January 31, 2004
Kyle is a size 8 W
Mom and I went shopping all over kingdom come today. We went by Stride Rite and had Kyle's feet measured. He is a size 8 E or Extra Wide now! This of course means that I have been stuffing his feet into shoes that are two sizes too small!!! oh well.....
We found some birthday presents for Emily and Mom got some sheets and two shirts for Dad. We picked up superbowl food for John and went by the new Home Depot. A successful shopping day!
The only thing was that at Home Depot, they were supposed to have ladders on sale for 29.99 and when we went to buy it, the lady said the sale ended Sunday. Mom didn't want the ladder then. When we got home the flyer said the sale was good through THIS COMING SUNDAY so the lady at the checkout had no clue what she was talking about. sigh... We are going back tomorrow morning to pick it up for mom before she goes back to Tulsa.
Grandma Mullen is out of the hospital and at the moment is doing better. Hopefully she won't have to go back in anytime soon. Grandma Connally is still in the hospital but will hopefully get out tomorrow.
We made spaghetti for dinner and Mom got to see how much help Kyle can be!
January 30, 2004
Kohl's
Laura --- I left school as soon as I could get out the door. When I got home, Kyle was still napping so mom helped me cut out and fold the signs for the computers in the computer lab at school. I am going to number each one and get them ready for my classes. I like things to be organized and since the lab just opened (just got the computers) last week, I wanted to set it up and get it ready.
Once Kyle got up from his nap we headed over to Kohl's and looked at the new 80 percent off merchandise. I found John a shirt for 9.00 that used to be 50.00, and two little outfits for Kimberly Kidder's baby girl (her shower is coming up soon). Kyle was roaming the aisles with us and when we were in the kids section, he found a sleeper with Thomas the Train on it. He took it off the rack, carried it over to our cart and threw it in. It was so cute. I guess he has gotten so used to seeing mom and both grandmas shop that he knows the routine. Luckily, it was on sale for 3.00 and was his size so I had to get it. The whole thing was just too adorable. My little shopper!
January 29, 2004
At least tomorrow is Friday
Laura --- I didn't have to stay after school for our meeting today for English. I got to the meeting and Leah Anne said they were planning my baby shower so I could leave. I didn't wait for them to change their minds. I headed out and came home.
Kyle was looking out the window with Grandma when I got home --- they were looking at trucks at the park. I rested for a little bit and then we went to Walmart. We found some fabric for a sheet for Kyle in the dollar bin --- underwater scene with sharks (Dad should love that!) and some fabric for a scrub for Emily for March.
John had his interview today for the technical analyst position. We will have to see how that goes. He should know something soon.
I am getting more tired sooner and feeling more pregnant every day. Less than 8 weeks left. It doesn't seem so close but it is. At least the weekend is on its way!
January 28, 2004
Mom arrived
Laura --- Kyle was feeling better today (John said he was more active and playing with things). Of course, in time for Grandma Potter to come!
As soon as Grandma stepped in the door, Kyle ran to her and wanted a hug. He remembers his grandma. He had to take her all over the house and show her his toys and wanted to be read to and played with. Very cute.
Mom and I went shopping when I got home from school --- I know --- my sisters are saying --- NO DUH! BIG SURPRISE! Anyway, we went to Target and plan to go places tomorrow and Saturday as well.
I am feeling as big as a house. Christopher is kicking me constantly and running out of room so it is FAR more forceful. It seems like the pregnancy is slowing down now.
January 27, 2004
Kyle not feeling well
Laura --- Kyle started to feel bad yesterday when I got home from school and it continued today. I think the fronts moving in and out are affecting him. Anyway John had a rough day with Kyle wanting to be held and comforted. Then as the day wore on...he got a little grumpy and whiny. Definitely a different boy than we normally see. I hate to see him not feeling well and I wish I could make it all go away. No magic pills for that though.
Grandma Connally went into the hospital with pneumonia yesterday, so I called Mom to see if she could come up early to watch Kyle since Debbie needs to be with Grandma Connally. She is going to come up Wednesday afternoon.
January 26, 2004
Kyle at home with Daddy
Kyle and Daddy had a good day today while mom had fun at school. Mondays are sooooo hard! Anyway, Kyle wanted to be batman and wear his cape. John snapped a picture of him watching Wiggles on Disney. Such a cutie!
January 25, 2004
Lazy Sunday
Laura --- We are resting upstairs after having run errands --- went to the grocery store. With that trip and the SAMS trip we have a fully stocked pantry and fridge. Yay!
I have been playing with my scrapbook program John got me for my birthday. It has its tricks as with every program and you have to figure out what it wants to make it do what you want it to do. Always fun.
