappear so quickly.  It made me believe in Halloween magic!  We then spent way more time cleaning up then we wanted, with our kids hanging on us begging for us to take them trick-or-treating.  It was *awful*.

So, this year, we planned a different event, we hired Staci Gray, a local children's musician.  She came and gave a really great performance.  Dylan especially got a huge kick out of her music, standing and dancing to most of the songs.  It was fun to watch!  We followed her show with a pizza party, and very minimal cleanup.  We were out of there by 6pm.  Perfect!

For trick-or-treating, one of our neighbors rented a trailer and filled it was hay bales.  The kids then had a super-cool ride to go trick-or treating.  They ran, ran, rode, ran, ran, rode for most of it, but by the end, we were all super-glad to climb aboard the wagon, and let it pull us up the huuuuge hill in our neighborhood.  Kyle loved having a 'gang' of kids to go trick-or-treating, and his football friend, Hayden, and he led the pack :o)

Sunday, October 26th, 2008

^●●● T-10 - Kyle's Game

Kyle had a **great** football game today.  During his very first game, Kyle ran with a ball, and had his flags swiped by the opposing team.  Before the next play, Kyle tracked down the boy who had pulled his flag, and pushed him to the ground.  The second time he had his flag pulled, he stomped off the field crying "I don't like football".  Since then, he has been unwilling to handle the ball (they don't pull his flags on defense!)  But today, he carried the ball four times, and even when he fell, he managed to keep himself pretty much in control.  Yay!!!  And for that, he won the sportsman of the day award!  The team still lost 21 to zero, but they pulled six or so flags - which is an improvement over the past games.  If Kyle gets nothing else out of this season, I am just thrilled that he is improving in sportsman-like behavior.

As a second treat for the day, Grandma came up to watch his game and afterwards we tried a new restaurant.  Segovia is a new Spanish restaurant in Oak Hill that serves tapas.  We all went there afterward to celebrate his win.  Some of the tapas were truly outstanding.  We had some grilled tomatoes that were delicious, and some of the best calamari I'd ever had.  It is definitely a place to go back and try again.  Even the boys enjoyed (there favorite was the clams).  Kyle informed us that this was where he wanted to have his birthday dinner.  He'll have to wait awhile for that one ;o)

Saturday, October 25th, 2008

^●●● T-11 - Trunk or treat

	This year, instead of sponsoring its annual Fall Festival, our church decided to try something new called "Trunk or Treat".  Participants pulled into the parking lot and decorated their trunk for Halloween.  The kids then paraded around the parking lot "trunking or treating".  Kind of a Halloween tailgate.  This was the first year they had tried this, and I am not the most creative, so I grabbed a skeleton, witch, black cat and some caution tape to decorate our trunk.  But there were a few really creative and cute trunks decorated.
	The boys were one of the first trunk or treaters.  After they made the rounds of all the cars, they came back to our trunk, and handed out our candy to the other kids (which they enjoyed almost as much as treating!).  Afterwards, we all went inside and had some nachos and frito pie! It was really fun, and the kids had a great time.  Kyle was thrilled because Abby was there, as well as a few of his other preschool friends.  Dylan was thrilled because it was the first time he got to wear his "Pikachu" costume. Everyone kept coming up and saying, "Hey are you Pikachu?  Let me see your stinger"  I don't know how so many people know about Pokemon, but Dylan was in non-stop Pokemon mode all-night!

Friday, October 24th, 2008

^●●● T-123 - A non-stop day

Today was one of those days where I just kept moving from the moment I woke up, until bedtime.

Because Dave is out of town, I now need to run my long runs on Friday mornings.  So, I started off running 9 1/2 miles.  I ran the first loop with Rajah, and the second loop by myself.  I am just not sure how far Rajah can run, and I don't want to injure her.

After showering I ran first to the grocery store to pick up a few items.

Then I ran to school to help with Friday folders.

Next, I ran to the Dealership to have my car fixed.  Dave goes out of town, and two days later, the back door stay stops working.  Fortunately, it was all covered by warranty and they managed to get me in and out in under two hours. 

By that time, it was time to pick up the kids, so - you guessed it - I ran back to school.  Kyle has been working on his fine motor skills with one of the teachers after school on Fridays.  So I dropped him off with her.

