Closure

Well, today marked a big day for us. We put Mattie to rest today. Granted, she's been resting pretty well since the below post (We know she has prime seatage in doggie heaven!). When Chris talked with the vet about what to do, we also had to decide what to do with her earthly remains. So many choices but only one seemed right. We chose to have her cremated. We're not much into burials since it just takes up space in our shrinking planet (who knew we were hippies!!) So, about a week after, Chris got a call from the vet to let us know that Mattie was ready. Chris went and picked her up after an early morning dentist visit. When I got home, I looked for her box (I chose a lovely little redwood box since she was a redhead). But her box was nowhere to be found. I called Chris and asked where she was. He said that she was with him since he figured I probably wouldn't want to find that greeting me when I got home. I asked if he had brought her into the office and he said that she was out in the truck. I was like, "You left her in the truck??" I mean give the girl some dignity!! When we discussed how to deal with her remains, we both knew instantly that we would have to wait for a Mattie day: Sun shining but a little cool with a few clouds in the sky. This past week has offered some great days but just not ready yet. Today, was a perfect Mattie day. Strangely, the day after she passed was the most gorgeous day ever! It seemed to say to us that she was just fine and happy and that meant so much to us. So, Chris took the box outside and unscrewed the bottom. He had never seen cremated remains before but I was familiar since my beloved Uncle Joey was cremated and his remains spread at my grandparents' lake house. Her ashed with in a plastic bag. Chris undid the twist-tie and I took the bag and spread half of her ashes around the yard, making sure to spread a lot in her favorite sunning spot. Chris took the other half and spread them on the side of the yard where we will be planting a tree in her memory in the spring.
I do have to admit that I teared up. I miss her terribly - especially with her favorite holiday, Halloween, happening. It was hard to see her costumes in the Halloween box. I still feel so guilty about our decision and figure I will for a while. I talked with God about it and have decided to hold onto that guilty for a bit. I have handed her over and she is safe with him but this part of her I want to keep. Sometime, I will be ready but just not yet.

A Hard Decision

Chris and I had to make a hard decision yesterday. It was one that was a long time in coming but the time to make it had come. And it concerns our beloved dog, Mattie.

Before I get into that, here's a brief history about our favorite redhead. After Chris's graduation from TAMUG, he was in College Station visiting me. We had gone to dinner with some friends and walked down to the pet store that was in the same shopping center. In front of the store was a wire corral and inside were puppies. We checked them out and they were so cute! And only $20!! They were some sort of dachshund mix so they shouldn't get over 20 lbs. Well, Chris noticed one that was kinda in the corner, not wanting any attention. So, of course, that is the one that he picks up and he is immediately in love. This poor little thing just looked at him with sad eyes and Chris could not put her down. So, that night, Mattie joined our family. Chris went back to Houston the next day. Mattie stayed with me since Chris was not in his new apartment yet. She would stay with Neil and I until he got moved in. That evening, I noticed some swelling above her left eye. Kinda strange since she hadn't acted hurt or anything. I took her to Neil's vet for a check up since we got a coupon for a free puppy exam and Dr. Rupley's office accepted the coupon. Dr. Rupley was not happy with the swelling. It was eventually discovered that she has swelling around her eye. We had two choices: operate and try to save the eye or put her down. It was not a decision I could make on my own (especially since I was crying uncontrollably). I called Chris and he drove up that night. We decided to use Chris's graduation money to pay for Mattie's surgery. We just could not imagine putting such a young dog down when there was a chance she could have a good life. The surgery went great but the swelling caused permanent damage to her left eye. She would be blind in that eye for the rest of her life. In the last three years, she would also go through two types of cancers and their operations and the recovery for them.

Partial blindness did not slow her down. She was full of energy as a puppy and quickly discovered her favorite pastime - making it snow. She loved to get stuffed animals and pull all of the white stuffing out and spread it all over the place.

She LOVED dressing up!! Here is her attire for going to Pawpi's pool. When we would take the clothes off, she would nose them and look at us like, But I wasn't done yet!"

She was a fantastic nap dog and did not snore, unlike Neiley. She would curl right up with you and sleep like a rock! Her favorite place to sleep though, was under the bed. Specifically, under the bed UNDER Chris's side of the bed. She would drag her favorite toys that she did not want Neil to have under the bed since he didn't go under there. She was an expert at saying please by lifting her paw. She would lift her paw and cock her head and wait for the treat.

She also had a fabulous habit of burping in your face. She would go eat her dinner and then want love from Chris. She would stand next to him on the bed and he would scratch her chest and she would turn, so lovingly, and burp right in his face.

She would not only bark at cars, motorcycles, and bicyclists (her fav), but she would also bark at the pictures of people on city buses that drove next to us.

This last one leads me into the decision we had to make. Mattie has always been a dominant dog. When we fostered schnauzers, we had to only have males since she would rip into any female. Her aggression was also directed at children and men. She would especially go for the back of men's knee caps. We both had always felt safe with her and know that she would never turn her aggression on us. Keegan, however, was not on that list. Starting when he was about 6 months old , we would put him in his exersaucer. We noticed that Mattie would run over to it while he was in it and growl whenever he started jumping. We knew then that we were going to have a problem. We contacted our vet and began working with her behavior specialist trying to figure out how to handle the aggression without having any major attacks. We tried different sorts of meds to see if that calmed her down but it didn't. We tried different types of joint supplements in case her aggression was due to the pain from arthritis. but, again, no luck. We resorted to putting the dogs behind gates whenever we were in the living room.

That all changed Tuesday afternoon. I pick K up from Miss Becky's and brought him home. He truly loves our animals. He claps his hands and "talks" at them. When we were walking from the front door to the living room, he peeked over the gate to see the dogs and waved at them. Mattie charged towards him and got his fingers. She did not, thankfully, break the skin but did scare the both of us pretty bad. It was at that moment that I realized things had to change. I kept asking my self, "What's it going to take? How hurt is Keegan going to have to get?" And I didn't want to answer it. I called Chris and we knew it was time. He called our wonderful vet and talked things over with her. Our choices were few. We realized that the only responsible thing left for us to do was to put her down. Her aggression would never end. We would always have to be on guard. We would have to severely limit her way of living and that was just not fair. We also knew, from our years in rescuing, that aggressive dogs don't get placed usually. Plus, how responsible would it be for us to put this problem onto another family?

So, this evening, when Chris gets home, we are taking our red head for her last car ride. This is not an easy choice to make but we know it is best for her. Please keep us all in your prayers during these next few days. We aren't happy with what we have to do but, for her sake, we must.

So, here's to you Mattie Lou. May you spend the time between our next meeting sitting on green grass in the sun on a cool, breezy day. We will look for the trail of snow. We love you.

Our Ike-tastic Weekend

Due to evacuations from Hurricane Ike, our great friends the Lowries (Mark, Alayna - aka Laner, Evelyn, and Everett) came up to visit. They had evacuated before the hurricane since they have two little ones and Laner is due with Evan in December. They had been staying at Mark's parents' house outside of Austin and needed a break. We were so excited to see them since we always have such a great time together.
What follows is an account of the activities we enjoyed while they were here.

Saturday evening

Due to evacuations from Hurricane Ike, our great friends the Lowries (Mark, Alayna - aka Laner, Evelyn, and Everett) came up to visit. They had evacuated before the hurricane since they have two little ones and Laner is due with Evan in December. They had been staying at Mark's parents' house outside of Austin and needed a break. We were so excited to see them since we always have such a great time together. They arrived Saturday after lunch. We kinda sat around and chilled since the kids were all napping. When it got to be dinner time, we all headed up to our favorite Mexican dive, Don Juan's Romantic Mexican food. This place has bean (hehe) around for years and is a favorite. We were meeting lots of people there: Joyce, Charlie, David, and Steve Smith; Martha and Jordan Palmer; Momma, Daddy, and Grandnanny. Steve was in town before heading to NYC for the show he is currently working on. Don Juan's is not a huge place so we took up the entire back room. It was a great time. We squeezed into the booths and were all cozy. After the kids finished their food, we went ahead and let them run around since we were the only ones in the back. (NOTE: We never do this but since there was no one else, we figured it wouldn't be bad parent!) Everyone had a great time just watching the kids run around. Evelyn kept running over to my mom, whom she calls Nanny, and giggling. Then she'd run over to Steve and tickle him and then run back to my mom. She really enjoys my parents, especially since they bought a box of strawberries for her!!)