John is playing NBA 2004 on his Playstation and Kyle is running around and wrestling with the dog.
I am going to update the gallery on Potterfam as soon as JONATHAN tells me what my login and password is..........can't get a hold of him. Must be out partying with all those girls at OSU.
We are going to grill steaks tonight and I have some laundry to finish so I will close for now.
Love you all!
January 24, 2004
Kyle can pretend
Laura --- Kyle has learned to pretend. This evening, he was playing with his blue beach ball, growling, rolling with it and biting at it like Melody does. That's my boy! Using his imagination! He also plays with his trucks and makes the "engine sounds" but this was the first real pretending I have seen him do. He is going to have fun just like his aunts and uncle did!
I have a lot of grading to do but I didn't bring any of it home. Ha! I will just wait and rush through the grading Monday and then enter grades Tuesday and print those progress reports for the kids to take home. I do have to read Separate Peace this weekend. Honors English starts it on Monday so I probably should read it (so I can teach it). I am going to look up materials on teaching it this weekend to see if I can find anything to help me out.
John and I are going to relax on the couch and watch Rush Hour and eat popcorn. I am going to try to get some more pages of Kyle's baby book done so I can be closer to my goal of finishing it before Christopher comes!
January 23, 2004
Maggie - less
Laura --- Well, Maggie is now in her new temporary home. She is going to be living at a shelter until a nice single girl with no kids and no dogs adopts her. She is just too jittery to stay in our home so unfortunately we had to let her go. John took her today (I couldn't). In a couple of years, once we have toddlers and school age kids but no babies, we will try to be a cat household again.
It was a good five years Maggie! Enjoy being pampered!
January 22, 2004
Mrs. Technology
Laura --- being efficient really gets you into trouble.
I have a technology meeting after school today at central office as I got nominated to be the representative for SMS. I guess because of all the techie things I do at the school. Anyway I have to sit in a meeting from 4:15 to nearly 6:00 to debate on what we need in our classrooms. Not that the district has any money to buy us anything, but you know...politics.
We don't find out until March who of the 70 or so teachers gets laid off next year. We are losing 10 teachers. In February, we are supposed to find out who the team leaders and department heads are going to be for 2004-2005 so at least those individuals will get to stay for sure. I applied...we'll see....
Off to my meeting. Joy and happiness.
January 21, 2004
Dragging
Laura -- Well we are getting close to 32 weeks on this pregnancy and I feel every day of it! Feet swelling, not sleeping, Christopher kicking me constantly and trying to push my organs and ribs out of the way. Woah! I can't believe it has gone by this fast!
Debbie is thinking to throw a baby shower for Christopher on the 28th of February (hope I make it that far). Anyway, would my esteemed siblings be able to make it if we did? I just want him to have the same experiences or similar ones in his baby book as Kyle and I don't know if the school will throw an elaborate one or not.
I am working on the baby book for Kyle. Up through November of Kyle's first year now. I am trying to do four pages a day. That boy has one REALLY documented life! :-)
January 20, 2004
Kyle plays Playstation 2
Laura --- tonight Kyle kicked Dad out of his chair, took the controller and decided it was time he played PS2! What a boy!
We also had pizza tonight and Kyle ate his two pieces with gusto (and tried to sneak Mom's Dr. Pepper and Dad's Coke while he was at it).
Dad and Kyle had a fun day of cleaning the house top to bottom and Mom had a tiring day at work --- so glad to be home. It is fun managing this web site and the one at school and getting everything graded. Those kids are going to miss me when I am gone!!!
January 19, 2004
Kyle the cowboy
Nothing as exciting as yesterday's furniture move today. John formatted the laptop because it wasn't letting us be the administrator any longer for some random reason and I worked on Kyle's scrapbook. (It is sad that he will be two in two months and I only have through September of his first year done! and with Christopher on the way....augh!!!!)
Kyle consented to wear the PACE picante cowboy hat for a span of fifteen seconds long enough for mom to snap a picture for the record. Ha!
January 18, 2004
Nesting strikes again
Laura --- Well, the pregnancy nesting instinct strikes again with a vengeance. I decided it would be a good idea to rearrange the game room. So....John got the fun and exciting job to move all the furniture from where it was to an entirely new location. Does he love me or what?
Kyle, of course, helped out a lot. He helped mommy take all the tape cassettes from the game room into the office and gave dad lots of advice on moving. He, however, did not like dad using the drill to put up the shelves or the vacuum to clean the carpet.
I wonder what I can have John arrange next?
