Tiger Cub and Akela

Sunil and Sid had their first cub scout meeting last night. Aren't they cute?

Dallas

This skyline picture was taken from the train monrail (South of downtown and looking at the western edge of the city) and is included just beacuse not everyone is familiar with it. "The Ball" is Reunion Tower.

Birdfeeders, umbrellas and crocodiles

Last weekend we took a family trip back to the Zoo. We used to be there a lot but we haven't been in months. It was a good day to go. The rain moved in early enough to scare the crowds away but was gentle enough to not be a problem. A number of new small exhibit have opened one of which is a Children's Aviary. For a small donation the kids are able to feed the birds.




The crocodile exhibit was there last time I took the kids but was new to Sid. The crocs were all up to their eyeballs in their pond so we took this picture instead.

Flashback

Sunil is required to bring a baby picture to school for a project next week. Here is the picture that he selected...

I'm partial to this one for many reasons. First we customized his "Special Delivery" shirt with his name, birth date, weight, city, etc. Second he is toothless much like tonight. He lost that second tooth (twice) today. The first time it came out and he was finally able to obtain a coveted plastic holding tooth from the school nurse. Of course the plastic tooth is most effective when you leave it closed. He opened it and lost the tooth for a second time. Instead of a tooth he left cookies for the toothfairy. Third reason, of course, is just how adorable he is.

CT

I’m in Connecticut tonight and the weather is beautiful.  I was told that the leaves were already changing but everything is still looking mighty green to me.  We arrived about 5:00 PM so we pretty much settled for our rental car, checking in to the Hotel (fresh hot cookies by way of welcome) and then out to dinner.  Aunt Izzy (my co-worker) had a salad but I went for the full seafood stuffed shrimp and it was worth every calorie.  I skipped desert but had an extra glass of wine to make up for it.  I think I’ll turn in early but get up early enough to work out before breakfast.  The hotel includes a complimentary breakfast bar but we will probably toss that aside in our scramble to get out to Dunkin Donuts (my favorite kind of donut).  We are driving up to Springfield, MA for the day but will be back here again in the evening.  We leave really early on Wed.

Mr Shoba Shoba

Our original plan for our 16th anniversary was to relive our college
days, with cheap chinese food and a dollar movie. The dollar movies
have gone up to two dollars (but are still the best deal in town). We
figured that we would just cruise around the nieghborhood by the
theater until we found a a place for cheap chinese. It is right next
door to a pretty popular asian market complex. The first place we
found was asian bbq with whole chikens and octopi prominetly displayed
in the windows. I convinced Sid to look a littel farther.

We ended up at Mr. Shoba Shoba for shoba. Apparently this is the
asian version of fondu. We each had our own boiling pot, mine was
just water but Sid's was some spicy red liquid. Then they brought us
each a platter of vegetables, and seafood bits. You throw in what you
want and boil it in to soup. Then they bring a platter of raw shaved
meat to boil. Mine was beef and Sid's was lamb. I didn't care for
their choice of bean sprouts and there was a lump of seafood that was
too rubbery for me to chew but over all it was quite tasty.

Busy, busy, busy

It’s nearly 10PM and I’m still working.  It is budgeting week and I haven’t even started to look at next year’s needs.  I was out of the office for training one day and at a vendor one day.  Then instead of focusing on the budget we launched our live tissue product (yay!) and all of the systems were untried.  But all of the documents ended up where they needed to be when they needed to have them.  I have reason to believe that the product will arrive tomorrow on schedule and be received and stored appropriately. The transportation and handling of the frozen product was definitely a tried and true process.  The surgeries aren’t until next week but this is a huge accomplishment.  I’m traveling up to CT Next week to visit our sister company and make sure there incorporation of our systems went as smoothly as they did from our side.  In October I’m going to Boston.  In November I’m going to NJ.  I think I will stay pretty busy.

