Allison is still the cutest thing :) 14 months old!!! She's hard to keep up with now that she's fully mobile. She opens the kitchen cabinets all the time, and has smashed her fingers a few times in the process. She gets so upset but doesn't really realize that she's the one who smashed her own finger. There's still lots of learning to do...She likes to organize (the apple didn't fall too far from the tree) and put things away, so if something important is missing, she's probably put it in the seat of her car/walker toy. I'm learning how to do hair, and I'm getting pretty good at pigtails. They aren't always symmetrical though, which drives me crazy...I wonder if OCD is genetic...
Russ got some R&R from his post in Afghanistan, so last weekend he came to Tyler to visit!! We get to see him maybe once a year, so his visits are always very special. I left work early on Friday so we could beat traffic out of town and make it in time for dinner in Tyler (yummy...Mercado's Mexican food...). We didn't get to stay too long (had to make the 5 hour drive back mid-day on Sunday), but we had lots of fun in the short time we were all there. Russ had some handguns, so I shot a Smith and Wessen 40-which had some kick!!!-and some other tiny gun that I don't know the name of. Russ is a great teacher, and it was some fun bonding time for all of us. We spent most of the weekend cooking and/or eating, because that's what we do best, but we got in some family board game time too...
As we were leaving on Sunday, we realized we hadn't taken any pictures the entire time we were there, so here's a shot of ready-for-her-nap Allison and her not-very-photogenic Uncle Russ.
Russ brought his fiancee with him, so it was the first time we got to meet her, and her father came too. We tried to show them the best Texas hospitality we could; however my family can best be described as "unique". They got to experience sleeping in the loft with no doors, dutch oven cooking, but only one "family project". She's such a nice person and we're happy to have her. Can't wait until the wedding :)
We're still enjoying the house, but the downside is now I have a lot more toilets to clean!!! Only 2 of us know how to use the potty, but it's still a chore to keep them clean. We've had a couple people interested in renting out the townhouse, so we might have to go that route instead of selling it; renters aren't what we wanted, but it's sure better than paying both mortgages.
On another note, I'm currently looking at going back to school (online) to get my Master's. Nothing is finalized, but the Math Dept Head position came open for next year at school and you need to have/be working towards a Masters to be Dept Head. I would love to have that opportunity, so I've talked with my principal and am the prime candidate for the position...we'll see what pans out...I never had the desire to go back to school (since I'm already at school 187 days each year), but this would be an awesome opportunity for me. Dept Head positions rarely get vacated, so I'd love to get my foot in the door while I can...we'll see...
I think that's about all that's going on with us. Taking it one day at a time :)