Sunday afternoon

After teaching Sunday School, I returned home to a house full of people ready to go to the zoo. We got there and got all of kid gear unloaded. We decided to make our way down to the Texas end since it was close to lunchtime and we were getting hungry. When we go to the zoo, we pack a cooler with lunch - saves so much money!! I don't think we have ever purchased any food items at the zoo (souvenirs are a different story!) . Our bunch looked so cool though! Evelyn rode in a stroller. Everett and K sat facing each other in our Radio Flyer wagon. If you haven't seen it, it is decked out!! We have the canopy plus the attachable trailer. There's not a time that we go that people don't ask us where we got it. We realized the first time we went that there wasn't enough room for all of our bags plus K in the wagon. We saw a family that had the trailer and decided we needed one. Luckily, we found one on Craiglist.

The boys really enjoyed being in the wagon. They would sit there and just talk to each other. Laner asked Evelyn what the boys were saying. She replied, "I don't know," with a tone that suggested she was above baby talk. We ate our lunch and then made our way over to the little farm area so that the kids could see the cow, chicken, pig, and goats. Everett loved all the animals, especially the goats. He would just walk up and start petting one.

K on the other hand, showed his fear of farm animals. He just cried whenever Chris would get close to the animal. Such a big boy!! We left the farm experience and went into the reptile building. I stayed outside with the stuff since that building gets crowded. K and Chris came out and we sat on a rock and marveled at our "little" boy as he ran around. Out next stop was in the new penguins exhibit. It is in its own building. They have a glass window from floor to ceiling that goes the entire length of the exhibit. The smart zoo people even built a little ledge that kids can stand on. Since Mark go stuff duty, the rest of us took the kids in. We waited a bit for a space to clear and then set the kids up on the ledge. The penguins were swimming around. Everett got scared whenever one swam towards him. He took a step back and almost fell off the ledge. I caught him but my quick movement scared K so he started crying. After that, the penguins were no fun. We quickly left and took the Lowries to the really cool bird dome. It is filled with parakeets, cockatoos, and cocktails. You pay $1 for a Popsicle stick covered with birdseed. You walk into the dome and wait for a bird to land on your stick. We usually go to the zoo in the mornings so the birds are hungry. They will zoom to your stick. You can even have two at one time on it! By the afternoon, though, they have had their fill and it was tough getting a bird to eat on the stick. We did manage to get some though. I held Everett while Laner stayed outside with the stuff. Everett was so funny! He seriously was like that Looney Tunes character - he wanted to touch them and hold them and squeeze them and called the George!! So cute!! After the cool bird experience, we headed up the mountain to check out the big cats. It was awesome!! Before we even got there, we could hear the lion. He must have been feeling pretty frisky because he was calling out to any available females very loudly!! I personally have never heard a lion at the zoo. This one is usually sleeping whenever we have been there previously (again, get there early, not much action). He would yawn and show his teeth and tongue - HUGE!! The kids were really impressed by his calls. I was happy that K didn't start crying!! Next to the lion is the tiger exhibit. They recently put the new tiger cubs in the exhibit with their momma. I could see the momma up on a ledge sleeping but no babies. It took a while to realize that they were curled up with her!! I got our super cool camera and got a few close up shots of the babies - so cute!!

Next, we headed to the elephants - K's favorite. They were so active!! They were kicking balls around, kicking the barrel around, and swaying. And they were really close to the fence so the kids could see how big they really are.We really learned that the later in the day, the more we see and hear!!

I mean even the hippos were active. They were having a great time playing with the water spray.

We stopped by and saw the giraffes and then headed to our last stop - apes!! They were all pretty active except for the big gorilla in the center. He was sitting up at the top next to a window. We went up to check him out. He looked so sad in his eyes, like he was bored. K started crying when we tried to get him close to see the gorilla so that didn't last long. Needless to say, we had some tired kiddos and parents!! We went home and put the kids down for naps.

Sunday evening

While at the zoo, we smelled the delicious odor of hamburgers on the grill. It was then and there that we decided to have a cookout for dinner. When we got home, the kids went down for naps. Chris and Mark went to the store to get stuff for dinner. I had invited my parents and grandmother over. I also invited our friends the Priests over. They have season tickets for the seats behind us at the Airhogs. Chris took charge of the grilling and did an excellent job. When we sat down to eat, we said our prayer. We have been holding K's hands or shoulders since he was a baby when it was prayer time. This time, he held our hands the whole time. After was said amen and did our hand squeezing, we let go of his hands. He then grabbed our hands and said "Amen!" It was a total thrill of my soul to see that he understands!! The burgers were great. Though we were reminded that K doesn't like burgers yet. I ended up making him some mac and cheese with veggies. He did eat that but was totally shoving the baked beans into his mouth as fast as he could. There was a whole lot of visiting and laughing and cheering (Cowboy game was on). It really felt good to know that we have people in our lives who enjoy being in our home and sharing a meal together. The best part of the the evening was when Everett and Evelyn started singing "Ring around the Rosie". Everett is hilarious at this. When it comes to "all fall down", he throws himself on the floor and just giggles!! And Chris and I lost it when K joined in. While the Lowrie kids are spinning in circles, our pride and joy stands there and twists his body so that his arms flail around. For "all fall down", he bends over and smacks the floor. The rest of the night, he was running around saying "Ashes, ashes, ashes, ashes." But it didn't come out as ashes. Sounds like he was calling for a donkey!!

Monday afternoon

Chris and I had talked during the day about going to Don Juan's to eat dinner since Mark and Laner had enjoyed it so much. When I walked into our house this afternoon, the funniest sight greeted me. Laner was sitting in the green chair and Mark was sitting on the couch. Both had the "hand caught in the cookie jar" expression on their faces. Why?? Because they were snacking on Don Juan's!! We were kinda worried they didn't like it but I guess our fears were totally wrong!! Their kiddos were taking naps. They had a good day checking out the state park in Cedar Hill. They really enjoyed the beautiful nature the park offers but the playgrounds (a total must for all parents with little ones) were a complete bust!! Metal slide??? In the sun???? Crazy!! When Evelyn woke up, she went with me to go get K from Miss Becky's. She enjoyed seeing all the kids. Though she was a bit flabbergasted that it seemed like we walk everywhere! After Everett woke up, we watched the kids play for a while. We then went to Mike Lewis park which is close to our house. I made sure to grab the leftover hot dog buns we had since there are ducks at this park. We got there and unloaded the kiddos. This is a new playground and the equipment is not your typical equipment. There really aren't separate playgrounds for toddlers and older children. It is mostly for older children with lots of climbing things. Evelyn hopped up on the big wheel. You are supposed to ride it laying down and holding on for dear life. She wanted to ride it sitting up. So, I gave her a spin and she fell off. No cries though!! From then on, she laid down on it. They did have this little red cup that spins. I put K in it and spun him slowly. He wasn't too happy about it. He enjoyed walking on the stuff they put for ground cover. It is shredded tires and quite bouncing! We then ventured to the other side of the pond and waited for the ducks to come over to us. I will say that this moment was the highlight of my day. Each child truly showed their unique personalities. K was walking around saying "Mack! Makck! Mack!" - his immitation of a duck. Then he would go "Meow!"Meow!" Evelyn kept handing the bread to the ducks saying, "This if for you, your majesty." We tried to tell her that she needed to throw the bread but she didn't. Then one of the ducks got her fingers when he or she was trying to get the bread. She started throwing after that. Everett, was sitting there eating his bread. He would pretend to give it to the ducks but would quickly put it in his mouth. K also showed that he still cannot throw. He kept "throwing" the bread but it landed right by my feet. I was afraid that the ducks would mistake my white little piggies for pieces of bread! While feeding the ducks, Chris came to the park on his way home. He just laughed at our little boy quacking and meowing at the ducks. After the ducks, we went back to the playground for a few more minutes of fun. Mark put Everett in the little red cup. He really liked it. So much so that when Mark took him out, he cried. So, Mark put him back in and spun him some more. After a few minutes, it was time to go. Mark got him out of the red cup and walked over to the big wheel to give Evelyn a few more spins on the big wheel. While we were standing there watching the fun, Everett's tummy realized that it didn't like the spinning and he threw up a bit. But it didn't phase him at all!! He was ready for more fun. Before we got to go have more fun, we would have to stop by the house and change Everett's shirt.