Hoax

The reported kidnap escapee admitted that it was a hoax to avoid getting in trouble with her parents for coming home late. I can't decided if I was angrier before or after. Oh well.

Options

I love the beginning of the school year, there are always so many different activities that the kids can try. This year Sheela is running for Pride Council (student council). There are two reps from each class (4th, 5th and 6th grades). It is supposed to be one boy and one girl from each class. There is only one boy running in her class and four girls, they are considering making Zach run against the girls. They don't want him to get it by default. Of course, no one has a problem with him actually doing the job. He's been one of my favorite students since 1st grade. He won the science fair and does experiments at home in his spare time. Elections are next week.

Sunil would like to join the cub scouts. I'll be going to the information session on that tomorrow night. Since the boys don't get to join until 1st grade I hope that Sunil will be in the "main" school troop. Sheela transferred in the girls second year and was placed with an after thought crew. The girls were still fun and the experience good but the location was difficult and she didn't get to bond with other kids from school. She did get to know some home school kids. Keep your fingers crossed for a den that meets at the school, right after school so we don't have to worry about the commute.

Payday

Payday is not my favorite candy bar.  If I'm paying for candy I can almost always be relied upon to purchase chocolate in some form or other.  However there is something really yummy about the salty peanuts with the sugar so it's fair to say that I won't turn one away if it is offered to me.  That is just one of the many things that I appreciate about National Payroll Week; our "payroll Princess" passes out Payday candy bars with our paychecks in honor of this annual celebration.  Okay it may be the only thing that I actually appreciate about National Payroll Week but it's a start.  See, bribery really does work!

 

Languages

There are 54 different primary languages spoken by the families of the children at the kid's school this year.  This is up a few from last year.  I'm pretty impressed with the variety and with the children and families that speak multiple languages.  The focus around here is of course on the working with children from Spanish speaking homes.  That still leaves 53 other languages scrambling.

 

Attempted Kidnapping

Tuesday after school a man tried to abduct a nine-year old girl from the playground next to an elementary school near our house.  The girl got away and gave a fairly clear description of the man and his truck to the police.  The guy had been reportedly cruising around the area blowing kisses to the little girls the day before (the first day of school).  There is no punishment severe enough….

 

The tooth is out

That took a whole lot longer than I expected. You can hardly even tell that there is a hole since the replacement is already so large. The credit goes to Sheela for finally wrenching it out of there. Sunil wouldn't let the rest of us even touch it.

Family History

Dad's cousin(?) Jonnie has finished assembling her book on her family history.  According to her crib sheet it lists 2600 individuals going both up and down the family tree.  The final product should be here in October.

September

I may be jumping the gun by switching to the next page in my calendar this morning but I really use the calendar to look ahead and not behind. I was also tired of looking at the bull moose. I bought a cut rate wildlife calendar for the office this year. The pictures are technically perfect and they depict a variety of different animals but they aren't all appealing. For the month of September I get to share my snoffice with a cute little otter chewing the tail off a fish. Charming.

Itchy!!

I made a rookie mistake while celebrating the end of summer with the kids last week. We went to the local waterpark for the day. It was fabulous! We ran in to two of Sheela's friends while still in line to enter. She spent the day essentially with Brooke and Ashland leaving Sunil and I play together. We rode the Pineapple Express water slide a bunch of times (It is the only real "ride" for which he satisfies the height requirement), the lazy river most of the day with an hour or two in the wave pool for variety. But back to the mistake, I changed bathing suits late in the year and the previously unexposed skin around my edges turned purple in spite of the sunscreen. "Purple" may be an exaggeration but I was plenty sensitive for a few days. Today we've entered phase two of the that-is-what-you-get-for-being-stupid punishment... itchy, peeling skin. I have meetings all day. I bet I'm the wiggliest one in the room.

