I’ve been having an affair…I admit it. I look forward to the greeting I have received each morning from Mr. Cuisinart. His warm, strong coffee is the first thing that I think of when I wake up, and is an integral part of getting my day started. Sadly, Mr. C. passed away. He was one of the first wedding gifts we received, and the first to give up on us too. My morning continues to start; I’ve found a new love affair but I didn’t want the passing of one of our first wedding gifts to go unaccounted. R.I.P Mr. Cuisinart. Thank you for serving me so many delicious cups each morning.
Jiff wasn’t a fan of his new neck accessory after his surgery and Matt and I had to capture his humiliation. However, he was thankful we didn’t let the other dogs in the neighborhood see him wearing the Cone of Shame.
On Memorial Day Dean and I were able to visit with one of my best friends and her daughter. Myra and her family moved to Canada about 9 months ago and were in Texas for a visit. We met in Waco, Tx (half way mark) and enjoyed a chick-fil-a lunch followed by fun at the Cameron Park Zoo. It was so nice to get to spend a few hours with my dear friend of 19 years. I was so thankful she could work me into her busy travel schedule. Morgandy has grown so much in the past year and is a beautiful, active little girl. She loved Dean and enjoyed helping us take care of him. I think I need a little helper in my life. Morgs wanna come stay for awhile? The zoo was surprisingly big and awesome. I had never seen the animals so close before. The cheeta was so close, right next to the glass, I could really see all it’s beautiful markings. So fun!
Our trip to the zoo was Dean’s first adventure in the wild world of animals. He enjoyed kicking back in his stroller, watching all the people, and sitting in the air conditioned fish house! The boy isn’t stupid he knows a good AC when he feels it. Overall though he did a great job and LOVED being out and about with the Morans.
We are looking forward to visiting them in Montreal.
I remember the day when I looked forward to Memorial weekend because it signaled the first weekend of summer vacation! Now it signals the last few weeks of school. I found myself wishing school was out all weekend only to realize that I still had a few more weeks to go! Thankfully, Dean and I were able to go to the lake for Memorial weekend but unfortunately, Matt hurt his back and wasn’t able to join us for the fun. We had a nice relaxing weekend – just what the end of the school year calls for! We enjoyed family, friends, great food (too much of it) and the sun.
This weekend Dean was able to take his first boat ride! He didn’t care much for his life jacket but fell asleep as soon we started across the lake. I think the boy was made for lake living. He’ll have to wait until he’s bigger to get in that oh so clean lake water but we will make sure he enjoys a little toodle every now and then.
I finally had the opportunity to take Dean’s six month photos with Phil the Frog. We took them on Lake Livingston at Pine Island during Dean’s first boat ride. I think they turned out pretty good considering my dad had to get out of the boat and hold it in place in order to provide the appropriate amount of shade!
Advancing forward, Dean has learned to add his tounge to the mix. I caught this first session in full HD glory. Watch the video small here, or click here to view the high res version.
Matt and I took Dean for his six month check up yesterday. We were anxious to meet with the doctor and discuss Dean’s ear infections and create a plan for treatment if they continue to persist. Dean was one happy camper while at the office. He played, flirted with the nurses, and even managed to tear up the paper that covers the table – very entertaining for Mom and Dad.
Dr. McCoy said Dean looked great, his ears were clear and still looked good despite the rash of ear infections. He encouraged us to hold off on any visits to the ENT for now but, will remain at the forefront of our thoughts if another infection comes before the fall.
Dr. McCoy wasn’t concerned that Dean isn’t consistently rolling over. He figures that Dean just doesn’t realize it’s important yet! Ha! I guess Mom and Dad have placed more importance on it than D has! He has rolled over several times in the past week for Ms. Gina at school and once in his bed. Dean did show off his sitting abilities for Dr. M when he asked if he could sit up. Matt and I were both amazed! He sat up better for Dr. M than he ever has before.
The doctor then went on to make Matt and I feel a little nervous. He warned us to get the house baby proofed before our 9 month appointment. Soon, D.T. would be pulling up and crawling all over. It seems like such a distant thought but Matt and I know that it will be here before we know it. Before we return to school in the fall I could have a mover on my hands!