Monday Night Dinner

After some suggestions, it was decided that we would eat at the Oasis on Joe Pool Lake. Since the Lowrie's had explored that state park side of the lake, we thought they would enjoy seeing the other side that is managed by the city. The Oasis is a nice place since it is on the water. We decided to sit outside since it was a nice night. We got a table away from the smokers. the table looked so dirty that I had to pull out my trusty anti-bacterial wipes. Both Laner and I used a wipe but we were astonished to find that the table wasn't dirty at all!! The dark spots looked more like cigarette burns than anything. We ordered our food and just enjoyed talking to each other. Mark stated that this would be a pretty romantic place....if we didn't have the kiddos with us. And it really was with the sun setting, the splashing of the waves, and the cool breeze. Granted, you had to ignore the slightly fishy smell!! We really had a great time just sitting there talking and watching the kids. K kept looking over all the glasses to make sure that Everrett was still there. At the end of the meal, I put a napkin over K's head and asked "Where's Keegan?" He pulled it off and all the kids just laughed and laughed. So we had to go around the table letting each child "hide". So much fun!
I really did enjoy yesterday afternoon. It made me realize that we really are depriving ourselves of some great fun when we just sit inside during the evenings. I had a total paradigm shift about this. I always felt like the evening was half over when I got home from work. This day made me realize that there are so many things that I can go do with K outside. Looking forward to our next grand adventure - Wednesday afternoon at the library!!

Why we are nominated for Parent's of the Year

Whenever I think I've got things under control, God reminds me that he is in charge. Last night, he did just that. And at church of all places!! We have a very full Wednesday night. Our church provides dinner on Wednesday nights for the low price of $3 a person - SWEET!! And it was spaghetti night - a Teubner family fav! I mean who needs desserts when there is garlic bread!!! Anyways, K tore into his spag and made a fantastic mess of it. It was time to clean him up so I open his diaper bag and come to the strange realization that THERE ARE NO WIPES!!! WHAT??#?$?#!?!?#!? But I put a bib and cup in there and didn't even notice!!! And of all meals not to have wipes! So Chris goes and gets wet towels (lovely, industrial strength ones that absorb no water and are horribly coarse). We get him "cleaned" up and Chris takes him to the class where he is setting up for the FPU class he teaches. I use the time to clean the high chair we used. Totally grossed me out but it will be the one that we use from now on since I KNOW it is clean. Ok, got that done and collect K to take upstairs. As I pick him up, an order hits me and it is not pleasant. Great!! I hated it when parents would drop off kids with dirty diapers when I worked in the nursery. And then I am floored with another realization. Not only do we not have wipes, we also have no diapers!! Great!!! Luckily, the gals in the nursery have a sense of humor and laugh off my lame apologizes for the situation. YEAH! After bell practice, I go to pick him up from the nursery. They are not smiling. The first words out of their mouths were "He had two poopy diapers." Great!! Thank you!! No, no autographs, please.

Why Rhonda rocks

I have this good friend that I truly have known for a long time (And I've know her hubby FOREVER). Her name is Rhonda and I am so blessed to have her in my life. Not only is she doing what I would L-O-V-E to do (homemaking diva), she is active in her faith, community, and life PERIOD! She and her hubby are raising two beautiful girls. She has a fantastic laugh that she's not afraid to use. And she inspires me to write my blog even though she's the only person who does. I love that she shares freely things that she cooks for her family. She mentioned tilapia fillets at Costco and we picked some up. I am always looking for great ways to get more fish into our menus. Boy was she right on target with those. We all enjoyed them - even K! He ate a few bites and started going "Mmmmmm". He ate all but a few bites of a whole fillet. We were impressed!
So, in the spirit of sharing, here is one of our recent (and easy) recipes: Bubble Up Pizza

1 can spaghetti sauce (any flavor but not plain)
1 can refrigerated biscuits
toppings you like on your pizza (onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc)
mozzarella (2 cups)

NOTE: I like hamburger on my pizza so I brown a lb of ground meat (can be beef or turkey). Preheat oven to 350. Mix in other toppings in and get them warmed up. Add in can of spaghetti sauce. Quarter the biscuits and mix in with sauce and toppings. Mix in 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Put in a 13x9. baked for 25-30 min or until biscuits are golden. Put the other cup of mozzarella and baked for 5 more minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Our adventurous boy

Well, Sunday was not a good day for Keegan. His absolutely loves climbing. He'll climb up anything - coffee table, kitchen chairs, the bricks in front of our fireplace, ANYTHING!! This weekend though was a rough one for our fearless wonder. On Sunday, he was playing in the kitchen and ran into the kitchen table and got a nice shiner under his left eye. Of course, this was BEFORE we went to church so he looked so beat!!
He also has about 6 mosquito bites on his face so he looks like he also is recovering from chicken pox.
The scariest thing, though, happened Sunday evening when we were preparing dinner. My parents and grandmother were coming over for enchiladas. K decided that he would crawl into one of the kitchen chairs. We try to prevent this by pushing the chairs in but he is strong enough to pull the back out. Anyways, he was standing up talk and then he lost his balance and fell. Face first. Onto the tile floor. We were both scared that he had chipped a tooth since the was blood in his mouth. And, being the 2 year old he thinks he is, he immediately clamped his mouth shut when we tried to examine him mouth. If you have never seen a toddler wail with their mouth clamped shut and tears running down their face, you are missing a sight! In the end, we finally got a peek and started wiping away the blood from his mouth. His teeth were still in place and no chips. I know that his mouth hurt so I gave him a Popsicle which totally cheered him up and stopped the tears.
My biggest fear was how his face would look the next morning. Due to the fact that I have to be AT school by 7, I do not get to see my little boy in the mornings. I called Chris and he said that K looked fine. YEAH!! Now we are looking for toys he can climb on.....in the living room!!!

