Erin Update

 

Erin had her follow up appointment for her ears and hearing on Tuesday.  She went to the hearing test first and the Audiologist said she passed the test with flying colors.

Next was the appointment with the ENT.  She looked at the test results and in Erin’s ears and all is great.

Erin no longer has a hearing problem.  She can hear everything and the pressure in her ears is gone.  Yay!  The doctor gave us an Rx for ear drop if/when she develops some drainage.  Since the drainage means it would have been an ear infection we have the antibiotic drops to fight it.  For some reason, Erin is just very susceptible to ear infections.  Neither Tommy or I had them as kids much, but E gets them at the drop of a hat.

I can hear you loud and clear!

A Little Pre-Christmas Travel…

 

Found out last week that I will have to go to Corporate Headquarters in Bloomington, IL in December for a week!  They gave us like 6 options as to which week we go.  It was the first week of December thru the last week of January excluding Christmas and NY weeks.  I picked December 1st.

I’ve managed to stalk and befriend a girl in Waco.  She and I IM all the time and she picked that week.  Since she’s the only person I know, I decided to go with her.  Both of us were thinking it would be the warmest out of the possible weeks.  Something about January on the Great Lakes doesn’t appeal to my Lone Star blood.

When I say I stalked the girl, I mean it.  I got a mass email and I looked at all the names and the start dates of the employees listed.  Then I looked up their offices and guessed their approximate ages based on start dates.  I sent her and a couple of other people an email asking them some general questions.  She wrote back and her response was cute and funny.  I decided I liked her immediately so I pounced.  I’ve been on the girl like white on rice.  She doesn’t seem to mind because she emails me and IM’s me all the time too.  She’s a little younger than me and started SF about the same time.  She is married with 2 daughters and lives in Waco where she grew up.

With all this being said, I had to gear up.  I needed a heavy winter coat and a medium weight jacket.  The jacket is mainly for here.  On November 18th my on-line training ends and I’ll be going out with guys on roofs.  It’s a lot of OJT.  The Fire Claim School in Bloomington is supposed to teach me how to climb a roof and be comfortable up there.  Right.  Like that will ever happen.  All my friends that climb roofs tell me you really do get your feet under you and get used to it.  We shall see.

Our office there as a huge heated/air conditioned warehouse like building that has all kinds of structures in it.  There are actual houses and roofs built in there to give you “feet on” training.  They will show me how to secure and place a ladder and the best ways to climb a roof.  I’ve had the on-line classes, but that’s not the same thing.  They also teach you about arson and I think they have a burned out house in there.  I walked thru it on the way to the Auto warehouse with all the cars about 16 years ago, but I honestly can’t remember all of it.

I also needed a couple more pairs of jeans.  It seems that all I wear in the summer to work is denim capri pants!  Plus I needed special roof boots.  One of the guys on my team said I absolutely HAD to buy them.  It’s not something SF reimburses for but they are a must for safely climbing a roof.  They don’t make them in women’s sizes so you have to order men’s sizes two sizes smaller.  And ugly, let me just tell you.  I’ve already decided I’m going to work on a prototype for some women’s roof boots.  I could make a million bucks! 

While I’m gone, Tommy will get to be Mr. Mom.  He and Erin will be fine.  Things won’t get done the way Momma does them, but I know they will get done and that’s all that matters.  I just wonder what I’ll come home too!!! LOL.  I also think this will make me more appreciated on the home front.  (Not that he doesn’t already tell me all the time how much he appreciates me for all that I do!)

December is going to be very interesting in the Mize house!  Have roof boots, will travel.

Happy Halloween…

 

This was the first year Erin really understood trick or treating.  We’ve dressed her up and taken her to Aunt Steph and Uncle Mark’s house before but never trick or treated in the neighborhood.  Every year the cul-de-sac puts up tables and have a little pot luck going.  We have a ton of people and kids so she’s never lacked in the candy department. 

This year Queen Elsa knew exactly what was going on.  By 5:30 she was announcing to the group that it was time to go trick or treating.  We managed to keep her contained until about 6:30. It was still light, but getting darker.