Kyle helping Dad (where the airport table and bar used to be)
January 17, 2004
My Big Helper
Laura -- Kyle has been helping me out today sooooo much. We have been doing laundry and straightening house. Anyway, I finished folding his clothes after of course he "ironed" them by rolling in the clothes. I told him we needed to take the clothes upstairs. He immediately grabbed a pile of pajamas and headed to the stairs. It was cute to watch him try to walk up the stairs with the clothes. He managed to drop at least one article of clothing on every other stair. By the time he made it to his room, he only had one sleeper left. He didn't seem to notice that he had dropped anything. He was so proud of himself for having gotten his clothes up the stairs. I was trying so hard not to laugh. I just followed behind him and picked up the dropped clothes. Then he helped me put them away. He handed me whatever he thought was the next thing to be put up.
Kyle also helped me unload the dishwasher, put clothes in the dryer and take clothes out of the dryer. Such a big boy!
We had to go around the block on his Super Trike. He held the handlebars and let me push him while he looked at everything around him. Every now and then he would tell me about something he saw. He is a cutie.
Busy day!
January 16, 2004
Rain Rain Rain
Laura --- Well it has been steadily raining all day which is probably creating havoc for John at his work (all the phone/cable lines go down when it rains). What the rain has done for me is make me lazy. I should be writing two different tests and review sheets for the units I am working on and I should be grading or working on entering grades...you know, my job, but instead I am staring out the window and wishing I was home curled up on the couch reading a good book (and not Separate Peace like I should since I teach that next week!). sigh...
The kids all look like they are falling asleep which they could be since what we doing today is reading silently from a memoir (not the most exciting things in the world).
The good stuff is later....sometimes I hate teaching other people's curriculum. I think I can come up with far more interesting and "teachable" stuff than a district can, but I want my job. :-)
Okay the bell is going to ring so I am going to go now.
January 15, 2004
Babies and Vegas
Laura --- Kim brought her baby up to school today...she is one month old and TINY! I can't even remember Kyle being that little! In just 10 weeks though, I'll have my own little tiny baby to hold (although at the moment this little boy feels HUGE --- 40 or 50 pounds). I forgot how floppy and helpless they are and how small and "bleating" their cries are. Babies are precious and I can't wait to hold my own. Now that I am an experienced mom it should be easier this time around, right?
John and I watched the new CSI tonight. . We had our chinese (and I didn't crack anymore teeth --- yay!). Our little date night.
It has been Vegas week on the Travel channel and we have been recording/ watching Vegas shows --- even though we can't go until October. Now, we are all excited about which hotel to go to and what new attractions to see. It is kind of funny that for two people who don't gamble we find so much to do in Vegas!
January 14, 2004
Early home tonight
Laura --- We got to have a real evening at home tonight because John had training in Dallas so we were all home by 5:00 instead of 6:30 or later tonight. Since it is unseasonably warm...(sigh)...we took a walk around the block. Everyone seemed to have that idea as well because there were several families out.
Kyle sits in his wagon with his back to his mom and dad and just watches the scenery around him. Once in awhile, he will see something exciting and comment on it catching our attention. It is cute to see what he finds interesting. Kyle does NOT like car horns. He gets mad if someone is honking their horn or for that matter being too loud. Just like his mommy --- in control of those mischief makers!
January 13, 2004
Kyle Gives Himself a Bath
Laura -- Tonight Kyle surprised us by wanting to give himself a bath. He took the soap and washed his face, his tummy and his legs. Daddy "helped" by washing everything else, but Kyle did an EXCELLENT job of cleaning those parts! He ended up putting on several layers of soap on his face and tummy so those are really really clean. :-)
He also ate roast beef and peas for dinner.
Our little man!
January 12, 2004
Monday blahs
Laura -- I think school should start at noon on Mondays and end at noon on Friday....the work week would go so much smoother that way. Of course no one ever listens to me when they make policy!
Today was the first day of Vegas week on the travel channel. So, of course, we have a whole series of shows to watch this week to help us plan our next vacation (which with Christopher won't be until October!).
Kyle had a good day with Daddy today and met Mommy at the door when she got home from school. I love that smile when he sees me. . . makes it all worthwhile.
He is having fun throwing the mini football Great Grandpa Potter brought him. He has a great trick shot where you think he is throwing forward but in reality it goes behind him. He also has a tendancy to throw to Mommy's head! Great game. :-)
January 11, 2004
Another busy Sunday
Laura --- Today was spent on chores. John washed both cars and then since I got the bright idea to rearrange the furniture in the living room....John got to move the couch and coffee table and Kyle's toys and everything else. I guess I am nesting but I want everything in a different place. :-)
Now, we are grilling steaks and I am making baked potatoes and salad.