All the little children

For those of you who may now know, Chris and I teach the 3 and 4 year old Sunday School class in our church. We usually switch off months with another teacher but she delivered her first child in July so we taught the summer lessons. I have taught the class for the last two years and have enjoyed it so much more since Chris joined in to help teach it. Last Sunday was our last class until October. The lessons that our children's director purchased are super easy to use but a majority of the stuff we just can't do with our little ones (lots of cutting things out!!). Most of the time, I pick about 3 things to do along with our video lesson and song of the month. I did not get a chance to copy anything off so I just looked through the lesson. It was about offering - what it is used for and why we give it. I decided that this was a great chance for our kids to go on a field trip! We walked over to the sanctuary where there were setting things up for the 11 o'clock service. We were on a hunt for the offering plates. It took a few minutes but they were located and each child held one. We talked about if they were heavy or light, what they were made of, etc. Our pastor took a few minutes to talk with the children about the plates and why there was a cushion in the bottom of the plates (I didn't know why it was there - learn something new every day!). We also talked about what things offering was used for and how it helps people. So, we then venture back to our room to make our own offering containers. I had gone out on errands with my mom the previous day. At Hobby Lobby, I found boxes like the ones that Chinese takeout comes in. They were plain white and had a handle that were perfect for what we needed them for. So I get out the boxes and the kids get to coloring (crayons only since they were kinda slick). They kids had a great time coloring. One adventurous tyke (was supposed to be in the kinder class but didn't feel like going) colored the outside and inside of his gold. He took special care to paint the bottom of the inside red - just like the offering plates!!! We admired each other's boxes and then I told them that we had a problem with all the boxes - they were empty!!! We can't help people when our offering boxes are empty!! What did that call for? Another field trip! We went to the Adult building and visited the class that Chris and I belong to. It was really neat since some of our kids' parents were in there. We explained what we were learning and about our problem - we had no offering for children's church. They all immediately started digging out change and bills. The kids went around the room and ended up with "noisy" boxes. It was so fun to see them smile at everyone and hold out their boxes! We thanked everyone and headed out. We realized that we had extra time and room left in our boxes so we headed to the class next door, the Pacesetters. It is lovingly referred to as the "old people" class since the members of the class are super seniors. We knocked on the door and went in. Again, we explained our lesson and before we could explain why we were there, they were all ready getting out change!! The adults had a great time giving. It was so funny to see them making sure that they gave offering to each child!! We apologized for interrupting their class and they invited to come back anytime. We then headed back to the Children's building to show our children's director, Miss Julie, our offering and put it in the offering plate they use for children's church. She got out the plate which is a smaller version of the offering plates we saw in big church. I truly cannot describe how soul-warming it was so see the kids line up and pour the contents of their boxes into the collection plate. They totally lit up the room!! And they got really excited when the plate started to flow over and coins dropped on the floor. Miss Julie said that she had never seen the offering plate that full before. We headed back to our class and got ready for parents to pick them up. We told the kids that they were to bring their boxes every Sunday with their offering from the week in it. I doubt it will happen but at least the kids got a chance to experience what offering is. I am a firm believer in kids knowing why we do what we do in church, not just because it's tradition. Chris declared that it was the best class he'd ever been to!

Wonder of wonders, miracles of miracles!!

I totally forgot to mention we had a complete breakthrough at the Airhogs game Monday night. I have mentioned earlier that K is totally enthralled with the mascot, Ace Bacon (hehehe). It has taken all season, with Ace dutifully coming to see us every game, for Keegan to not cry when he gets close. Well, Monday, it all came together. K let Ace hold him!! Yippee!! Ace was so excited that he has warmed up to him. I hope to post pics this weekend but no promises.

Air Hogs win!!!

We were really ticked that they moved yesterdays home game from 7 pm to noon in order to have the game before any chance of storms rolled in. Luckily, Momma was able to go and keep us updated on the score. Our hogs pulled off a great victory. The Canaries thrashed us when we played them earlier in the season. So far, we are 1-1 in this final series. The winner is best out of 5. Here's hoping the Hogs can keep us the winning spirit that got them to the finals. Please keep the players and their families in your prayers as they travel up to Sioux Falls today. They play tonight at 7 pm. If you want to hear a fabulous play-by-play, they broadcast the game through their website. GO HOGS!!

Happy Anniversary, LOML!!

Today marks 8 years of wedded bliss. It is sad to say but it truly has been bliss. Chris and I rarely argue (unless we are fake arguing in the car so that panhandlers will just walk by our car and not stop). To celebrate our anniversary, we went to Ruth Chris's Steakhouse in Downtown Fort Worth. It was fantastic!! It was expensive but we had a gift card so that helped. When Chris made reservations, he mentioned that it was our anniversary. When we got to our table, they had spread heart shaped confetti around the table. It was a little gesture that meant a lot to us. Right now, they have a summer special that is a three course meal for two for $89. It was fantastic! We cleaned our plates!!! Of course, if you pay that much for a meal, you either eat it all or take it home. There were people who were leaving food on the plates - what???? During dinner, we played a question game. We've always loved to do this to get conversations going and it really got us reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the next year. We took forever to eat our meals due to our conversation. It was lovely to just sit there and relax. It was funny that we were sat before the people around us and they left before we did!! The only low point of the meal was the couple next to us. They were silent for the majority of the meal. They were older but were hardly speaking to each other, only commenting one a few things, like the fact that her steak was bigger than his. I made Chris promise me that we would never be THAT couple.

While I freely admit that we had a great time, we did miss K. He stayed at my parents' house that night (Thanks Nanny and Pop!) When we got home, I missed him so much. I think it had a lot to do with our conversations at dinner. So, we called them and then walked over to their house to peek in on our little man. He was having a great time sharing a snack with Nanny. It was so funny to see him watch his Pop's every move and just smile.

So, in honor of our 8 years together, I have made a list for my beloved:
Reasons why my love for you grows
10. You make me see things from a different perspective (both intellectually and height).
9. You make me tell you how I really feel about something.
8. You make me laugh.
7. You are still a kid at heart.
6. You miss your family when you are gone.
5. You can and will cook.
4. You like doing little surprises for me.
3. You take me places all over the world.
2.You put up with me and my moods.
1. You take an enthusiastic approach to raising our family.

Those are just a few of the MANY things that I love about you, Babe. Here's to an eternity of anniversaries!!

Hogs keep on Truckin'!

Our beloved Airhogs beat the Fort Worth Cats in a fantastic game Friday night. We had a great time as always. Even K joined in when we were clapping and chearing the team as the celebrated on the field. One great thing about winning Friday night - no game on Saturday!! That means our guys had 2 days of rest before playing the first game of the finals against the Sioux Fall Canaries. Go Hogs go!!

GO HOGS GO!!

So, our beloved Airhogs lost last night's game to the Ft. Worth Cats 1-0. It was a great game filled with some awesome plays. While I am sad we didn't win, I am so impressed with our defense. That one run was a homerun. The guys did a great job of fielding and holding the Cats to base hits. WAY TO GO! We have another game tonight. If we win, we are in the playoffs. How cool that would be for a first year team to be in the playoffs!! Great for them and great for GP.
At the game, a man wearing a Cats cap sat down next to us. I said "Hi." He replied, "You're not going to run me off, are you?" "Oh heavens no!!" One thing that I want is for everyone who comes to QTP (Quick Trip Park) is to have a fantastic time and come again. I don't care who you support since we support the same thing - great baseball. We had the best time visiting with him and talking baseball. He seemed to enjoy it to. He did say that he could see how easy it would be to become a Hogs fans. We told him the next game he came to that he needed to get the same seat. He said he would. How fun!!
K was in total heaven being back at the park after a week of no games. He about fell out of Chris's arms when he saw Ace, the mascot. He adores Ace. Luckily, we know Ace and he makes it a point to come to our seats and tell K hi. If they make an Ace stuffed animal, K would truly be the happiest kid on the planet. He also loves going to the kiddie playground. He hasn't gotten the concept that you have to sit before you slide - a work in progress!! His favorite thing is for me to stand at one end of the playset and Chris to stand at the other. He giggles so loudly running from one to the other! We just smile and thank God for this ultimate blessing. I am starting to get emotional about K lately. Maybe it is because I am back at work and see so many kids who didn't get enough while they were growing up. Who knows! maybe it's because he is no longer the youngest at daycare. Who knows! I just am totally in love with my son. How can you ever thank God enough for all that your child is??
I did thank my mom yesterday for expecting me to go to college. I have noticed that so many of my students are afraid to graduate because they do not know what to do. Their parents barely expected them to graduate so who is there to hold up hope for a future? I''ll just add that to my list......

Long time no write!

We had a GREAT summer filled with many firsts: swim lessons, story time, zoo visits, birthday parties, etc.

So what's new with the Teubners? Well, Chris got a new job working fora construction company. He's an estimator and really likes it when it is busy. It has taken him out of town more than his last job but not out of state!! I'm back at my same school. It was hard to come back (why aren't we independantly wealthy yet????) but things are better now that the students are here. K is not longer taking a morning nap. This is great becuase he has started going to bed earlier!! While he used to be a 8 or 8:30 bedtimer, he is now 7 or 7:30. This is great because that give us more time in the evening to keep the house picked up. It isn't not good on nights where we are out around 7 or 7:30. Nothing lilke a cranky little man to ruin a good time! Oh well. His current "new thing" is saying please. In order to say it, he has to scrunch up his face - so cute!! He also is a fan of the word "no" but for him, it is more like "Nawh".