I then ran to meet with his kindergarten teacher for our fall conference.  I really wasn't sure how this year would go.  I have had concerns about dyslexia, since it runs so strongly in my family.  A year ago, I had a friend do an informal evaluation, and Kyle was struggling with rhyming and letter sounds - both weaknesses for children with dyslexia.  We have been working on those ever since.  I have had concerns about his behavior, since Kyle seems to have more energy than any other child I know.  So, it was with some trepidation that I met with his teacher.  And, it turns out that Kyle is close to the top of his class with reading skills.  He passed the rhyming section 10/10 and the letter sounds 7/10.  So, I guess working with him over the past year has really helped!  And she told me that he behaves very well in class.  That he does have a lot of energy, but he controls it very well.  She also told me she loves talking with him because his reasoning skills are so advanced.   He gets along well with the other kids, and is a pleasure to have in class.  Phew, was that a relief.

We then ran home to get Dylan to his soccer game on time.  I gave the boys a quick snack in the car.  Dylan's team played a very close game, but they managed to pull out a win in the end.  His team plays so well that the games are very exciting and fun to watch!

We then ran home. Danielle joined us for our Friday night flick nick.  I got all the food ready, popped open a few beers, and ...ahhh... sat down for the first time all day.  We all hung out until the boys' bedtime.  A pleasant end to a busy day!

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

^●●● T-13 - Kyle's surgery

An obviously well-recovered Kyle playing with Dylan in their favorite spot!

Kyle did very well today.  When we first went in, he was a little nervous, but they were such a nice group of people, and so friendly and comforting, that we were soon giggling and laughing while waiting for the doctor to show.  The nurse was so friendly with him, showing him how the blood pressure machine worked and listening to him babble on about his school!  It shouldn't be surprising for a place called "Simply Pediatrics", located right next to Dell Children's Hospital, but they really were wonderful with children!  He went very willingly with them to the back to be drugged.

The worst part came when the nurse came in early and said he had had an accident while under.  Not abnormal, but they hadn't suggested I bring an extra pair of clothes (the one and only short-coming of the whole experience).  They had removed his wet clothing, which I knew would make him very upset.  And sure enough, he woke up in a strange room with strangers - with no underpants on.  He was very unhappy when they wheeled him back to me.  Gross, I know, but I put his wet clothes back on.  He would accept nothing less.  The only other low point for his was when they removed his IV (a little bloody).  But again, they were so comforting, and distracting, that it went far better than it might have.   As soon as he was done, we headed over to Old Navy to get him some fresh clothes, and then to Chik-Fil-A.  Within an hour and a half of being under a general anesthesia, Kyle was merrily chomping on a double bacon burger and making friends with another boy in the Burger King playscape.  I really do love my boy!

The doctor saw no abnormalities in his throat - which was what we expected to find, but good news none-the-less.  The whole procedure was mostly a "let's rule out the worst case scenario".  On Monday, we go to see the allergist, and hopefully she will be able to help him!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2008

^●●● T-14 - Report Cards
Both boys received their report cards today, with very few surprises.  (Surprises, on report cards, being generally not-so good!)  Both boys received high marks in reading, math and science.  And both boys received somewhat lower grades in "self-discipline", no big surprises there!  Kyle had a kindergarten assessment, and was proficient in almost all skills!  Kyle also had some issues with fine motor skills, but that is why we are having him work with Ms. Virginia on Fridays.  And I know that we have already seen some improvement.  Kyle was called an "enthusiastic and responsible learner"  and Dylan "is very bright and loves to participate in class discussion"

Kyle went over Hayden's house after school to play, which he always enjoys.  Then around 4:30, we headed to the church.  Every Wednesday night, the church hosts a dinner for the congregation, and it was Lydia circle's turn to host.  So I got there early to help prepare and serve the spaghetti with meatballs.  Afterwards, the boys went to Kingdom cubs for the first time, and they both had a great time.  I hope to make this a more regular Wednesday night - though for the last couple, the boys have been sick or exhausted, so we haven't made it.

An interesting visitor that Kyle found outside
our house!

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

^●●● T-15 - A very busy day
After school, we rushed home and Dylan finished his homework.  At 3:30, we headed over to the Picardats.  Jodi had planned a "thank you" party for her story telling teachers, and invited a few friends as well.  The party was really awesome!  She served eyeballs (meatballs with olives), worms (sausage cut up and curled), green eggs (deviled eggs) and crab dip to die for!  She also served swamp punch and cosmopolitans.  I had one glass of the swamp punch (pineapple juice and champagne maybe?) and it was incredibly delicious.

She wanted everyone to wear a costume, but since the teachers came right from school, only a few of us showed up.  I was stuck for a costume.  I had intended to drop by Lucy in Disguise, but Kyle's appointment took longer that I thought it would.  So instead, I borrowed Dave's Carnak the great hat - which was a huuuuge hit :o)  I looked only slightly less silly than Dave when wearing it :o)

And then, we left the party to take Dylan to soccer practice, and after soccer practice was over, we ran to the church for a den meeting.  Phew.  A long, but fun, day!

