Settling In

It's hard to believe it's almost October. Wow, how time flies. And, this week was really the first week that we think we've felt truly settled. Since I am behind, I will once again steal my friends' idea of bullets - but please enjoy the photos of Miss Maggie along the way.

• Thanks for all your calls and emails about the Hurricane Ike. We didn't get much of it here in North Dallas. The eye wall passed to our east and we got a steady wind and steady rain, but nothing severe. We were fortunate to be on the west side or "clean" side as they say. Houston and Galveston and parts of East Texas were literally hammered by Ike. Power is slowly returning but wow - what a mess. I think they still have signs on I-45 that say "Do Not Drive to Houston".



• Matt started a six week contract job on Monday. It's in Irving, and he's enjoying it. It takes him about 45 minutes with traffic to get to his job. Irving is the current - but soon to be former - home of Texas Stadium. We are hoping that Matt lands a permanent position soon, and he is currently waiting to hear back on an interview from last week.


• We had an Open House at Maggie's school last night. It was really fun. Maggie is in early toddler pre-school with five other toddlers right around her age. Their day consists of play time, art, music, reading, more playtime, two snacks, and a nap. Her teacher, Mrs. Lee, is fantastic.


• Since Maggie started school, I noticed (and Mrs. Lee confirmed) that Maggie wasn't eating her packed lunch. I asked Mrs. Lee and she confirmed this. I would get reports of Maggie snatching other kids' lunch. Mrs. Lee told me this week to try not cutting up Maggie's food as the other kids didn't have their food cut up. So, I sent her with a half sandwich the rest of the week and didn't cut her fruit. She's been eating like a champ. Apparently, she didn't like that her food was different and she preferred to share rather than eat her food in small bites.


• Maggie LOVES being outside. So much so that when we go inside, she gets real angry. Her favorite thing is to run around and say "buh buh" for "bye-bye". She will go to the doors and bang on them and say "ousigh" for outside. It's hilarious.


• She often grabs books at home and will flip through them as if she is reading them. This just cracks us up because clearly she can't read them, but she will point and touch as if she is.
• This weekend, we're off to my parents for a quick visit for Homecoming. It will be Maggie's first parade.

Hope all of ya'll are doing really well. Write, call, email, and visit us soon.

Lots to Report

Well, I am behind on blogging so I will use several of my friends' ideas to catch up. Some of my friends occassionally use bullets on their blogs so I will do that to catch up and will also include a few photos.

• Maggie started early toddler pre-school two weeks ago. She started the same day as classes started for me. The drop offs were rough but by Tuesday of this week, she was a pro. She actually waved "bu-bu" to me today as I left.


• She is doing well in school. She even has a friend there named Aengus - pronounced the same way as our dog Angus. They were fast friends.


• Maggie is walking like an old pro. She has practiced and forced others to hold her hand for almost 2 months now but right around the time she started school, she started walking on her own.


• We had some issues getting her to like her shoes. She would literally have a breakdown and shake when we put them on her. On her second day of school, Miss Monica put them on her and immediately took her outside to play with her classmates. Now, she really likes her shoes. She will often grab them and show them to us as well. It's hilarious.


• Some afternoons after school, Maggie joins me at "college". That is what I tell her "you're going to college with momma this afternoon". She'll come to my office for a bit, drink her milk, and have a snack. Then, she'll just walk around while I finish up for the day.


• Matt has had several interviews, and we're hoping he'll land a job real soon. He has another interview on Tuesday and we're totally crossing our fingers.

• I was bummed when the Olympics ended, but then I remembered that the US Open was starting the next day so my disappointment was short lived. I am now, however, bummed that the US Open ends soon.
• I am liking my new job very much.


• Maggie loves riding the carousel and the nearby mall. I posted some pictures. Don't mistake the look on her face - she often tries to shake the horses so they will move. She is a bit impatient for the carousel to start.


• Apparently, Maggie also likes climbing and sliding on the play toys and playground at school. They say she loves to go outside and to read and play with puzzles and books.

• They sing songs at school and she has learned a song about her hands. She will often show us her hands and babble. We don't understand what she is saying but are pretty sure she's trying to sing the song.

Okay - I'll update more later. Hope everyone is doing really well. Come visit soon.