Tonight and tomorrow, we get to go to the Airhogs playoff games - so excited!! Instead of taking a trip this summer, we decided to get season tickets to the Hogs. We have had so much fun!! K really likes going. We're hoping the Hogs stayed in (and win) the playoffs as that will give us more baseball. If you haven't gone, GO!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Sunday was such a great day!! K woke us up around 6:30. I guess he was ready for the fun to begin. I got to open my presents. I got a inflatable pool from K that we can use this summer. From Chris, I got a video camera. It was so funny because on Saturday I was trying to get Chris to buy a pool at Target and he just wouldn't get one! It was like he was ignoring me. Now I know why! The camera is so cool. K does so many funny things that I know I want to capture and watch whenever he's being a teenager. It will remind me of how quickly time passes and he changes. We decided to skip church and headed out to Mimi's for breakfast. We really like going there - so yummy!! We then headed to Home Depot to buy some plants. After that, we went over to Granny's house to wish her a happy MD. She gets such a kick out of him. She just laughs at his antics. We headed home to get ready to go have lunch at Steak & Ale with my family. Grandnanny is still recovering from gall bladder surgery and was not up to it. I will never go back there for MD. It was so irritating because there was no parking. All the cheap people who didn't want to pay for parking at Six Flags parked in the A&A lot. Paying customers had to trek across two parking lots to get there! Try that in heels with a 22 lb baby and all the stuff that comes with him! The meal was ok. Just not a S&A fan. We went back home and got started on jobs that needed to be done. I cooked our meals for the next two weeks (gotta love casseroles!) and Chris worked in the backyard doing some planting. My dad came over to help Chris with installing the new screen door and switching out the dimmer light switches. Momma came over too and we just played around with K. Afterwards, we headed out to Cheddars. I wanted a Cookie Monster so bad!! But it was 8 o'clock and they had a wait where people were standing outside. FORGET IT! We skipped over to Spring Creek and walked right in. So yummy! A girl from our church works there and we got to say hi to her. She is so funny!! She had free ice cream brought over - YUM!! It is getting fun to see what K will eat. We are trying to let him experience a little bit off everthing. He LOVEd the green beans there and their mac n cheese. Granted, once he saw the ice cream, that was all he wanted. Good thing he is not lactose intolerant!!

K's going to be 1 year old next week - how I am not ready for that! We've got the party plans all down but I am just not ready to let go of my baby. While I do miss the baby phase, I am so enthralled with all he can do now.

I will say the best present I got on Sunday was a fabulous time with my parents. It is so nice to be able to sit back and laugh and goof off with your parents. I do feel sorry for people that do not have a good relationship with their parents. Trust, I am a firm believer that not every should be a parent. Some people don't realize it and others do. I for one am thankful everyday for my parents. They do so much for my brother and I. I am so blessed that God made them my parents. Granted, I think they didn't always feel that way but thank goodness I grew up!

What a weekend!!

It was super busy. Saturday, Chris had to work Saturday until 3. We woke K up from his nap and headed out for errands. We spent the evening over at the Jackson's house for burgers and cards. It was so much fun watching Madison and K play. He really enjoys being around other kids. Is that a hint, kiddo??
Sunday, we played hookie from church. Since we taught our children's SS class for the month of April, we decided to sleep in and go out for breakfast. We went to Mimi's Cafe in Arlington. We really have enjoyed everything we've had there. The manager sat us at our table. He returned a few minutes later with a small plate that had a quarter of an orange and some Cheerios for K. We were so impressed! It was K's first time to try oranges. He really liked them and was smart enough to spit out the pulpy part of the orange. He is really interested in what we are eating but he didn't get a taste of our meals since we both ordered eggs. Afterwards, we headed to Target and Home Depot. We finally found a patio set that we liked, could comfortably seat 6, and not be over $400. We then headed home to meet up with my parents so that we could go to the Airhogs baseball stadium to pick up our season tickets. It was so much fun! We saw so many people that we knew. We found our seats and were delighted to find out that the people next to us were members of our church who also have young kiddos. Opening Day is the 19th of this month and we are so excited about going!!! We came home and cooked up some beans for our Dave Ramsey class graduation. It lasted 13 weeks and was totally worth it! We have enjoyed Dave for years and it felt so good to have the class. The cool thing is that once you take it, you can take it over and over again as many times as you want and not have to pay again. Also, your children can take it without paying - so cool!! When we finally got home, we were beat! We put K to bed and then called up our pals in Houston. We both have Wiis and just got Mariokart. This game is so cool because we can all go and race in the same race even though were hundreds of miles apart. It was so fun!
Monday was a great day - no school!! Gotta love not using those bad weather days! We dropped K off at the sitters and then headed out for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. It was so good!! Then we went to Best Buy to start using Chris's employee discount. Finally got the TV he's been wanting!! I met some friends from work for lunch at Cotton Patch and then we headed over to the movies to see "Made of Honor". It was so funny and will probably be one that I have to add to my chick flick collection!!

Thanks, Rhonda, for those good tips about how to avoid using the word no but still saying no. I'm going to try them out!!

Is it just me??

So, now that Keegan has all this mobility, I feel like the meanest person in the world. I am getting onto him for what seems like a million times a day. "No." "No, Sir!" "Do not lick the cat!" I feel like all he gets from me is negative energy. I sit there and feel so terrible, like I'm not being a good mom. I know I am. He's healthy and happy. But I also feel like the Wicked Witch. Anyone else feel this way??

Just a quick update!

So, time has just been flying by!! Here's a quick catch-up:

Keegan is taking steps!! He's up to three without falling. The funniest part is he knows what he is doing is really big because he looks at you with the BIGGEST smile on his face!! He has started throwing fits when we lay him on the changing table. He doesn't do this anywhere else. We have no idea why and are trying to figure something out because he really freaks out about it. I am having to learn how to quickly snap onsie bottoms while he is standing up!! He is also getting good at getting lost in the house. Chris had him in our bedroom and K just took off down the hallway. Chris waited a few minutes (since K loves to be chased) and went after him. Chris came into the living room and there was no K!! He asked if K was in the kitchen with me and he wasn't. Where was he?? He had crawled into our guest bathroom and crawled into the empty bathtub. When we found him, he was standing up IN the bathtub hitting the top of the edge of the tub. We took it to mean that he wanted a bath that night. So, we are making sure to keep the gates locked from now on!!

Chris has started a permanent substitute position as a 5th grade math teacher. He is truly learning by fire!! He comes home with some pretty interesting stories - for sure!! He will have officially been working at Best Buy for a month this Sunday. Why is that a big thing?? That means the he can now purchase items from Best Buy with his employee discount. He can finally get that plasma tv!! While he is worn out from working two jobs, he really has enjoyed doing something different. He is going for a job interview this afternoon for a position with a company that one of our good friends works with. It pays a heck of a lot more than teaching so it could be something for him to seriously consider.

I have been busy being the single parent. Since Chris works 3-4 days a week, I have found that making all of our dinners for the week on Sunday is the best thing for us. We're not eating out much anymore (so we're saving money) and we are trying new things. I have posted a new favorite recipe at the bottom. It sounds very strange but so good!!

We are all excited that we get to go to the new Airhogs stadium on Sunday to see our seats and get our season tickets!! Can't wait for Opening Day!!

2 Point brownies
1 box Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Brownie mix
1 15 oz can black beans

Puree black beans in a blender until completely smooth. Mix with brownie mix. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with Pam and pour mix into it. Bake according to box directions. We store ours in the fridge.

Chris has stated that he doesn't want me to make any other kind of brownie.