School is in

Welcome to the first day of the 07-08 school year here in Texas. This year Sunil is in the first grade and Sheela is in the fourth. Time flies. I like the new grade level t-shirts. The color for Sheela's is much better than the washed out blue she had the last two years. Sunil's is very pretty but I did like him in the orange from last year. I assume that they will get new shirts every year now (since they put the grade level on the back). Best wishes to my kids and to everyone else's too.

Texas Tigers

Claire, Sarah and Sheela ran in the Dog Days 3 x 3K relay race this morning. They finished first in the 45 and under category (cumulative age). Sarah also placed first in the Jr. Sprint and Claire finished 3rd (girls 9-12). Travis placed second for the boys (8 and under).
Here Sheela is finishing the third leg (with the baton) and Claire and Sarah are running back with her.

Fleas

Gina is suffering her first flea infestation in 10 years or so.  It isn't too bad yet but she isn't as limber as she used to be so she can't scratch her back.  At this stage in her life she rarely even comes downstairs so that she can look outside (she hasn't looked out from a window in years either).  So I was a little bit surprised that we are even having this problem. She is spending the day at the vet getting a flea dip and bath along with standard yearly check-up type stuff.  The vet told me not to take the fleas personally -- the rain has allowed for a huge increase in the flea population.  While she is out and the kids are with friends for the day we will bomb the house that should get us through the rest of the fall flea free.

 

Back to school

Both kids received their "letters" this week. The letters come from
their new teachers as an introduction and an invitation to come to
"Meet the teacher" night. Sheela is thrilled to have her first choice
for her main teacher. Ms. Oonk will teach math and science. The
second half of the teaching team Ms. Nortman. She will handle
Language Arts and Social Studies. She is also Jack's Mom. Sunil
considers Jack to be his best friend (most of the time).

Sunil has been placed in Ms. Hayden's class. I don't know Ms. Hayden
but she lives just a few doors up the street from us and my kids play
with her kids sometimes. I met her husband the day we moved in here
but still haven't managed to meet her. Sunil was thrilled to find out
that he needed to purchase a binder this year. Last year he did not
need one. Obviously this year is going to be pretty cool.

Meet the teacher night is only three nights away. The kids may expire
from over stimulation before then but we'll try to hold them together.
Sid is staying home with them for a few days, then they will have a
day with some friends. I will take off Thursday and Friday. Thursday
I hope to take them to a local water park for some end of the season
fun. Friday we will keep friends for the day.

Saturday Sheela will race in the "Dog Days" 3 x 3K relay race with two
of her friends. I think they will do okay, but their age category is
actually 45 and under (or an average of three 15 year olds) so I doubt
they will win any awards. I'll be impressed if they all finish.
Sunil and his friends will be running the Jr Sprint again afterwards.

Sunday Sheela has her last official soccer game (I think). But if it
goes like last week where she was supposed to play two games and they
were both cancelled we may have to alter our plans. The first game
last week was a forfeit by a team that hasn't showed up even once all
season. In order for us to earn the win we have to show up anyway.
We filled in with a scrimmage against a team of boys a year younger.
Our girls really had to hustle to keep up on speed. Ball handling
skills made the difference -- we won but it was pretty close.

The second game was against one of our two sister teams. We only had
two members and they only had three. We are supposed to be playing 4
v 4 with 2 subs each. The third sister team was stood up by the other
first place team (only two players showed) so Sheela and her teammate
played for the competition. That was an excellent game. The other
girls are all at least 6" taller than any of our girls and very quick.
It was hard to root for the red team when Sheela wasn't actually on
the field but they did manage to win in a very even match. Those are
usually more fun to watch than a blow out. They will make up the
inter-team game during practice this week.

Monday is the first day back to school!

Perspective

I'm preparing to have my "baby" lose his first teeth (they still
haven't let go) and start 1st grade. My cousin (only two years my
senior)'s oldest just became engaged to be married. I guess
everyone's life moves at its own speed.

The grandparent switch...