One of our neighbors is a couple months younger than Erin.  Andrew made the perfect Trick or Treat companion.  We trick or treated our way up the street and thru our section of the subdivision.  The people were so nice.  I hadn’t trick or treated in years obviously, but I’m impressed with our neighbors. Most of them held out the candy bowl and I had to yell at Erin to only take one or two pieces.  When you’re four and someone puts a bowl of candy in your face, you don’t exactly think of leaving any for others. 

It didn’t take long for Erin and Andrew to get the hang of it.  The hardest part was keeping up with them.  Fueled on sugar and the prospect of more sugar, they were running to each house.  We made sure that they said Trick or Treat at each house and remembered to say Thank You. 

By 7:30 Tommy was carrying Erin and Andrew had given his candy bucket to his dad.  We called it a night and Erin was so happy!

Here are a couple of shots of Erin dressed up in her costume for school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Year Pictures…

 

We had our 4 year old pictures done a little while ago and we got them back this weekend.  They are terrific. 

Hard 2 Hold Photography always does a super job with Erin.  She is comfortable with both Keelie and Jessica and they manage to capture Erin just as she really is.  She never looks stiff or posed.  I love that they get her spirit on film.  (Saying it’s on film is better than saying they capture her spirit on digital!)

We went to Huntsville for these shots.  We went to 3 locations and had 2 outfit changes.  Erin was so good thru all of it.  It rained on us when we were heading up there but cleared up in time for the pictures.  It started raining again when we left. 

Here’s what we got.  I hope you love them as much as we do.

 

The Dogs…

 

I haven’t updated the blog in a while with Scooby and Mae status. 

Scooby has completely become a part of the family and you would never know we haven’t had him since puppy-hood.  I had hoped that he would calm Mae down a little and help work out some of her bad habits, but that isn’t the case.  She’s made him bad!!!

Scooby is like me and he’s an early riser.  Mae is content to stay in her house a while, but Scoobs is used to getting up before the crack of dawn with me.  He turns in tiny little circles round and round and round dozens of times in a row in the morning inside his kennel until I get up with him.  His little toenails click on the bottom of the kennel and it sounds like he’s tap dancing. 

Tommy still hates both of the dogs.

Speaking of that, about a month ago the gate was somehow broken and they managed to get out at dinner time.  We didn’t even know they were gone.  I was giving Erin a bath when some random woman called the numbers on Mae’s tag.  She was able to catch Mae, but Scooby wouldn’t come close.  So, Tommy had to go pick them up.  He told me later that he wished the lady had never called!

I have to admit that Scooby has become a little annoying at times.  He discovered the squirrels in the back yard along the fence and runs like a crazy man after them.  Even when they are not there… he just runs and barks.  He has worn out a path in the backyard along the fence. 

Eve, the little girl next door was over the other day and told me she wrote an English paper about our dogs.  I asked if it told how they bark all the time and she said yes, and that they’re annoying!  Nice.  Now everyone at Broadway Elementary knows about Mae and Scooby Mize.

I try to be a respectful neighbor and only let them out for a little while and always pull them in if Scooby is in full bark mode.  They actually do spend a lot of time in the backyard without making a peep.  I would be annoyed at them if they barked all the time too, but there is not a lot I can do.  Our neighbors have 2 dogs too and that’s what our dogs bark at most of the time.  If all 4 of them are out there’s a stand-off at the fence.  Josie is a digger and she tries to dig her way into our yard.  Scooby is aggressive with her and tries to put his face in the hole she’s digging.  I’m not really sure what would happen if they ever met up, but it sounds ferocious.

They love that I’m working from home now.  I let them out more during the day and they have more freedom.  The only problem with that plan are the UPS deliveries.  Since I work from home now they are shipping me supplies and things I’ll need for the job.  I get random deliveries every day and the doorbell is public enemy #1.  They go nuts when someone rings the doorbell.  I really don’t know why either.  Scooby taught Mae to do it, but they both run for the door and bark thru the lead glass window as the Man in Brown walks away.

I know they are annoying but they’re part of the family.  I love that Erin has dogs and that she knows there is a responsibility with owning pets.  She gives them treats and helps us feed them in the evenings.  Every kid should have a dog in my opinion.  It’s the best kind of love when you’re young.