Olympic question

There has been a lot of talk about the leaders of countries boycotting the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympic games in Beijing due to China's treatment of Tibet. This completely ticked me off. why do these world leaders decide that now is the time to take a stand?? Why not take a stand when they got into office? Why have they not spoken about it before?
I usually don't tell others who I vote for but I voted for Hillary in the primary. I agree with her view on education and abortion legislation. But I do not agree with her stating that Bush needs to boycott the OC. He is not there showing his support of that country. He is there showing support to the competitors who represent the US. I have a former student who is captain of the US boxing team. He has literally been working towards this his whole life. It means so much to him that he will be representing the US. If I could afford it, I would be there supporting him. I feel that, like our troops in Iraq, the more that our support is shown for their dedication to what they do, the better they will do. I am seriously rethinking my vote. Add to the mix that ALL presidential canidates have said that the President should boycott. Can no one make their own decision? I honestly have no clue who I will vote for. It all depends on the next few months, I guess.

1st trip to the zoo

During our hiatus from blogging, we went to the zoo for the first time. For Christmas, my parents gave us the best gift ever - a family membership to the Fort Worth Zoo. I truly believe that this is the best gift to give. It requires not dusting, feeding, or finding a place to put it on display. Plus, it's something the whole family can enjoy. We got one for our friends the Brinkmans. Their birthdays are all within one week and we thought we'd spend that much on three gifts.
We played hooky from church the last weekend in March. Chris and I switch off teaching the 3 & 4 year old Sunday school class at church. We would start teaching again in April so we took the time to enjoy our gift.
We got there a little before the zoo opened and got a front parking spot. Chris had a great time putting on the canopy to the Radio Flyer wagon that Granny got K for Christmas. You could totally tell it was our first time to the zoo. We had the wagon AND a stroller. We realized that K has so much stuff that there would be no room for him in the wagon! So off we went to get our membership cards. After the couple of minutes that took, we entered the zoo and went straight to the primates. The big gorilla was not happy about having people check him out in his room. He kept coming up and banging on the glass. The best part what when he would go over to his door and look at the zoo keepers with an expression that said, "Ok. I've done the horse and pony show. Can I go play now??" The keepers did not have his breakfast ready so he had to wait. He just sat there blowing air out of his lips - totally not into this! K really paid attention to the animals. Once we pointed them out, he would follow them around with his eyes. We headed out doors to check out other animals and the gibbons were totally enjoying their play stuff. They were jumping and soaring all over the place and K was enthralled by them. When we got to the top of the primate exhibit, the orangutan was in his room playing with a blanket. There was no one else around so we were able to get K right up in the window. The orangutan noticed K and came right up to the window and put his hand on the glass. K's eyes were so big! It's like the orangutan was checking him out too!
We met up with the Brinkmans and headed out again. We got to see the new baby giraffe - so cute! K just loved watching the animals. He thought the cheetahs looked like Fat Cat. We also went into this neat exhibit they have. It's basically a walk in octagonal cage full of parakeets and cocktails. For $1 you can get a Popsicles stick with birdseed stuck on it. It was so cool to have the birds flying about and landing right on the stick you were holding out! Keegan really wanted to touch one but he hasn't quite learned you have to be gentle. (God bless Fat Cat. She is happy to let him tug and bat at her while he is learning.)
We both took lunch to the zoo and sat down to eat. It was such a fun time. Madison is getting to be such an independent person. And K just smiles at her! I think he might be smitten!!

Oh and, Rhonda, you are totally invited to the scrapping times!

Where HAVE we been?

Yes, I am ashamed to admit it. I lost my zest for blogging. I guess part of me felt like no one was posting comments so then no one was reading. Seriously, who else thinks that my life is so funny besides Chris (Because he has to)? Then I realized I don't do this for other people but for me. My mom said that all this blogging will really pay off when I start my summer scrapbooking. I'll have all these cool little entries to remind me of things that happened over the past year.
The biggest news is that Chris got laid off about a month ago. We were kinda freaked the first day. After the shock wore off the next day, we realized that this was all part of God's plan. He would take care of us. Once we realized that, we were good! Chris started working part-time at Best Buy. He's pumped because of the employee discount (as am I). He will start April 14th as a permanent sub at an intermediate school teaching 5th grade Math. He has talked about teaching for a few years now and this is a great chance for him to get a taste of it.. If he likes and feels called to it, then he will go to the alternative certification classes this summer. It will be nice when he is on the same schedule as I am. If it isn't his thing, then he'll do some major soul searching and praying and then see where that leads him.
On the Keegan front, we bought our first pair of REAL shoes. We figured since he is taking a few steps around the furniture that it was time to invest. We took him to Stride Right to get his foot measured. He wears a 4 1/2 wide since his foot is chunky. He looks like such a big boy!! And we went ahead and bought a big boy carseat that does rear-facing, front-facing, and booster. He really likes it! We swear he just sits there and sings along to the radio. Granted, he looks like such a big boy in it! The bad habit that he has picked up is that he has learned his to arch his back when he is upset. That little trick won't go on much longer. I'm not much on whining or throwing fits.
As for me, not much is going on. School goes on for 11 more weeks. Can't wait for summer vacation. I am planning on scrapbooking at least 1 day a week with my mom and whoever else wants to join in. I kinda feel like a bad parent but I realize that I need to continue to take Keegan to Miss Becky's for a few hours each day. There will be things I need to get done that will take double the time if he's with me. Plus, he does not need to get out of the habit of being with her during the day. At least that's what I keep telling myself!

We're Walking!

Ok, so K is now a little more than 9 months old. This past Monday, he started walking! Well, not on his own, but with a little help from his friendly Tonka truck. I'll try to post some pics soon, but in the meantime, I'll try to describe it.

So, Sarah's gone to take a bath Monday night, and K and I are in the living room hanging out. I made the adjustment on his Tonka truck, so that he could pull up and use it to hold him up while he stands. Well, he picked himself up, then took off across the living room! I couldn't believe what I was seeing! So, I yelled for Sarah to get the heck outta the bath, and grabbed the camera. I was able to get most of it on film, and eventually, you can check it out on our other website at www.teubner-ags.smugmug.com. So, Sarah finally made it in and we just sat there and watched him walk back and forth, pushing the Tonka truck as support, across our living room! So COOL!!! We called Nanny to come over and see him, and he did it for her, too! Last night, we went over to Granny's house (with the Tonka), and he performed for her.

I think he realizes how much we like to watch him, because he just gets this big grin on his face when he's the center of attention (which, lets be honest, is most of the time!)

Saturday, in the park.....

We had such a great day on Saturday. The fun started with meeting the Dees gals at Mike Lewis park around 10. They were having the grand opening of the trail linking Lewis with Waggoner park. The trail is 1.7 miles long one way. They city of GP did a great job of making it a fun family time. They had 5 stops along the trail to get your trail guide stamped. Each station featured a different city group: Prairie Paws, Joe Pool Lake, Parks and Rec, Uptown Theatre & the coming soon Market Square, and City Services. At the end of the trail, you showed your stamped booklet and you got a T-shirt showing the Good Link which is the name of the trail. We are so excited to be adding to our GP T-shirt collection! While we were at the opening ceremonies, complete with a speech from Ruthie Jackson, we ran into Jerry from our church. He had his cutie puppy, Goldie. She is a blond lab mix. We started the trail after Jane had her bottle. So glad we had a chance to rest now that I think about it. I needed all my energy for the trail! We had a great time walking the trail. We took our time to enjoy an easy pace and each other's company. We got stopped by the camera guy for the GP cable channel. He interview Rhonda ("Nature is pretty") and Chris. It was funny when he told us to be on the look-out for the interviews on cable channel 16. None of us have cable!! We all had to pull out our shades when Mr. Sun came out. Mr. Keegan was such a Cool Dude!! Mazie can playground on her mind so she asked repeatedly when were we going to the playground. She felt like we needed to go to the playground immediately. Don't blame her a bit. So, we headed for the playground in Waggoner. One funny part was when we got our stamp for Prairie Paws. The ladies were asking everyone if they had their poop bag. What they were handing out was bags for dog owners to put dog poop in. We just cracked up over the responses we could have given them. "No, I went before I came." So funny! When we finally got to the playground, Mazie was in her element. She was fearless!! She climbed up the "rock" wall. She would walk up to any kid and just start talking and playing. It was so fun to see her so filled with joy. Keegan and Chris headed over to the swings since that is about all he can play with right now. He loves the swing. He loves to lean over and watch the ground pass under him as he swings. Chris did take him on the slides and to the part of the park that is for 2-5 year olds. Keegan crawled a bit but was more interested in seeing how the sticks tasted. After the playground, it hit us that we basically had to do the whole trail over again. My feet were tired but I was looking forward to the challenge. We were all so glad that they handed out trail mix at the stamp stops. Mazie is totally my kind of gal. She went for the chocolates first, then the raisins. She really didn't care for the rest of the mix so she played Hansel and Gretel. She picked up the seeds and let them slowly fall from her outstretched hand. Cracked me up. When we finally got back to where the cars were, we had a bit of an obstacle course. The Kid Fish had started and there were cars everywhere!! The road was reduced to where only one car could get through since cars were parked on both sides of the road. It was so packed, we couldn't even get through the line of cars to our car!! Crazy!! But we did get to the cars. Total props to Supermom Rhonda for getting the double stroller folded AND put into the trunk of her car. So impressed!! We then headed over to grab some romantic Mexican food at the GP standard, Don Juan's. Best burritos EVER!!! We got it to go and then took it over to John's school to eat lunch with him. He was working hard and needed some comic relief, which the kids provided. It was hilarious to see Mazie and Keegan playing. Keegan loves to crawl and chase people and be chased. Mazie would run and stop and look at Keegan. He would squeal and start after her. She would run to the other side and they start all over. So funny!! Can't wait for our next adventure with the Dees!!

