The Cat Practical

We've been dissecting a cat for the last 1.5 weeks in Anatomy.  It's a difficult, exhausting, stinky time- and I was dreading the practical (the lab test- you leave 30+ cats out all day, with different organs, muscles, glands, etc pinned for them to name as they rotate about the room on a timer).  So I got lazy and just gave a paper-based Cat Practical (much easier to set up and grade). 

I haven't fully recovered from my all-nighter in the ER with Dax Monday night (will blog about soon)- so I was feeling a little loopy.  And I decided to give them a few "fluffy" questions to help their grade a bit.  These are a few pages from their practicals- I can still hear the intermittent giggles as they discovered these during the test!

Mother's Day

Ohhh my goodness, what a glorious weekend.  I just adore spring- we *live* outside, playing as a family.  I thought last Spring could not be topped (maternity leave, new baby, adorable 2 year old)- but this Spring is definitely just as perfect.

We spent Saturday shopping, running errands, and trying out a burger joint a few miles from the house called "Clay's"- why have we waited so long to go!?  It will definitely become a permanent fixture in our weekends out and about now.  Sandbox.  Huge yard.  Pony rides.  Outdoor patio.  Perfect.

 Then Sunday was Mother's Day.  Moms get 2 days a year- Mother's Day and their birthday.  Mother's Day is 100x more special to me than my birthday.  Birthdays are about the old me.  A kid with toys, a teenager and clothes, a drunk college student, etc.  But I cherish being a mom waaaayyy more than anything else.  So bring on the special treatment, Mother's Day!  

I just wanted to have a normal 'ole Sunday- but soak it up more than usual.  Let Casey worry about everything.  Manage it all.  Do all of the work.  (Not that he doesn't do a TON already- but I didn't want to lift a finger.  Not one!)

After breakfast we threw our bathing suits on and headed to the backyard!

Eeeeeee!  Now that the water isn't so cold each weekend- Dax is really embracing this outdoor bathtub thing!

My loves.

Cutie!

Casey grilled hamburgers and hot dogs!

Ada only ate chips...

Dax testing out his dare-devil tendencies... he crawled out of the pool onto that chair.  That's where I put a stop to things.

Casey put a few more screws in the playhouse so it'd be easier to move around the yard (without it coming apart)- Ada helped. :)

Turning into a fish in front of my eyes.  Or, more like a salamander.  That slithers backwards.

Petting Murphy.  Poor dog- it consisted more of slapping and fur pulling...

Pushing Ada's pink stroller around.

Wearing his Sweetish Baby Mother's Day shirt!!!!  Eating at Fajita Willie's for dinner- another weekend must!

One of my favorite parts of the day were the cards I got.  Casey's card was so sweet- and had Coldplay tickets in it!!!!
And Dax and Ada's card was perfect- and perfectly signed by Ada.  She wrote all of that- including "LOVE" (well, except for the "&"- that was Daddy)-  LOVE her!

And, Happy Mother's Day to all of our mothers and grandmothers, too!  MiMi, Grams, Honey, MorMor!

Drew Purdy: Texas A&M Former Student!

My "baby" brother is now a Texas A&M graduate!!!  Drew graduated on Friday May 11 with a BS in Urban Planning.  I love that he is Class of '12!  Whoop!  

So proud of you Drewby!

Boring picture of his gift- but I am kind of proud of the idea!!  

Failing to get a picture of me with the kids outside of the newly renovated MSC- it is AMAZING!  Gorgeous architecture, and maintains that 60s vibe of the A&M campus.  I love it!

There's a decent one!  Although you still can't see the MSC very well...

Attempting to walk Dax to sleep during the 3 hour graduation ceremony- not happening.  He was way too interested in waving at people and watching security guards lock families out that arrived too late to get a seat.  It was PACKED!

The man of the hour!

Kids' first trip to Northgate!  :)

High five good job love you!

THen we went out to eat at La Bodega with my Mom, Steve, Audrey, Eric, Drew, + me and the kids- it was an awesome time, awesome food, awesome day!!  So proud of my little brother!

Teacher Appreciation :)

Printing and framing this for the kiddie's teachers tomorrow- $3.99 frame and $1.99 gift bag.  

The gift wrap was 50% of the total cost- what's wrong with that picture!?  :)

The Snaggletooth Stays

Took Dax to the pediatric dentist today to discuss his chipped front teeth.  He did great!

He took a tumble- yet again- in the waiting room of the dentist's office (see the massive red bump?).
I now have a phobia of him knocking his teeth out.  But I suppose that'd be the place to do it!

