Saturday, November 29, 2008

Thanksgiving 2008

This year for Thanksgiving we stayed at home, and my family came over on Thursday night. We feasted on an untraditional Mexican theme with tamales and fixins. We like to do something a little different so we aren't eating 3 Thanksgiving meals in a row with the other places we usually attend also. We also watched the UT/A&M game, and were very pleased :) GO HORNS!

On Friday we stayed around the house and got Christmas decorating done, minus the tree. We are waiting to get that after this weekend, so we're only chasing Finley away from it for a few weeks instead of a whole month. We do put little trees in the kid's rooms, and went ahead and decorated Bryson's tree in his room.

Saturday we went to my Grandma's house in Temple and saw my Dad's side of the family. We always have a great time there, and love to catch up with everyone there that we don't see nearly enough. Bryson loves playing in all the leaves that can be collected in Grandma's back yard, and we stuck all 3 of the little kids in there for a picture too. The kids were exhausted on the way home after not having an afternoon nap, so they sacked out pretty quickly.

We missed Mike's family this year, but we have had a great Thanksgiving and are looking forward to celebrating Finley's first birthday with them this weekend. We should be updating a lot in the next few days, as we take a look back at the first few days of Finley's life :)

Monday, November 17, 2008

Pedal power

The last few weeks Mike has seen many miles of the hill country and Austin on the bike. In two separate rides, he covered 200 miles. The first ride was the Livestrong Challenge in Dripping Springs, TX. A 90 mile ride to raise awareness for cancer research. This ride was done in honor of Lindsay's Aunt Nanette and in memory of my Uncle Tommy and Aunt Margaret. It was a beautiful autumn day and the winds were light. The charity rides that I participate in are always overwhelming in the support that comes out. Cancer survivors were along the entire route cheering us on and shouting words of encouragement. I did the ride this year with 4 people from my early morning spinning class. One member was a cancer survivor and he was the one who asked me to ride. Thank you to all that donated.












Some of the rest stops had many enthusiastic volunteers













In the twilight before the sun came up. From left to right: A friend of Jon, Jon (cancer survivor), Melissa, Me, and Tim


This past weekend, I finished the Tour Das Hugel and it was just for "fun". Hugel is German for Hills. Its a 110 mile ride around West Austin showcasing all the steep hills in one ride. Some calculations have the elevation climbing pegged at 11,000 feet. Mount Bonnell, Courtyard, Jester, City Park Road, 620 to Mansfield Dam, Riverplace are all included. The temperatures were in the 50s all day, the wind was 20mph, and I ended up being one of the last three to finish in 11 hours and 45 minutes...finishing the last hour in the dark.


At the top of Ladera Norte, the steepest hill in Austin. Loop 360 in the background with the bridge over Lake Austin in the middle.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I've Been Tagged!

I was tagged by my friend Kristen on her blog, and love these types of things, so here are my answers :)

8 Things I’m passionate about:
-my family
-pictures
-scrapbooking (digital scrapbooking is my newest addiction)
-Mexican food
-friends
-traveling
-making lists
-organization

8 Thing that happened yesterday:
-Went to the gym with the kids, and ran on the treadmill
-Took Finley to the doctor's office for her flu shot (Bryson had his 2 weeks ago)
-Changed diapers on Finley, took Bryson to the bathroom
-Went to my sister's house to play for a while
-Drove home and sorted through some hand-me-down clothes from my friend, Tracie
-Worked in between other things all day
-Watched t.v.
-Read a magazine

8 Things I do now:
-Be a mom
-Work as a medical transcriptionist
-clean
-cook
-plan
-socialize
-change diapers
-workout

8 Things I can not do:
-Find time to relax as much as I'd like
-drink out of a cup properly (I spill all the time for some reason)
-go without checking my email for more than a day
-live without my calendar
-bake cookies
-stand on my right ankle without my ankle giving out
-go grocery shopping without my organized list (by aisle) that I print out every week
-watch Max and Ruby (I hate that cartoon!)

8 Things I often say:
-What?
-What do you say? (as in 'please' or 'thank you')
-Good job!
-Yes or no?
-I'm so proud of you!
-Do you have go tee tee or poo-poo?
-I love you!
-Well....guess I'll talk to you later.

8 Favorite TV shows-
-Desperate Housewives
-Jon & Kate Plus 8
-Oprah
-The Hills
-90210 (new series)
-The Office
-Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
-Little People, Big World

8 Favorite foods:
-Creamy jalapeno ranch from Chuy's
-Queso and chips (they count as one unit, right?)
-fruit (grapes, oranges, watermelon are my favorite)
-Fajitas
-shrimp
-Tacos
-breakfast tacos
-thin crust cheese pizza

8 Things you may not have known about me:
-I have been doing Weight Watchers now since February (slowly) and have lost 18 pounds.
-I started running a few months ago and am loving it!
-I have a kidney disease that I was diagnosed with when I was 11 and only have 65% function of each of my kidneys at the present time.
-I've had surgery on my right ankle for tearing 3 tendons and my ankle is still big from the scar tissue and the way the tendons were wrapped around the bone in my ankle.
-I am studying to add credentials behind my name through my job. I am currently an MT (medical transcriptionist), but am studying to take a 6 hour test on December 15th to be a CMT (certified medical transcriptionist). It is a test that is offered for anyone who has been in the profession for at least 2 years or more. I have been an MT since June of 2004.
-I've never had braces, but have straight teeth.
-My husband and I met on match.com, lived within a mile of each other, and played volleyball at Aussies on the same night without knowing all at the same time.
-We were married in Jamaica!

I am tagging Courtney, Elisabeth, Kara, Danielle and Tracie!

11 months (a little late)

One week ago today Finley hit the 11 month mark, the last monthly mark before we finish the first year of Finley's life. She brings us so much happiness, and is such a good baby. We can't wait for December 5th to come, to celebrate having this precious little being for 1 whole year (and brought to us a little earlier than expected).


Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Presidential Election 2008

We tried to explain to Bryson that we were waiting to hear tonight who would be the new president. He continuously asked us when we were going to open it and got excited, but we tried to explain it wasn't a present. Anyway, when we were talking about it before bed time, we taught him a preferred name, and this is the video that followed.



However, Bryson still has his own thoughts on the president......

Halloween 2008

This year for Halloween, we joined our good friends, the Hustons, for trick-or-treating. They have Finley (who is Bryson's age) and Dane (who is our Finley's age). Bryson went as a golfer, and Finley as a pig. The Huston's kids went as a bride and a monster. Bryson and Finley Friend (as he calls her) were inseparable all night long! They all looked so cute, and had a great time trick-or-treating, as did the adults!



When we got back to our friend's house, the kids put their pajamas on since it was already late, and we let them enjoy some candy.


Then the sugar rush hit, and dancing ensued...


Jumping off of chairs came next...


We had a great night with good friends for Halloween this year. I hope you enjoyed yours as well! :)