Why did you let me down, Little Debbie? Why?

So, we had a perfect plan for what to do for the Valentines goodies for the kids at Keegan's daycare. I had my teacher's aid stamp the kids' names on labels in really cute Mickey Mouse stamp letters. I had the brilliant idea of taking the labels and putting on those cute Little Debbie brownies made for Valentines. They are heart-shaped with pink frosting - so cute!! Yesterday, Chris looked at two Targets for them but no luck. I went to Tom Thumb and CVS on my way home from working out and no luck. They were not to be found! I was running late getting home so I figured I would just go to Albertson's after bell practice.
What was I thinking!! 7:30 at Albertson's the day before Valentine's is crazy!! I finally decided to just make my own heart-shaped brownies the easy way. I got little tin foil pans that were heart-shaped, a roll of premade brownie dough, pink frosting, and red sprinkles. They actually turned out pretty cute. And good!! I made two extra for Chris and I. Whenever I open my bakery, they will be the special of the day for Valentine's Day!!

Oh what fun!

Well, Keegan is once again proving to us that he is a blessing from God. You can just tell that he doesn't feel 100% by looking at his eyes but he is still moving right along. He was running a fever Sunday night and woke up crying at 1 am Monday morning. He had a 6 oz cup (yes, cup! We are bottleless, cup only people now!) and went back to sleep. I was worried about him so I just put him in bed with us. He, of course, slept perpendicular so I had trouble getting comfy (he has pointy toes!!). But, after such a horrible night, he woke up in such a happy mood. That made us smile even though we knew he was not feeling well, he still made us feel better.

Our Lent adventure had begun!

We attended our church's Ash Wednesday service last night. I was not in the best mood after spending 2 hours waiting at the eye doctor's office. Chris and I both look forward to the Mardi Gras supper that is served before the jazz service. I was so afraid that I would miss them both. I almost missed the dinner but Chris saved me a plate. I got out of my car in such a foul mood and that made me even more mad. I love getting to church early and enjoying the fellowship of my church family and I was missing it!! But, as soon as I walked up the ramp and the door opened, it melted away. There was Chris looking out for me and he had our sweet little boy in his arms, trying to get him to take a nap. It just made everything else seem so non-essential. I was able to just calm down and enjoy being there. Dinner was FANTASTIC! Carla did an outstanding job on the sausage jambalya. Yummy!! By the time the service started, my entire being was energized. It was such a great service too. We have a jazz band come in and provide the music to our hymns. I almost started crying. I was standing there singing along and Keegan was snoozing so soundly in my arms. It made me think of this time last year while I was pregnant with Keegan. So much hope and anticipation filled me then. We would never have believed how much he changed our lives and filled them with life. Keegan did wake up during the service and was in a fantastic mood. He kept smiling at Sally, one of our favorite people. We also took him up to the altar to have ashes put on his forehead too. That also made me cry since it symbolizes so much. After the ashes were placed, we went over to the side where they set up two large panels of burlap with black crosses painted on them. Before the sermon, our preacher gave us slips of paper that we were to write what we were given up for Lent. His son took them and put them in a coffee can and burned them. He then took those ashes and mixed them with black paint. We used the black paint to paint crosses on the burlap panels. Everyone at the service did this. They will take the panels and hang them in the sancutary during Lent so we can see that we are not alone during this time. It reminded me again of last year when we painted our two crosses and a tiny cross. This year, we painted two crosses with the inner crossbars angled down to a smaller cross. We left feeling so filled - just the way we need to be.

We just keep going and going and going....

Such a busy weekend but fun! We started the fun with having Valenmas with the Brinkmans. We ate at Veracruz in Cedar Hill - yum!! They have great margaritas! Then we headed over to their house to exchange presents. It was so much fun watching Madison and Keegan playing.
Saturday started with Chris going to help set up tables at the church for the chili cok-off. When he got back home, we headed over to Dallas to meet Lynne, Tommy, and Mono for a birthday lunch for Lynne at Cafe Express. We got there early and had a great time looking around Right Start. We bought a little football for Keegan that he totally enjoyed chewing on. Lunch was a lot of fun. Keegan has his Momma's love of pickles so we gave im half a pickle spear. He had the best time munching on it. The funniest was when he looked up and had the pointed part of this pickle hanging our his mouth. It totally looked like a tongue!! He also got his first taste of whipped cream. He really liked it! Afterwards, we headed over to Costco and Target to get grocs for the week. We then stopped by my cousin's house to help them move. We got home, ate dinner, and totally crashed into bed.
Sunday was church. Afterwards, the United Methodist Men had their annual chili cookoff to raise money for scholarships for graduating seniors. We invited the congregation of Turnpike Curch of Christ over and it was great seeing them having a good time. While our awesome chili did not win, we had a great time seeing so many people supporting our youth. We got home around 2:30 and then had to leave around 3:30 for our Financial Peace class. We are really enjoying it. It is comforting to know that we are not the only people who are paying the stupid tax!! We got home afterwards and still had laundry, clean-up, and cooking to do for the week. It was a busy weekend but it was all stuff we had fun doing.

Like father, like son

Well, Chris took Keegan to the doctor yesterday to have his ears checked. We have been struggling with ear infections in both ears since the end of December. At the check-up, the doctor was not happy with the results. While the left ear had cleared up, the right one is still infected. So, now we are on antibiotic #3. The doctor will check his ears at his 9 month check-up on February 25th. If things have not improved, he said we will need to have a serious discussion about having tubes put in his ears. Chris sees no problem in putting the tubes in since he had tubes growing up. He remembers how painful the earaches from the infections were and does not want to put Keegan through that. Keegan will have to wear earplugs for baths/showers/swimming until the fall out. Of course, Chris's did not fall out and he had to have them surgically removed. I am worried about the tubes basically becuase I am not familiar with them. No one in my family has had ear tubes. I am also concerned about future complications. Chris has hearing loss (that he won't go see a specialist for!) that he does not know how it happened. He thinks it is caused by something else but I'm just not sure.
So, again, prayers for healthy ears!!