Kyle is having fun going down his slide headfirst! The joys of toddlerhood!
January 10, 2004
Kyle plays with Daddy
Laura --- Kyle had fun last night playing ram daddy with the shopping cart (the little one he got for Christmas) and laughed and laughed about daddy side stepping it. Very Cute!
Today while daddy is at work, we played with his glasses!
January 09, 2004
Tests, tests and more tests
Laura --- I got to sleep in until 7:30 this morning....wow! I had to be at the LabCorp office at 8:00 to take the diabetes test and so I could sleep since it is only about 5 minutes from our house. Anyway, as usual with anything medical you have to wait forever for anything to get done. They didn't see me until 8:45 and then they took my blood and made me drink this awful junk. Then I had to wait an hour for them to take my blood again.
Anyway, it made me late getting back to school so at le I couldnt' stop and get anything to eat (which was my plan) so I was STARVING all through 3rd period. I finally got a chance to leave school and go get food around 11:45 which meant I didn't eat for 12 hours!!!!! Christopher was letting me know all about it too!
It is Friday at least....so I don't have to go to work tomorrow. John does though....sigh.....
January 08, 2004
Waiting for lunch
Laura -- I am sitting at my desk in a freezing room waiting for the clock to tick by so I can go to lunch. Yesterday my classroom was 78 degrees and got hotter as the day went by. Today, it started at 70 and has gone down steadily to a now 64 degrees. They can't seem to get it regulated and I have no clue what to wear!
Tonight is John and my date night. :-) We are having Chinese and watching our favorite show (the best show out there) CSI. (Not CSI Miami --- we don't like the actors as much on that one!)
Tomorrow morning I have my gestational diabetes test so after midnight tonight and until I take the test, I cannot eat anything or drink anything. That won't matter much tonight (since I will be asleep), but tomorrow morning will be hard!
Finally time to go eat....Yay!
January 07, 2004
Kyle's a Genius
Laura --- Kyle once again has proven his genius abilities. Tonight he said the word "Ball" or at least a close approximation. He was having fun throwing it of course at his daddy's head but he definitely uttered the word. That makes four words now --- No, Go, Car and Ball. Soon he'll have the dictionary mastered! I know it! That's our boy!
January 05, 2004
28 Weeks
Laura --- Just got back from my appointment with the OB GYN and Christopher is doing well. His heart is racing along at 156 beats a minute, he kicked the doctor's microphone that was listening to him :-) and he is measuring in at 28 weeks. That of course means 12 weeks or 3 months left to go. This is going by sooooo quickly!
January 04, 2004
Last day of Freedom
Laura --- Unfortunately, school starts back up tomorrow. sigh..... I don't want to go at all. At least it is only a teacher work day and not a full day with students. It always seems like days off go by so much quicker than the work days but I guess that is how it is with every job.
January 03, 2004
Kyle helps Daddy choose the music to play
Daddy taught Kyle how music comes out of headphones! Yay! Now Kyle can plug the headphones into the computer and "help" daddy listen to some good tunes!
Kyle helps mommy cook brownies
The new rule at the Mullen house is that No one cooks unless Kyle is helping. Tonight, Kyle helped mommy make brownies. He started out by cracking eggs on the counter when mommy wasn't looking. Ooops! Anyway, after that mommy "helped" Kyle help mommy. :-)
January 02, 2004
Kyle can drink from a "real" cup
In his ever increasing quest to grow up before mommy is ready for him to do so....Kyle reached over to mommy's place and took her cup. He decided that he didn't need a sippie cup any longer but could drink from a REAL cup. Admirable job too...only a few spills down the front of our shirt. He got the hang of it very quickly.
January 01, 2004
New Year's Day
Laura --- We had a busy New Year's Day after eating, of course, our Black eyed peas, we took down all the Christmas decorations (which multiply over the course of the month they are up somehow). We managed to get them all into the closet under the stairs. Now our house is back to normal except for the mountain of toys!!!!
Right now, John is playing one of his new Playstation games and Kyle is talking to his trucks and making them crash into each other. Boy, the fun you can have doing that! I am updating this site and possibly the other one and working on making copies of pictures for Mom.
New Year's Resolutions ... work on the scrapbooks, write, and lose the weight once Christopher makes his appearance. :-)
Kyle Looking "Dapper"
Although the reason we went to Batesville was sad, it was VERY nice to see everyone that we haven't been able to see in quite awhile. It is amazing how far away we really are and it was great to have everyone in one spot to talk to and visit with for as long as we could.
Grandma with her Grandkids and Great Grandkids
What a bunch!
The Potter Picture
Grandpa Potter, Sue and Robert with their horde
