We Are The Littles

Gabe left today to go make us money.  We are so sad. Even one of our neighbors was sad for us today when she watched Gabe say bye to the boys at the bus stop.  We were so busy this time off, but as always, we had a great time. I am especially happy that we had a family weekend and sendoff before he left. Papa and Weezer and Aunt Omega came into town. We all went to see Savannah perform in The Little Mermaid. It was funny and she did great! Yesterday, she was even singled out to pose for a journalism student’s project. We were honored to sit out in the Explorer and wait for her as she had her photo shoot outside on the hood of a car. Okay, you are probably wondering as we did, What is a mermaid doing on a car? Well, that was the photographer’s vision. And in case you were wondering, the photographer was a girl. Hope that does NOT add more fuel to the fire (haha).  My other thought was, if they were going to pick a car, why a Honda Civic? I digress. Anyway, we had a great weekend with the family filled with a lot of food, as only we can do it.  I was especially happy to take Weezer to the mecca of grocery stores, HEB.  For those of you unfamiliar with the store, one day I will take you on a photo tour and show you why it is all that.  Sunday we had a HUGE breakfast that included Omega’s famous home styled potatoes and signature pancakes (big and thick!).  Sunday, Savannah left us to go act and we went to the park, while the Cowboys were getting it handed to them. Gabe and the boys pretended to be MLB stars and Gabby and I were the cheerleaders.

Anyway, that is a glimpse of our days. Now, my best friend is gone, and once again, the house is not the same.  It is going to be a LONG six weeks, but Gabe and I are having a running contest, so that should help time fly. It will also help our waistlines, especially since we ate Tres Leches all weekend like there was no tomorrow. I want to try to lose enough weight so he notices a difference when he returns and has to buy me a new wardrobe. He now has his new home gym in Nigeria already assembled and waiting for him. I have my new treadmill (thanks again, baby!). It is going to be ironic when I beat him using the gift he bought me. And I am bringing it!

Gabe will put up pics and video from the play as soon as he is settled, but don’t tell Savannah or she will kill us! I will also be keeping everyone updated with pictures, stories, and videos, while I keep Gabe in the know when he is away.

To me, hurricane evacuation warnings in Harris County have become to me what tornado warnings were in North Texas or car alarms, “Chicken Little”-esque in nature. Since Hurricane Katrina, the sky is always falling here. The last time I packed my family to evacuate, it was during Rita. I will never forget the long lines I waited in at Wal-Mart for supplies and gas. It is hard to forget mass mania, frustration, and exhaustion.  It took us ten hours to evacuate to Wichita Falls which normally takes 6 hours, as if taking the trip was not bad enough.  Only to find out that after all that chaos and misery I put my family through, every thing was fine in Houston.  Once bitten, twice shy. So as of now, the family and I are staying put. I will take pictures and update them as the story unfolds.

Since this morning, many gas stations have been packed with cars. Many of the highways are now becoming parking lots. Galveston, our sister city, was mandatorily evacuated which created havoc on I-45.  Highways I-10 and 290 are following close behind.  Tankers filled with gas have been ordered into the city. Right now almost all schools have been closed for tomorrow with school activities canceled today. Home Depot and all grocery stores are jammed pack. I have not even attempted to go in.  Neighbors have started boarding up their windows. i will take pictures of that later when they can not see me. The wind continues to pick up and the clouds darker. The tollways are FREE right now.  Of course, people are buzzing and you have those who are really over reacting, in my humble opinion, and those who are like the people in Noah’s time (read the Bible, Genesis, Sunday school pays off).

That is all I have for now. I am sure I will have more later. I will try to get on the scene shortly to take more eyewitness pics.

Today is 9/11. Remember where you were or what you were doing this time 7 years ago? I was on my way to work in 290 traffic. The day was very pretty. I was listening to my talk radio show on KPRC, Pat Gray. He was being goofy and then said, “This just in, a plane has crashed into the Twin Towers”. I remembered he laughed with confusion on how someone could run into the Twin Towers.  I thought while he said that the pilot must be drunk. Then, minutes later the second Tower was hit, then we knew something was wrong.