Dean weighed in at 16 pounds 13.5 ounces (25 -50%). Eating cereal and baby food had helped pack on the pounds. He is 27.25 inches long (50-75%). Dean’s growth in length signified that it’s time for us to go car seat shopping! He is now too long for the infant seat! I guess Matt and I will start doing our research. And finally, Dean’s head has grown! We moved from the 10% to 25%! Yay!
Dean’s visit ended with one yucky shot! He was such a tough guy though and only cried for a second. Mommy was quick to comfort after the pricking was done.
We left the office pleased with our appointment and amazed with Dean’s progress. I’ll say it again, “we can’t believe how big he’s getting”! Time is flying for this Hopkins’ family.
**we have a video from the appointment to post once it’s converted. Check back again for it soon.**
The past two week I have been running a marathon – the marathon of AP testing. For My spring semester counseling project I had the pleasure of coordinating AP testing with another counselor and one of our assistant principals.
Since this was my first time my naivete was beneficial. I had no idea if I should be worried, stressed, overwhelmed…. I just worked hard to keep up with the pros. The students have the opportunity to earn college credit depending on how well they score. There was quite a bit of pressure on us to get everything right so that the students have the correct exams and the best testing environment to obtain optimal scores.
Over the course of the testing window we administered 28 exams in 10 days to over 500 students. Many of the students took more than one exam so essentially we administered 1500 exams! I was in my organizational element but the testing job was still huge! We tested the students in one of the many gymnasiums on the CHHS campus. The only drawback was it was the farthest possible point from my office. I know I walked MILES last week. I felt like every time I’d get to the gym I’d have to turn around and walk back to the other side of school.
Matt won the father/husband of the year award while I was working on this testing project. I had to report to the school early in order to get everything set for each day of testing. Matt committed to early mornings with Dean, extra housework, and fix your own dinners while I was married to my job. His dedication helped make 2 crazy weeks a little smoother.
Thankfully AP testing went off with out a hitch and I can now return to being a better wife and mother.
Last Friday Matt and I were able to share dinner with a my college roommate, Roxane. Glenda and Bill were sweet and agreed to watch Dean while we enjoyed an a good time with friends. We traveled over to Dallas’ West Village and met Roxane and her beau, Oren. Since it was our first time to meet Oren Matt and I were eager to size him up and see if he was worthy of our stamp of approval. Dinner was sushi from Tom Tom. It was amazing! I enjoyed a spicy tuna roll (of course) and a red and white roll – combo of red and white tuna over a California roll. They were both delicious! I can’t remember what Matt ate but I do know that we enjoyed our dinner conversation and getting to know Oren very much. But, Oren’s true colors didn’t come out until dessert.
After dinner we walked over to Paciugo where we enjoyed creamy, sweet, gelato. Ugh! It was so good that I’m glad there isn’t one near us for fear that I’d eat there again! While enjoying our gelato Oren share with us his gift of laughter. The guy had some really great impressions and is just generally funny! Matt and I laughed and laughed while he hammed it up for us. By the end of the date he had won us over. My friend Roxane is very special to me and only the best guy is worthy of her attention. Both Matt and I felt that Oren is a perfect guy for Foxy Roxy! I look forward to seeing where this relationship will take them.
We enjoyed an incredibly lazy Saturday yesterday. It was raining and quiet. Matt and Dean were napping and I was finally catching up on Greys. Right in the middle of one of the best parts of the show our house began to shake. The chandelier in the dining room began waving back and forth while the glass clattered, our dishes and glasses clinked in the cabinets. I sat on the couch clutching the remote wondering what in the world was happening. Matt woke up from his nap and came out of the bedroom to see what had happened. We both tried every possible explanation for why our house had just shook never reached any firm conclusions. We chalked it up to the stormy weather figuring it was a silent thunder of sorts. Dismissing the experience we went on with our day.
When I woke up this morning and turned on the news I learned that North Texas had experience an earthquake at 11:24 AM Saturday morning! Oh my! We had experienced an earthquake! I thought this was one thing I didn’t have to worry about anymore! Obviously we lived through the experience unharmed and can add another tally in the earthquake column of our lives. Thankfully we haven’t experienced a really big one!
You can read the NBC report on our little quake here.
