6 Weeks to Go!

Aidan got her 5th report card of the year today...she made STRAIGHT A's again!! We are so very proud of her. So, now she is in the home stretch....only 6 more weeks to go! Woo-Hoo! She still has her ups and downs with her teachers, but she has been such a trooper this year.

This week, Aidan has been feeding and taking care of our neighbors' cats while they are in Paris....France, not Texas. They are both accomplished artists, so they were very excited to go to all the museums...I'm sure they are having a great time. Anyway, they have 100 cats....okay, I'm exagerating....I think it's 10 (4 inside and 6 outside) but it seems like way more than that. The outside cats come over to our yard and sit outside the living room window and stare at Charlie. He's a big "talker" so he makes all kinds of wierd sounds at them. So, Aidan says this is her first job and she has taken it very seriously....she even sets her alarm for 30 minutes earlier so she has plenty of time for her duties.
Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend! Love to you all!

Easter Sunday

Well, we had a great Easter. We went to church with Grannie and PaPa, and then we all went out to breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe. The church was contemporary and the music was really good. My favorite was a song called "I Will Rise"...very moving. After breakfast, we moved on to MawMaw's house (Aidan's great-grandmother). We got to see PaPa Jack, Lynn, Donald, Melinda, Shelley, and, of course, MawMaw herself. At lunch, we sat around sharing our own personal, funny stories about PawPaw. We sure do miss him. We had a short, but good visit, and of course we ate again. Ham, green beans, potato salad, and apple pie. Yummy! From there, we moved on to our final destination at the Tipps' house, who are our great friends. Mark and KK always put on an awesome Easter bash, complete with egg hunts for the kids and adults too, lots of laughs, and amazing food. It was a fun day...12 hours in all, so we are exhausted. Happy Easter Everybody!!!

Kids Say the Darndest Things...For Real!

Tonight, we were all sitting on the couch and I was trying to open the window, but it was sticking a little bit. Aidan says in a loud voice, "Don't try too hard and give yourself a herpe!" Troy and I lost it! What??!! A Herpe??!! "Yeah", she says, "You know, blow a blood vessel in your butt....a herpe!" We could NOT stop laughing after that. No baby...that's a hemorrhoid, and don't say 'butt'. She goes, "Well, I knew it was either a harmone or a herpe". Again, uncontrollable laughter. NO AIDAN...A HEMORRHOID! And it's not 'harmone', it's hormone...And it's not a herpe, it's herpes! "Ohhhh", she says...."well, what IS herpes anyway?" And then THAT lovely conversation starts. We seriously need a reality show!

Goodbye TEGRA...We Love You! (1994-2009)

Today (April 2nd, 2009) was a very difficult and sad day as we had to have our beloved friend, family member, and one hell of an awesome dog, TEGRA, put to sleep. You may recall not too long ago she got out of the yard somehow and we didn't know if we would ever see her again. Aidan never gave up, telling us "We will find her, no matter what". Aidan was right! Through the kindness of others TEGRA was returned to us. We made the most of everyday with her. Earlier this week she began to have increased difficulty walking and was in obvious pain/ discomfort. Her condition progressively worsened through the week. This was a very difficulty decision, but we could not bear to watch her suffer any longer. We all had a good cry and said our goodbyes. She was loved immensely and will be greatly missed. I have had TEGRA in my life for 15 years and she was truly an incredible dog with a special spirit. Aidan has had TEGRA around for her entire life and they were very close. Amanda has always been there for TEGRA and given her all her love....even when TEGRA ate all our MMs and then hid in the bathtub while we were living in New Mexico and had no money to buy junk food (one of our many TEGRA stories). We have several stories and memories of our sweet ol' girl. There will never be another dog like TEGRA. I don't know what else I can say except I loved my dog very much and will miss her always.
~Troy