Sorry, no pictures of the boys today
but here is Jodi as a very cute Dorothy!

Monday, October 20th, 2008

^●●● T-16 - Kyle's Field Trip

Kyle had his kindergarten field trip today to the Austin Nature Center.  He learned all about bats and even got to see a live bat!  Afterwards, the class took a tour around the nature center, visiting the animals, birds of prey and dino pit.  Of course, one of the biggest highlights was getting to ride the school bus!  Kyle has been begging for me to let him ride the school bus home from school.  But putting him in a situation with 30 children, and only one adult (whose main responsibility is driving) is not something I am ready to do yet!  So this was a huge excitement for him. We go to ANC all the time, and for the last year (or longer) they have torn up the pond in order to fix it.  Well, the water was finally back - though they haven't stocked it with fish yet.  They have widened the stream, and put a bridge over it (it looked like the lily pad stepping stones are still there - the source of one of my favorite Kyle pictures!) A great part of the trip was watching how well Kyle behaved.  He was always doing what he was told, sat quietly through the presentation, and raised his hand to answer questions.  And probably the neatest thing was watching him interact with Matthew.  I don't know much about Matthew, but after observing him for a short bit, it is obvious that he has some kind of special need.  For some reason, Matthew has taken a strong liking to Kyle, and Kyle is very responsive and patient with him.  Both Kyle's teacher and Matthew's aide commented on it.  I was very proud to see him befriending Matthew!  His favorite friend is probably still Jo Edward, but he also really seems to like Matthew.

Kyle with JoEdward (top) and Matthew (bot)

Sunday, October 19th, 2008

^●●● T-17 - No football today

Today was a typical Sunday.  We went to church and it was my day to assist with Sunday school.

After Sunday School, the boys and I met up with the Picardats at Waterloo.  Originally, Jodi and I had decided we were going to hang out, let the kids play, and have a beer.  But, when I saw the menu items, and noticed they were serving Sunday brunch, I just couldn't skip the migas.  And somehow, it just seemed wrong to be drinking a beer with breakfast (even though it was 1pm).  So, it was just water for me.  But the boys had fun playing with Joseph and Johnathan, and I had a great time hanging out with Jim, Jodi and "Pops".

Kyle was coughing a lot while playing at the playground at Waterloo.  He is doing much better, but he still has coughing fits when he runs.  We decided that he should probably miss football this week.  He might have been okay, but he might not have - and after missing so much school last week, I am trying to keep him healthy!

On the plus side, I am starting to feel better.  I can breathe!  The cough is still hanging with me, but it, also, is diminishing.  I don't dare hope that we might actually have a few days of non-sickness, do I???

And for today's picture, a sight you are very familiar with - computer time :o)

Saturday, October 18th, 2008

^●●●T-18

Dave left today for his 18 day trip to Australia and New Zealand.  We are very excited for his opportunity to see Down Under, but it will be a long and lonely couple of weeks for all of us. 

So Dave won't have to miss too much of our lives, I have dedicated the next 18 days to him.  Each day, I will try and take a picture of the boys and give an update on what we did that day.  Hopefully, the internet connection in Australia will allow him to check this page out - and he won't miss his family so much!

^●●●Soccer

Dylan had his "big" soccer game this week.  The team they played was very, very good.  They might not be the most athletic (though some were), but they knew exactly where they were supposed to be, and what they were supposed to be doing there.  They were, by far, the best team we have seen so far.

It was a very tense game, as both teams played their heart out.  And although the Dragons didn't win the game, they did tie it, 2 - 2.  And against such a skilled team, we were all happy with the outcome!  Dylan did really well in the fullback position, and it is amazing how much he has learned in the last couple of weeks. A lot of this is due to the wonderful coaching of his team...  And above all else, Dylan is a having a **great** time playing!

^●●●Sweet Berry Farms Pumpkin Fest

Today, the boys and I took our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch in Marble Falls.  It is a long drive, but we all enjoy it!   This year the boys tried the Texas Maze again.  Sweet Berry has a cornfield cut into the shape of Texas.  And within the cornfield, they have plowed paths to make a maze.  Along the paths, they have ten city signposts hidden and our goal was to find all of them.  They gave us a small passport, and each city had a different shaped punch to help us track which we had already seen. And, after over an hour, we did find them all!  It was a lot of fun!

And of course we did the usual painting pumpkins, hay ride, and ice cream tasting.  The boys got to pick out their pumpkin, and I think they probably found the biggest one!  It was 11 pounds - which should make quite a jack-o-lantern!!!