On the outbound side we have the Sharmas leaving today to go to India for six months.  They will finally get to see their new apartment.  It has been under construction and in the planning stages for quite some time now.  It has two bedrooms and a balcony and is located in the city or Pune about two hours Southeast of Mumbai.  They will stay in a hotel for a few days before settling in.

 

On the inbound side we should have Dad and Eileen back from Turkey.  I've not heard from them yet but they should be in Florida by now.  I hope to track them down tonight.

Life in the suburbs

Well, I’m up early and watching the man across the street get arrested.  We now have four police cars (no sirens) and six policemen standing in the yard across the street.  The neighbor at whom they were actually pointing rifles is now handcuffed and standing on his front porch talking to the first set of officers to arrive.  His wife is around the corner with the second set of officers.  The remaining two are sitting in the police cars in the street.  Both their midget dogs are out here too.  The only one missing is baby Love – I hope that she is still asleep.

Retirement

We held another retirement party yesterday.  This time it is my friend Brenda who's leaving.  She's been here our document control clerk/supervisor for 11 years, which is almost my whole career here.  Oddly enough she took early retirement from her previous company two years before she started here.  She is our second retiree in two weeks and fourth ever in the company (according to our unofficial-we-know-everybody-and-everything network).  I wish her well.  I think she choose a good time to leave, her area is about to undergo some major modernization and it will be pretty stressful.  I can't wait to see it when it's done, but she would have missed the old ways.

 

Their days are numbered....

Sunil's center two bottom teeth are both very loose now and his first adult tooth has broken through (well inside of the tooth line). I will be surprised if he doesn't loose one tooth today and both by the end of the week. Stay tuned for an "after" shot.....

Fixed

It turns out that I had a small problem with my lovely new dryer.  After I posted the pictures I couldn't get the dryer to turn on (or the interior light to turn off).  Even when it wasn't working I still loved it.  The soonest the repair man could come to fix it was today, so Sid spent sometime fiddling with it over the weekend.  The top latch wasn't catching, it could be pushed closed by pushing on the top of the door.  So I did manage to dry clothes all weekend long.  I did not call to cancel the service call.  The gentleman came out today and reversed the door (the original installation guy started to and then chickened out -- it isn't an easy door to switch).  When he reversed the door he lined it up correctly and now it closes properly.  Once again all is right with my world.

Yay for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Behold my new washer and dryer.... aren't they lovely?!?

Indoor begins... sort of

Sheela's indoor team played last week before we returned from vacation. Yesterday's game was a forfeit by the other team for a lack of players. Sheela's team (Brazil) ended up scrimmaging against itself, 3 v 3 with no subs. They had a good time and everyone was playing well, if much more politely than usual. The other two mini-teams (Italy and Germany) from her team played against each other and I never did figure out which one won.

Another Jr Sprint

Sara took first in the 5K and in the 1K. Claire placed second in the 1K. Amanda, Katie and Sunil all finished the 1K. I thought that attendance might be low because of the rain but they had record crowds and the weather was really very pleasant. We didn't arrive until the rain had moved on past the course.

The Order of the Phoenix

Sid and I finally managed to take Sheela to see the latest Harry Potter movie.  It was my favorite of the books but the movie ranked somewhere lower in my estimation.  The richer and more elaborate the plot and the imagery in the book the more they have to cut out to make the movie.  Personally I'd rather they suck it up and make a four hour movie.

Deathly Hallows

I did manage to buy the last of the Harry Potter books Saturday on our way home from TN.  I finished it just before walking in to work on Monday morning.  This was good, I figured I’d have to stay up all night or call in sick to get through it.

Token me pictures

Apparently I did not include any pictures of myself when I posted all of those pictures... so here we go.... a few shots including me. This was cropped out a particularly unflattering picture of me. I do like the way the colors in my eyes show.
I went on the hike too.
I even took breaks.
It was pretty overgrown in spots and I loved it.
Wading at the end of the trip is a good way to get back on friendly terms with your own feet.

