Arnie

Here's what happens when I work...Kev and the kids adopt an animal! I don't think we have even posted pictures of our (formerly) newest family member, Peach. She is sweet, 3 years old, and purrs ALL the time! As you can probably guess by her name, she is peach-colored. As of today, she has a little brother named Arnie (although Jax keeps calling him Barnie...his name will probably be changed to reflect this). I haven't met Arnie/Barnie, but he is a little black kitten who is a few months old. Jax picked him out; now each child has their 'own cat'. Gracie has considered Peachy to be her own (since we adopted her in May), so we had to get Jax one (right?). We know this is going to make Mimi SO excited; she just LOVES animals!!!

Dr. Brian Schwartz

It's official...Kev's 1st Ph.D. student successfully defended his dissertation today! CONGRATULATIONS Bri and Suzy-Q!!! We couldn't be more excited for the Schwartz family as they prepare for their new beginnings. Brian has accepted the position as Turfgrass Breeder for the University of Georgia in Tifton, GA. Tifton is the location from where all of the great bermudagrasses have emerged (TifEagle, TifSport, etc.). Brian definitely has a bright future!!! We will miss them tremendously, but Tifton is just 2 hours up the interstate.

In case you read my earlier post about our harrowing night yesterday, you will understand why Kevin needed to get as much sleep as possible (which still wasn't very much) and why he MUST play golf this afternoon with Bri and the guys in spite of me being in stomach bug jail!:)

Good job, Bri. We love you guys!!!

Sleeping arrangements

It's been a while since we had a good stomach bug rip through our house, so we were due for last night. At about 5:00, Jax mentioned that his stomach didn't feel good, but he didn't make a big deal about it. In fact, we went to the grocery store, and he ate a chocolate chip cookie from the bakery (I guess you're never too sick for cookies). When we got home, he and Gracie terrorized the neighborhood on their scooters. Rightfully so, I assumed he was fine. WRONG! He came in about 6:00 and said he was sick. Of course, Gracie's soccer game started at 6:30, so I didn't have time for a sick child. In the frenzy of trying to get out the door, Kev sees Jax hugging the toilet and then laying on the bathroom floor (Kev is so proud..Jax is ready for college). Of course, my baby wants his momma when he's sick, so Kev took Gracie to her soccer game.

To save time and energy, I will get to the point...we have new floors throughout our house. It was not safe to let Jax sleep anywhere except...our bathroom! Therefore, we aired up our double high queen air mattress, placed it in our bathroom (it obviously has much wasted space), and Jax and I prepared for a wonderful night. We did have to change the sheets shortly after our escapade began (we gave Jax a Phenergan suppository, and he didn't even wake when he threw up in the bed). Note to self: the Phenergan didn't help his nausea; it just made him incoherent to his vomiting! Luckily, he stopped the madness at about 3:40 this morning.

All in all, we survived. He totaled 8 vomits, but he is acting like a champ today (he wanted cereal at 7:30...I made him wait until 9:30). It was definitely an adventure last night. Please pray Gracie doesn't meet the same fate!!!

Touchdown

Jaxon scored his 1st touchdown Tuesday night. Of course, Kev was quite the proud daddy! Did I get it on video? Of course not; Gracie and I were a little late due to her soccer practice. We saw him do a big run as soon as we got there, but I didn't have time to get the video camera out of the bag. On the same drive, he was then the quarterback, and he completed a short pass. After that, he was running back again, and he made it to the end zone!!! The coach asked Kevin if Jax was going for game MVP with his great playing. Hopefully he'll do it again next week (when I have the camera on him).

New floors

Well, the floors are in, and we survived. For those who don't know, we put hardwood floors in the 'front' of the house (living room, dining room, study, halls and master bedroom). We also put new carpet in the family room and in the kiddos' rooms. Needless to say, our house was (and still is, somewhat) a mess! We also switched the dining and living rooms, so we had to have some new lighting installed. We are far from complete, but at least we are better than we were. The floors are gorgeous, and we are very happy with our choices. They start the lanai renovations in a week or so (we have a screened lanai now, but we are having it enclosed...it will be a wonderful playroom for Gracie and Jaxon), so there will be continued madness...

Staying in Florida

This is another old post, but I am determined to get everything blogged before 2009. When we moved to Florida 4 1/2 years ago, we always thought we would migrate back to Texas at some point. Now, though, we have accepted the fact that we are probably staying in beautiful Gainesville, FL for the rest of the visible future. After a couple of potential opportunities, we decided to remain Gators! When the decision was made, I changed my license plate to reflect our appreciation for University of Florida; they have been very supportive and encouraging with Kevin's career. We see lots of potential here, and I think Kev will definitely make a name for himself at UF. We never imagined this, but our children have lived longer in Florida than anywhere else. They are definitely growing up as Gators!

Another Jaxonism

Gracie and Jaxon had 2 of their friends, Coleman and Renae, sleepover last night. Jax was telling Coleman about his football games thus far (Coleman also plays flag, but he is in 3rd grade). Anyway, Jax and Coleman were sitting at the kitchen table eating and talking. I was able (thankfully) to hear Jax tell Coleman that they won when they played the 'green bean snatchers'. Yes, you are reading correctly...his Jaxonism for Green Bay Packers was...Green Bean Snatchers! He's so special.