Today, Gabby reminded me that it is the simple things that often bring the most joy. It is wonderful how babies and children remind us how life should be. All my children often do. Gabby was having the time of her newborn life in her new swing, courtesy of Weezer. She smiled nonstop at the tiny little safari animals she saw above. She also decided to take her pacifier and bottle for awhile. We are definitely making progress! Date night and the gym here we come, hopefully. Unlike Gabby, I am going to break in my new mop later today. I doubt that will bring me the same joy like Gabby’s swing did. However, Gabe promised to talk to me while I was mopping, so it should not be too bad. The fun does not stop there! No siree. I will also be cleaning baseboards today. How fun. Don’t you just envy my life of leisure? Hope you enjoy the pictures!

So, the house is very quiet. Weezer left me to go hang with Wanda. The kids are in school (yay!). The baby is sleeping (double yay!). I am waiting for the exterminator to arrive to rid our house of those ugly ginormous wood roaches! It rained forever here in H town and we were over run by those suckers. We even saw them trying to move their furniture in. Not gonna have it.

I am taking this very foreign and still moment to catch you all up. First Weezer made it into town on Saturday afternoon. She was immediately drawn into her grandmotherly duties and also surprised with a famous Carolina’s Potluck Gathering. My COF’s (circle of friends) arrived to welcome her, all with good eats and treats in tow. We think we amused her. We also celebrated the August birthdays and had a mini tribute to fellow Leo, Rick Springfield, whose birthday did not go unnoticed by his faithful female fans.

Weezer and I have also been making the rounds in Houston. Don’t worry, Kari. We have not hit any of the cool stores, yet, but it is nice to have another grown up to shop with and spend all of Gabe’s money with. Weezer has also been helping me keep the boys entertained and the baby rocked and cuddled. She is quite the diva. She has many arms and little helpers who want to be at her beck and call, so she is very spoiled.

Since Weezer’s arrival, I have mysteriously become the proud owner of a beautiful new coffee maker (like Kari’s) and Gabby now owns a pacifier she will take (well sometimes). She slept with it for almost 3.5 hours! I felt like I slept an entire night.

I am including a slide show of an assortment of picture taken recently. Many are of the kids and some of the big shin dig the subdivision held for the Olympian Gymnast, Jonathan Horton, outside his home when he arrived from China. Savannah also made her first Cupcake Cake solo, without mom. I also would like to thank my amigos for coming over to welcome my M-I-L. Keith, Frank, Linda, Jorge, Nadine, Shannon you are awesome!

BTW, don’t forget to scroll down and read the other recent posts by my hubby!

So, I finally caved in. With the help of my big sis, Omega, we gave Gabby a much needed DO. I will share the “after” pics later. My camera is out of battery, so I will have to wait a while before  I can take a picture. Here is one for now.

This past Monday, Justin and I attended a special demonstration given by the owner and founder of GKR International, the Karate organization the boys belong to. This was a big deal to the students and parents. Kancho Sullivan is a highly decorated and accomplished 7th dan black belt. He has been involved in martial arts since he was 17 years old. He is now in his 60’s and still very much an adrenaline junkie. Kancho Sullivan is a cancer survivor and highly regarded in the Karate world. What is even more impressive is how humble and down-to-earth he is. He is a genuine guy and a great teacher. He really paid a lot of attention to all who attended the demo. Justin was very excited to meet him, not just because he is a big deal, but he also heard Kancho has no stomach (lost from his battle with cancer). This fascinated Justin to no end.

Here are some pictures of Justin with Kancho Sullivan who recognized Justin’s front kicking talents! You can imagine how happy Justin was to be honored in front of the whole class by the BMOC. Every little kid’s dream.

On another very bright note, two of the clan are returning home! Gabe and Savannah are en route to Houston. We are so excited, especially Justin who is getting tired of me taking so many pictures of him. Now, Gabe and Savannah can take some of the pressure off.

Gabe wrote a great blog today, but at his request I am posting pictures. I think two of them he will really like. Here is a great POTD that features who else, Justin, and his new smile! He lost another front tooth today while we were eating dinner.

Here is the link to the other pictures…Enjoy!