That's why they call it nature

We saw primarily three different species of centipedes... and they were every where. This was the prettiest.
Sheela hates this one but there is something about her hair that attracts insects.
You think he's cute now... just wait.
It looks like this cat track has toe nails but they aren't lined up on the pads. We were guessing bobcat... the consensus at work is Mountain Lion based on the size of the print.
Snails on bear scat aren't as likely to get picked up as the ones that have finished eating and wandered off.

In honor of GranpaJohn....

we have the mushroom series..... John was playing in a golf tournament rather than hiking with us this trip.
But I always associate the mushroom and tree stump pictures with John.
This is one of my favorite shots... it shows the "Smoky" in Smoky Mountains.
The rhodies were just past their prime and we were walking on carpets of fallen blossoms,

A few pictures from our hiking adventure

Don't we look fine here at the start of our adventuring?
This is one of the only real views we had on the hike.
Ain't he cute?
The three sided shelter really has three stone walls and an open front.
Sunil was refreshed after his night sleeping on the boards and ready to head down the mountain.

A few shots from Mammoth Cave

Mammoth is not really known for its cave formations but it isn't entirely boring.


The cave cricket is one of the few creatures that really lives in the cave.
Sheela managed to complete her Junior Ranger activities the first day we were in the park.
Sunil took a nap the first evening and earned his patch on the second day instead.

A wonderful time was had by all

We are back from our vacation.  We had drama (more about the plight of the minivan later), we had excitement (a closely contested round of putt-putt golf), we had adventure (bobcat tracks and bear scat), we overcame adversity (those tracks weren't near the car), we had family (Neilanses, Underwoods, and Sharmas) and we had fun (we always do)!

 

Movie

The new Harry Potter movie opened today. I can't wait to go see it. The Order of the Phoenix is my favorite of the books so far. I'm torn between ditching the family and going alone and waiting to go see it with Sheela. I guess I don't really have time to go even if I ditch the family. Oh well.. the last book comes out in less than two weeks too.

Yay Benadryl!

We have grown an impressive (and aggressive) crop of mosquitoes this year. The season usually last only a week or two and I feel put out if I get more than a half dozen bites the whole time. This year in a single outing I can acquire more than a dozen before I even remember that I should use bug spray and this has been going on for more than two months. I'm pretty well miserable. I am now sporting two inch welts on both legs and both sides of both ankles. I've scratched myself bloody in a dozen places. Today my friend introduced me to the Benadryl Itch Relief Stick. I don't think I've ever tried it before, but I recognized it when she showed it to me. I love it. Just a dab and I'm no longer scratching. I may even sleep tonight.

Baby Girl

Here I am admiring my friend's first child. Isn't she sweet?!?!

Tree ID

Sunil has been practicing his tree identification skills. He identified the tree in our backyard as a Basswood. They aren't precisely rare but they are uncommon in Texas. It was probably a scrub tree that was left from before the construction rather than a cultivated choice. It provides shade for the hammock and the bird house that's good enough for me.

His identification of the tree in the front yard ended in a tie between a Coastal Live Oak and a Gray Oak but even the guide book says that it can't hlep with hybrids and most Oaks in Texas are hybrids.

The little twig of a tree that we planted when we moved in is now taller than I am and, thankfully, fuller too. He identified it as a specific kind of Maple, but I don't remember the particulars.

The one that we haven't gotten too yet is pictured here....
These pictures are from our walk by the creek but I forgot to show them to him while the guide book was out. Ah well... something for us to do this evening.

Sunil and I spent our one sunny day adventuring by the creek at Allen Station. The dam was built back when the trains still ran down along the creek. The water tower to refill the steam engines has been torn down but the trestle is still there (but not in this picture). This is the first time we've really seen much water coursing over the dam -- last fall it was just the barest trickle. As far as adventures go this one was very tame. There aren't many places you can even get close enough to see the water. It has carved a decent sized canyon. We never did manage to get down to the water's edge. It is possible by the dam but the water was moving so fast that Sunil didn't want to try it.

