Not Quite caught up...take 2

Okay, I solved the problem with the blogger. Apparently the "new and improved" version is not a good as the old one so I had to switch back. Okay, now that I got that solved, lets try this again. I know that my blogs have been few and far between lately, but hopefully I will be able to get back on a weekly routine here now that things are finally settling down.

Our Storage area and Pantry are complete except for the tile. We had some issues because our tile is so large the contractor's saw could not make one cut through. Plus we didn't have enough extra for the entire room. So I am making inquires about how much it would cost to get tile. Next up on the agenda is our new patio doors!

I have been planning a surprise 60th Birthday party for my mom for a few months now. They take a lot of work and it is especially hard since she lives with us...but she was surprised (Yeah for me...) so one of the stories that I would like to share with you is how all the last minute party planning went, as it is quite comical. Last Saturday night, we had plans to meet with one of my good friends for dinner for her birthday. So, I said to my mom "Is there anything specific you want for your birthday?" She said she wanted a lamp in her office for her hypnotherapy sessions. Then I said "Don't think about this too hard, but do you mind watching Henry for a few extra hours so Andrew and I can go shopping?" She of course laughed and agreed and thought we were off to lamp hunt...when in actuality we were lamp hunting and party planning. Our first stop was to Party City to buy some 60th B-day plates/cups/napkins/party supplies and balloons. Since everything eventually goes in Henry's mouth, I wanted to get the mylar balloon and not the latex. So, we stood in line to order our balloons. We found a big 6, 0, and a smiley face balloon that we thought were good. Little did we know that the two girls in front of us would take 15 minutes to order 3 balloons. They were SO funny, but I thought Andrew was about to throw them out of the store. They got in an argument with the lady behind the counter because the gold ribbon was peach in color. Considering this was supposed to be the quick stop both Andrew and my patience wore thin at the end. Next it was off to Pier One to find a lamp. We were lucky to find one that was exactly what my mom described. We went to pay for it and the store manager said she had one in a box in the back. This was perfect because I could wrap the box. We waited for about 10 minuted for them to pull down the box, only to have them come and tell us that the box was on a top shelf and was shaped like an L and it would take multiple people to get the box down without damaging it. Andrew even got to go back to the stock room to see the box so we would believe them. So after another 5 minutes, we decided to just take the floor model and be done with it. So, I thought we were going to be early for dinner, but we were just barely on time...sigh...the best thought out plan rarely ever work as expected. But the party was a success. Mom was surprised. Everyone made it for the "Surprise" and my first attempt at a pineapple upside down cake was delicious!

Anyway, we took care of a black lab named Zed for the entire week of Thanksgiving. He is a big doofy (that is my made up word for goofy and not so smart) very sweet lab. I call him doofy for many different reasons, but mostly the goofy because he would get so excited when he wagged his tail he whole body would wiggle. Plus he always had to have something in his mouth. And not so smart because he figured out how to go out the dog door, but would not come back in. He is a lot bigger than our dogs and we were a little worried about him and Henry (being that he was bigger than him), but he did a great job. He put up with Henry's attempts at horse and at the fact that Henry is not always gently when he pets. Chaos on the other hand, hid out in my mom's room the entire week. Only peeking out in the early morning when we were walking the dogs and in the late evening when everyone was asleep.

Andrew had Wed afternoon, Thursday and Friday off. Wed. afternoon we went to the airport and picked up my brother. Randy had a big part to play in the surprise as well since it was his job to keep her out of the house while we set up. He also introduced us to a game call The Settelers of Catan. Which we had a lot of fun playing each night after Henry went to sleep.

Thanksgiving was the usual fare. Unfortunately for Henry, he timed his nap wrong that day so the turkey came out of the oven right when he fell asleep. We had cooked everyting else, set the table, ate, and cleaned up before he got up. So he had to make do with leftover Turkey, which is Andrew's favorite, so we don't think he missed much. Andrew and Henry also went on a few bike rides, which Henry seems to be okay with. But since Andrew's bike does not have a kickstand, it is hard for him to balance the bike, get Henry in, and get himself on without help. I figure it will take some practice.

Henry can also now turn around in a circle Thanks to Disney's Imagination Mover's song. "Jump up, get down, stand up, turn around, turn around, turn around..."

Well, I know I am forgetting a bunch, but I should get going. I will be sure to try to blog in less than a week!