Noah started his first day of Kindergarten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It was flawless.  Jungle Java provided the coffee and food for the kinder comfort so I was up and at it by 5:30 am.  Since I cut all my hair off(yep-pics to come later) it is a breeze to get ready.  Most of you know I always had short hair up until about 1997.  It is just too hot for long hair.  Anyway I digress.  I got everything set up in the cafeteria trying not to get in the way of the TV camera crew that was at the school at 6:30.  Teravista is a new school and they were doing a special on new schools  in RR and most specifically Teravista.  Then I was off to pick up G-ma, dad, Cooper and Noah to take NOah to school.  Cooper was actually the first one up this morning(after me and mom).  We walked Noah in and he took to it like a duck to water.  I guess it was all that Stepping Stone and other preschools that prepared him.  Mom and I came back again at lunch time to help the newbies with their lunches and opening things(milk cartons, applesauce, etc.).  I got to spend time with Noah and the other kids we know from Stepping Stone, neighborhood, and our JJ regulars.  It was fun to see everyone.  After school we picked Noah up at the front door and that was a GOOD thing.  HOLY cow the driver pick up line was son long that some of those mom’s sat in the line for quite a while.  Rachel and I had a nice long chat while she waited in the car pick up line to get Taelyn.  I had come home had a snack, Gregg showered(again), and then drove all the way to Sam’s club by the time she got Tae.  I will definitely be picking Noah up at the front door until they get that line manageable.  Noah had fu although he didn’t want to discuss what he learned.  He had a slight fever last night and an hour after we got him home from school it spiked.  It is better now and he ate 6 nuggets and some of his shake and temp wis feels much better. 

Tonight is the last night that G-ma is in town..  We are going to miss her and I am going to miss her cooking.  The boys didn’t realize that she was leaving tomorrow and a part of hopes she gets held up with this fiasco happening at the airports.   I know she wants to get back home to bu,pa though so we hope not too strongly.

The Jungle Java ads have hit the mailers.  Gregg and I sent some out today by hand but our mass mailing hit the hoods today.  We had one mom call very excited.  She is going to email the 300 people in her mailing lists.  I love it when other moms get so excited.  Did I metnion the nice plug we got at our school for donating the treats today.  We also gave each of the teachers at TVE a free pass so they can bring their kids.  Things are going so well.  Thanks to Laurel for helping train our new staff.  We got some GREAT hires this time around.  Not to say our last batch was bad but our new group is proving to be a great asset, especially since we lost some day time help due to school.  OUr grnd opening is around the corner and I’m sure will be big.

I have been really bad about posting pictures but that is because I blog from my laptop and the picture program is on the computer upstairs.  I have to actually go up there to do this.  I will get up there one day.  For now I am busy with the JJ, my PTA chair(homeroom parent) and getting Noah and the family ready for school.  I do promise I will get up there.

A BIG Happy Birthday to my cousin Jacque!  I don’t know where in the world you are but I hope you are somewhere fabulous for your birthday(Bimini, Canary, Germany,  Spain, Mexico or where ever.)  Congratulations to Jessica for being named a partner in your firm and for the upcoming birth of your baby.  I can’t wait until we find out the sex.  I hope you and Al have a boy this time!

PS Dad I am going to call you soon but it always seems the time difference gets in our way.  I am up by 6 am 7 your time, ouch I know.  Gregg and Noah are coming to town WEd.-Sun for the U of M home opener.  I will be back for the MSU game with or without family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hope the house in Naples weathered the storm and I will call you son.  Gotta get the boys away from that silly show wipeout and put them to bed.

Nighty night to all our new school age children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today mom and I took the boys to the Inner Space Caverns.  The boys really had fun.  Noah asked questions and really liked the tour once he realized the bats weren’t going to suck his blood.  Cooper raised his hand to ask a question too but instead when the tour guide asked him what his question was he blurted out, “I love the Wiggles.”  That got a laugh.

Gregg and I are going out to dinner tonight.  Haven’t done that without kids in a long time.  It will be nice even though we are going to talk business.  Laurel is in town from Michigan.  We will enjoy some food wine and talk JJ.  That is my kind of a board meeting>  LOL

Tomorrow Noah gets to meet his kindergarten teacher.  WE go to drop off his school supplies and then the teachers call out their class list and the kids go to their rooms.  Noah is excited to see which of his friends will be in his class.  I have to be there early since I am the homeroom mom chairperson.  I need to sign mom’s up to be a homeroom parent.  It should be an exciting day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was our busiest “day” yet.  We did more in 3 hours than we have done on some days.  It was insane!  Boy was I tired at the end of the day.  G-ma and the boys came up and helped us out.  Noah was good at shouting “order up.”  Impact magazine came up for a photo shoot later that day.  The boys were all smiles.  Tae Tae even got in on the action.  Look for them in the next Impact.