All grown up and traveling alone

Sheela left Wednesday for her summer vacation. She flew to Knoxville all by herself on a tiny little plan. She has a few days to goof off with the grandparents, followed by a week of golf and rec center camp followed by a week with the whole family.

Last Day

Today was Amy's last day here at work.  On the good news front she is taking some time to try the stay at home mom lifestyle and see if she likes it.  I'm pretty sure that she will love it.

On the bad news front we've been eating lunch together at least a couple of times a week for eleven years.  Even when we took time off to have kids we hauled our infant children to restaurants all over town.  She has been a true friend, a mentor and a confidant.  It just won't be the same come Monday.

 

 

Fireworks

Dr. C brought home a small collection of fireworks for us to set off at the house.... mostly sparklers, two small roman candles and a few black cats. Of course the photos are terrible but I made the effort....

The rental

My car is in the shop for a few days for some repairs so I'm sporting a nice flashy red 2008 Volvo. It is sad to say but I am definitely not a car person these days. I miss my van. This is too much like trying to carry an evening bag instead of a purse... where do you put the bulky necessities?

A casual day

After torrential rains again last night I wasn't sure what today would hold but we woke to warm, humid, cloudy skies but no actual falling rain so Sunil and I went down to the Pacers run. We didn't get there early enough to run the 1 mile and had no plans to run the 3 mile but Sunil did do the Jr Sprint which is a 1K. It is the second time that he has done this run. He placed fourth or fifth out of four or five boys in the 8 and under set. He earned a ribbon for finishing and he had fun. He gets upset when he doesn't win a trophy but he hasn't actually tried training yet. Sheela chose to stay home today. Too bad for her there were only two girls in her bracket... she could have walked and still won a trophy.

We spent the bulk of the day playing Legos and painting. When Sid got back home from his errands I ran out to visit a friend who is a new mother and her tiny, newborn daughter, Jordan Elena. The kids invited friend's over to spend the night and watch the fireworks. We thought they might have to cancel them (the rest of the activities: bounce houses, live music, food booths, Frisbee demos, etc) were all cancelled. The rain held off and we watched the show from the park across the street. The fireworks were nice but the kids were much more entertained with the glow sticks they brought out.

It's midnight now and the girl's are still awake. I'd better go scold them.

Pool Party

Here Sheela and I are soaking up the warm water in the kiddie pool at Alma's pool Party.

Computer Lab

Here is a shot of all three kids working on their computers.

Bummer

I left my camera at home this morning.  I only charge it about once a month and then I routinely forget to put it back in my purse.  I had pictures of our "computer lab" as the kids call the office…. All three of the children are spending a lot of time in there right now.  Sheela is on the family computer, Sid is on his laptop and Sunil is on his toy laptop playing word games like Hangman.  I also had some birthday party photos from a variety of my friend Alma's parties.  We had a happy hour in her honor, took her to lunch and had a surprise pool party.  I hope she feels older… I sure do.

 

Bionic eyes

Once again I've caved and attempted to medicate my way past my spring coughing fits.  Historically this has not gone well.  Cough suppressants don't do anything for me.  Antihistamines don't do anything for me.  Nasal sprays make me worse off after they wear off.  Today I took Mucinex DM.  It is supposed to make the coughing "more productive" and thin out the sinus drainage.  I am not coughing and I'm not suffering from drainage but I feel like my eyes are dilated.  I can focus but it takes a long time and a lot of effort.  My eyes seem to circle in tighter and tighter until they land on the right spot.  The whole time I can hear the "whaaa, whaaa, whaaa" sounds that let you know that Steve Major's bionic eyes were working hard.  It has been suggested that I go back home and nap (an attractive option) but I don't think I want to drive with my bionic eyes.  I'll stay here and design validation protocols until I feel a little bit more like myself.  Tomorrow I'll reread the protocols before I send them around.  I doubt I'll say anything stupid, but it's better to be safe than sorry.