 Dr. Po decided it's not worth it to fix his chips.  One procedure he could do will pop off too easily, and the other procedure (requiring general anesthesia- not good)- is just "overkill" to do for baby teeth.  

So we are leaving my little guy a snaggletooth.  I'm sad about it, but very relieved he won't be having to undergo anesthesia for something as silly as a tooth.  

Casey and I decided we will fix them if he is teased for them later on.  (Kids are cruel, you know! I had a bit of a snaggletooth of my own before I had braces and was totally made fun of for them!)

After the dentist, our mommy-bubby date was ON!

We ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A.

We decided to go to the Children's Museum! 

Sorry for the picture quality... that's not a rash on his chin, either.  It's a reflection from all of the window decor.  :)

My little man. Wish I could catch a non-blurry picture of him once in a while!

Beep-beep!

"vrrrooommmm!" (PS: he carried this blue spatula around with him the entire time!)

Peek-a-boo!

Dax had so much fun playing my pop-in-and-whistle-at-him-in-the-ball-pit game, a random patron asked to take this picture for me, because it was too cute to miss.  Thanks, Dayja's Dad!

Oh, his giggle when he discovered these little miniature house scenes was so cute.

So, all in all- a great day!  I've come to grips with the snaggles (thanks to the dentist, for pointing out that it just makes him look more manly to be covered in bruises with chipped teeth!)- and I had a great time on our date.  Love this baby!

1st Moody Gardens Trip of 2012

Palm Beach is officially open for the 2012 season at Moody Gardens- and today was a "members only" day.  So we packed up and made a day of the aquarium, Palm Beach, and lunch/dinner with MiMi and Steven on Seawall Blvd!  Awesome, awesome day. :)

I LOVE Dax's face in this picture!

Ada playing in the sand while we all finished her lunch.

Aye, what's down below, matees?

That pirate has a third arm!

That pirate has a snaggletooth!

Ada being a big, brave girl going down the waterside all by herself!

Dax would screech and giggle the entire way down the slide- and immediately begin whining as soon as we slowed down to get back up and go again. (He was so excited, he couldn't sign "more" right- he kept accidentally signing "eat")

This red one was a little slower (less water pressure at the top)- and look how unimpressed he is as we come down!

My kids just love penguins.

Snaggletooth in the shark cage.

We brought many stuffed animals that we knew we'd see today- in addition to the shark, we also had a penguin and an octopus.  

Holding his shark, watching the seals.

We got to see MiMi and Steve afterwards! 

MiMi and her monkey.

ENT Appointment. Chipped Tooth. Cinco de Mayo.

We brought Dax back to the ENT after the "premature" loss of his ear tube (ahem- 2 weeks) - 

the doctor decided he wants to wait to replace it until we give Dax some time to see "if the vicious cycle has been broken." 

(Vicious cycle: congestion --> ear infection --> antibiotics --> beneficial bacterial also killed --> weakened immune system --> congestion --> ear infection --> etc.)  

I wanted to point out that the cycle is probably, in fact, still vicious- since it was congestion and an ear infection that popped the tube out in the first place.  But I kept my mouth shut.  

I asked about ear infections being related to dairy.  He shot me down (along with our regular pediatrician).  I'm still not buying it- and I'm going to continue giving it a shot.  I have found far too much research supporting my idiocy.

"Yes, Dr. Duncan, I have a question.  Are you going to put my tube back in?

So, in the meantime, Dax is back on antibiotics.  And he chipped his two front teeth.

We have NO CLUE when or how Dax knocked about 25% of each front tooth out.  He already had a really cute little gap, but now I'd just call it gaping.  You can get it fixed- but it requires another round of general anesthesia.  We have to fix it though- he's a biter, and it would be cruel to his classmates and sister if we left him with shark teeth.  I'm so sad about this whole thing. :(

So what do you do after a rough week of appointments and disappointments?  Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at your favorite Mexican food restaurant!!  (By accident, might I add- we were just going to out to eat on Saturday because Mommy didn't feel like cooking and/or cleaning dinner!)

There was a Dora bounce house!

No mam!  Give that to Mommy...

There was a face paint artist there!

There was a clown making balloons there!  Needless to say, Dax's popped shortly after this picture was taken...

I'm representin' Katy HS Student Council 2010-2011.

Looks like Mommy is the only one bothered by the snaggletooth situation... I love you, sweet Dax!  We are going to get your life issue-free sooner or later!  (Probably not.  Is that possible to do for a rambunctious boy??)