After all the action we headed to Chili’s for dinner.  Cooper loves Chilis.  I think he is in love witht he cheese fries more than me.  After dinner I asked Gregg to change Cooper’s diaper.  He took him to the bathroom and then came back to the table saying there was no diaper changing station.  I was upset so I said I was going to talk to the manager about that.  I also wanted to talk to him about some advertising they are doing as well.  I went to the front of the store and as I was about to talk to the manager Gregg and the boys went running out of the store.  I asked Gregg to come back to talk about the advertising but he just smiled and they ran away.  Turns out Gregg thought I was berating the manager for not having a station when in fact they DID!  He ran out to avoid humiliation.  Turns out Gregg was just trying to get out of changing a dieaper.  He ended up having to do it in the back of the van while I talked business with the manager.  We are working on a St. Judes campaign.  WE all got a big laugh out of Gregg sneaking away.  Once home we all fell into a food coma(maybe some tequila/margarita at dinner coma) and went to bed early!

Now we are off to the Inner Space Caverns.  I got vetoed on Fredricksburg, Lukenbach, and Sea World.

I can’t believe we are one week away from Noah starting kindergarten.  Texas has a tax free shopping weekend and we took advantage of it yesterday.  We got Noah his school supplies, clothes and a super cool backpack.  He is excited about kindergarten but doesn’t really want to leave grandma.  She will be here for his first two days of school.

Gregg and I went to see Tropic Thunder last night and just about died laughing.  It was super funny.  I’m not really a movie going person so it was kind of a big deal that I wanted to go.  If you go make sure you arrive on time!  That’s all I will say about that.

We have some fun things planned this week.   Gregg and I are taking some time off of work this week so we can enjoy some time too.  Thursday we are going to take G-ma to Fredrickburg and show her the wine country.    This weekend is the last weekend before school starts so we are in the process of planning some fun things for the boys before we have to start enforcing a bed time schedule(movie night, BBQ, etc.)

Off to the Jungle Java now.  It looks like rain all week so I’m sure we will be a little busy.

finishing my PTA work and off to see Tropic Thunder.  I’ll write a review tomorrow.

JJ is great.  Kids are great.  Gma is great.  Tax free shopping is great.  Life is great.

more later sorry so brief.

GJ Phelps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sorry.  I’ll have more to post soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Wiggles were awesome.  Cooper was soooo excited all day long.  He was jumping about all day.  I was afraid he was going to wear himself out before the concert.  WE left Austin around 1 ansd got to San Antonio about 3.  We went to the Tower of the Americas .  WE had done the river walk so many times we thought we were due for a change.  It was perfect.  We went to the top and had drinks and appetizers at the Chart House.  Then we saw the 4-D film about Texas.  Noah and I didn’t have as much fun during the movie as Coop and dad.  I don’t do well in IMAX theaters and of course Noah hated the sound and the special effects(cows spitting, snakings coming out from under the seats).  Then we were off to the HEB to buy Dorothy(dinosaur) some roses and Wags a bone.  We got to the concert in plenty of time to get gorged by the concession stand($17 for a t-shirt, 17 for a guitar, 17 a piece for two light sticks).  When the concert started Cooper was in awe. He danced the whole night.  I’m glad I gave up floor seats for an asile seat.  We were 12 rows up so Cooper and Noah were still able to give the roses and bone to Wags and Dorothy.  The host said they give the roses to a senior shelter and the bones to a dog shelter.  After the concert Cooper just stared at the crew walking off stage and said, “I’m going to miss the Wiggles.”  I’m sure we have another Wiggles concert in our future.  After the show we loaded up the kids and put them in their PJs and drove home.  We got home abut 10 and put our sweet wiggly boys to bed.  A big thank you to Sandra for opening and coming back to close.  Thanks to Carol and Sarh for looking on the place for us!

We have been so busy at the Jungle Java.  Every day it gets better.  We had our ad and write up in the community impact and had our best day yet on Saturday!

G-ma is coming for a visit on the 15th.  The boys are so excited.  Noah has started a count down.  He loves to count down.  Perhaps we have an astronaut.  I will have to take him to Houston to see the space center.  I think that is a trip just the two of us will take.

Gregg is planning some trips back.  I think him and Noah are coming back for a family wedding in Sept.  They have an old ticket they have to use.  The whole clan will be coming back for the MSU game.  Just an excuse to come home and hang with the old tailgating gang.  I can’t wait to see all you guys.  Oh and Jules let’s get those jalapeno’s cooking because I need some of your good stuff.

Well tonight is the first time I have made dinner in over 4 weeks so I must go in and eat.  It is a most pleasant night here in Texas.  Yea it is 104 during the day(GREAT for business) but the nights are nice and breezy.

Talk to you all soon!