Snow Day!

I guess a more accurate description would be "Ice Day." The boys have stayed home from school the past two days thanks to the winter weather. I was in Phoenix Monday and Tuesday so Andy stayed home with them yesterday. I was lucky enough to make it home last night before the ice got too bad, but we woke up to find the driveway, streets, and Andy's truck covered with ice. School was closed again, as well as the doctor's office (the boys had an appointment scheduled for this morning), so I stayed home with them today while Andy braved the cold to go into the office for a few hours.

We headed down to Houston this past weekend to see Dave Ramsey with Christi and Bryan. Andy and I recently completed his Financial Peace University class so we were excited at the opportunity to see him live. We got Christi and Bryan tickets for Christmas and then Christi called into the show to get his advice and he gave her two more tickets. So Andy and I got to tag along. Thanks to Gee and Sally for watching all of the kids all day!

The boys had their 18-month check-up a couple of weeks ago. I can't believe they are 18 months old! The time has flown by and before I know it, they'll be in kindergarten. Andy has been encouraging me to post some trips down memory lane so be prepared for us to rewind a bit. I had considered starting a blog when I was pregnant but didn't think I would keep up with it. Now I wish I had so I would have some sort of documentation of that time. So I will just have to try to do it now while I can still remember everything.

Other than that, here are a few pictures of the boys with one of their favorite (and most annoying) toys. It is a cat piano with a microphone, which they have discovered and love to talk into. One of the particularly annoying features is the "Meow" sound. You know the Meow Mix commercial with the song "Meow, meow, meow, meow,...?" You can play that on this piano! I'll try to record it and post it one day so everyone can experience it.

239 Days Until...

Texas Longhorn football resumes. As far as I'm concerned, the college football season is officially over, even though I am sitting here watching the "National Championship" game. What a joke.

So what have the Iveys been up to in the last 13 days? A lot. We've had 1 surgery, 2 haircuts, 1 busted lip, 1 bowl game, 2 trips to the pediatrician's office, 1 play date, and 1 going-away party. Did I miss anything? Probably.

On December 29, Henry had surgery to put tubes in his ears. Everything went smoothly until we were about to leave. As I was putting his clothes back on, he threw up. So our departure was delayed another 30 minutes or so. Other than that, it was a pretty simple procedure. Henry might disagree, but since he still doesn't speak English, his opinion doesn't count. Now we just have a follow-up appointment later this month to check his hearing and the placement of the tubes. And Ben gets to go get his hearing and ears checked, too. So we might get to go through this all over again.


After a rather uneventful New Year's, Andy and I went to the Cotton Bowl with our friends Garett and Melissa. We met Andy's friend Jerimy and his stepdad there for very brief tailgating (thanks to a late departure from the house after taking Ben to the pediatrician's office and the worst traffic control I have ever seen at Fair Park) and then made the trek to our seats. Although we were able to see everything from our seats, it was a definite workout to get up there. And even though Andy's Red Raiders did not win the game, we had a great time.


On Saturday, we took the boys to get haircuts. This was Ben's second haircut (his hair grows really fast!) and Henry's first. Henry was not really sure what was going on back there. He kept trying to turn around to see. The haircuts look great, but it is a little sad to see my babies look like little boys. I can't believe they are 18 months old now!



Later that afternoon, we went over to the Pattersons' house for our first "play date." The Pattersons' twin sons, Luke and Jacob, are one day younger than Ben and Henry. They have also been in our Little Gym class each Saturday morning. It was fun to watch the 4 boys play with one another. And the Ivey boys loved playing with the Pattersons' very cool toys. We may have to get a couple of cars for Ben and Henry. The convertible was a big hit. So was the trampoline. Birthday ideas? Thanks again, Jack and Suzanne! We had a great time.





On Sunday night, I was making dinner when Andy yelled from the living room that Ben had busted his lip. Now this is not the first busted lip we have seen, but it was absolutely the bloodiest! Andy carried Ben into the kitchen and all I could see was blood. I was sure he had lost one of his "practice teeth." I didn't even know where to begin to clean him up. Warning - here's a picture of his lip a couple of days later. It is pretty gross (requiring the second trip to the pediatrician's office to check it for infection).

Monday marked the end of the college football season when my beloved Longhorns beat Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. I travel to Glendale often for work and usually stay across the street from the stadium. It was very tempting to try to find a reason to be in Glendale this week, but the hotels were requiring a 4-night minimum stay at $200+ per night. So I watched the game from my living room. Guess I'll just have to plan on Pasadena next year!

We hosted a mini farewell for our friend Garett on Tuesday night. Garett is moving to El Paso so the guys came over for burgers, Syracuse sausages, and college basketball. Goodbye, Garett! We will miss you!