Such a mobile man

Keegan truly enjoys his new found mobility. He is EVERYWHERE! Becky remarked that he is starting to not like to be held but be on the floor going somewhere. He also has a nice collection of bumps and his first bruise (ugh!) from pulling up on things. It is pretty funny when he sits on his knees and bounces up and down. He looks at you with an expression that says, "Check out what I can do! I am sooooooo cool!"
He does go to the Dr. today to have a checkup on his ears. We are hopeful that the infections have cleared up. We are worried about him taking after his daddy and having tubes in his ears. Not something we are looking forward to. But we are doing all we can to get them cleared up and stay that way. If only the weather would help us out!
We did have something happen that we have been dreading. Mattie, our red dog, snapped at Keegan Sunday night. He got too much into her space and she let him know. She did not come near biting him but scared him and made him cry. This has made us talk about a few things. First of all, what will it take for us to say no more and try to find her a home. Will it take Keegan getting hurt? How hurt will he have to be? Also, what will we do to try to find her a new home. Will she go to one of our parents' houses? We know that it will be hard to find her a home due to her age, medical issues, and history of biting. She has a huge fear for men and goes after people she is not familiar with. In talking last night, we realized two things. One, this is not a topic we like talking about. Two, it is a discussion we need to have now so that if something else happens, we will have a plan that has been logically put together and not one that we made during a time of high emotion. We we are hoping is that the incident has made him more aware of the animals and he will avoid them. We also try to involve him in their care. After they had their bath, he helped me brush them. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to post them. Please keep us in your prayers as we make our plan.

Just catching up

Well, we are better from our sickies but still not at 100% full Teubner Power. This long weekend was really nice since we got to spend a lot of time with Keegan. He truly changes everyday. We went and met Chris's mom and Tommy for dinner on Saturday night. While we were there, Keegan began to clap. Chris and I were both shocked since he all of a sudden started doing it. So an amazing guy. Then, yesterday afternoon, I was home with Keegan while Chris was in Houston. As I was feeding Keegan his dinner, I swear he was saying "Mama". I called and asked my mom if she had been working with him on it while she had him in the morning and she had!! He wouldn't do it for Chris but he has to be in a talking mood. Tonight, my parents and grandmother are coming over to have birthday dinner for my grandmother (turned 88 yesterday). We are hoping he feels like talking then!
Speaking of my grandmother, she said something that really touched me. My mother kept Keegan yesterday morning while I went and worked out and then met some friends for lunch and a movie. When I spoke with my grandmother yesterday evening, she was telling me all about the people who had been calling her all day. She then said that what she enjoyed most yesterday was that boy. This made my spirit glow to know that he means so much to her and that she is around to enjoy him. I never really got to know my great-grands and I know I would have enjoyed their diverse personalities.
On a sadder note, we might be looking at have to find new homes for our cats. Keegan has gone through two antibiotics to get rid of this congestion and ear infections but seems about the same. We are afraid that he, like the two of us, is allergic to cats. This does break our hearts since we view our animals as part of the family. Chris got Daisy for me the year we married. She is such a loving (sometimes too much) cat. She doesn't bug Keegan much and leaves his stuff alone. Fat Cat, on the other hand, thinks his crib is the best place to sleep! We have started closing his door when he is not sleeping to keep her out. We are hoping this will help him. While Fat Cat has her faults (we can't have rugs on the floor or leave anything fabric on the floor or she will pee on it!), she loves to be with you. She just purrs to sit on your lap. You don't even have to pet her and she's happy. She has also taken to sleeping between Chris and I at night. It is funny to turn over and see her snuggled between us. Just have the idea that we might have to find them new homes makes me feel like a bad parent but I know that we have to do what is best for Keegan. If it means that he will have a less likely chance of having ear infections than it is what we will have to do.

New blog

We've made a commitment to our future and have decided to make 2008 a chance to change. Please check out our Creating A New Us blog (click on our CANU08 blog on the right side of the page). The more support we get, the more we will stay committed to becoming the people that God created us to be.

Sickies have moved in

We all three are sick. Great. K has a cold that all the kids at Becky's have which has led to double ear infections. He's had it for a couple of weeks and we've tried meds but they didn't work. So, it's three days of zithromax. Please pray that it works. We are hoping that K does not take after his daddy and have to have tubes put it in his ears. Chris and I have been dealing with allergy stuff and it has now led to the beginnings of a lovely sinus infection. Chris is going to see our Dr. today and will check and see if he can get a prescript for me while he is there. This is really awful timing as Saturday is my cousin's daughter's 1st b-day. Izzy was born premature and is a true miracle. To miss out on celebrating this milestone saddens me but I know that she knows it is for the best.

My name is Mudd

Well, Keegan has a new behavior. He has started into the separation anxiety phase and the only person he wants is his Daddy. The perfect example of this is at church yesterday. Dexter, our youth minister, adores Keegan and came over to give him his usual Sunday greetings. As he was holding Keegan, K just started crying. I took him and he continued to cry. As soon as Chris took him, Keegan was fine. He did it again during the luncheon after church. Talking about feeling lower than dirt! Hello!! I carried you for 8 1/2 months!! Where's the love???

So sleepy!

Mr. K. seems to be going through growth spurt. He has woken up the past couple of nights around 11 and again around 3 hungry. But his 3 am act this morning cracked us up. He wasn't hungry or upset. How do we know this? Well, he spent about 30 minutes just talking to himself. Just babbling on and on to no one in particular. Usually, if I am awoken that early, I'm grouchy. But hearing this little guy made me laugh. He is such a blessing.

We're moving now!!

Last night, we were watching Home Makeover and K was rolling around on the floor. He then noticed the remote had fallen to the floor. He truly covets the remote. We weren't worried about him getting it since it was out of rolling range. How we underestimate our little guy. As we were watching him struggle to get to the remote, he did it. He crawled!! We were both speechless. Poor thing. We kept moving the remote farther and farther away. We can't believe that he finally did it. He has been trying so hard the past couple of weeks. He will almost get those knees and arms moving and then get frustrated and fling them out from under himself. But he finally got everything going at the right time. He was so tired from showing off for us and Nanny and Pop. Chris should be getting video of it on our smugmug site later today.

Houston, we have a word ...

... and that word is "Daddy"! Well, dada ... but I'll take what I can get. How cool is that? He's starting to at least pretend like he recognizes me as his dad ... very cool ... every once in awhile he even has moments where he is an obvious "daddy's boy" ... Sarah get a big kick out of trying to get K to say mommy ... but he always responds with "Dada" ... too funny.

Splish Splash

Nanny kept Keegan over New Year's while we went to Waco. One thing she has been looking forward to for a long time is being able to give Keegan a bath in her super deep sink in the kitchen. She was able to do so while we were gone. Keegan had the best time. When we came over to pick him up, he had spit up and needed a bath. We decided to go ahead and give him a bath there so we could see him in the sink. We put him in the sink and he went to town! He splashed so much. But his favorite things to play with were the turtles from my Aunt Ruth Ann and Uncle Rusty. They had driven down from Tennessee and had dinner with us Saturday night. He loved the turtles. When he wasn't splashing, he had a turtle in his mouth. It was such a joy to see him having a great time. As a bath person, I was worried that he would not like baths but it looks like he is a bath person - YEAH!

So close!

Something else Keegna is working on is crawling. He will get one his hands and knees and started rocking back and forth. He goes really fast whenever Grandnanny sings "Twopie Twos" to him. He is SO close to moving around but he seems to enjoy just being able to rock right now. Look for a post about crawling very soon!

We have tooth!

One of the gifts Keegan got this Christmas was his first tooth!! The first time we realized what was happened, he was in the middle of a meltdown - first ever. We looked at each other and said "Wonder if he is teething". Sure enough, we check and his right front tooth was peeking out. We found that Tylenol really does help. Keegan is not too sure about this whole tooth thing, especially after biting his lip - ouch!! But we are excited to see it! To see it better, just double click on the picture.

First Christmas

Our festivities started on the Sunday before Christmas with a gathering at my Uncle Kirby's house. It is always fun to get together with them, especially to see how Izzy and Keegan get along. We had a yummy dinner and then had a gift exchange. We had some left over ornaments from our project for the children's Sunday school we teach so I brought them over. Connor, Izzy, and Keegan all made ornaments. We had a great time. We're hoping that next year's project is just as fun but hopefully not as messy.



Our next gathering was Christmas Eve with Chris's dad's family in Corinth. Josh, Shannan, and the boys joined us up there. We had to have a light lunch since we had dinner plans. Keegan had a great time visiting with Paw-paw, his great grandfather. He also enjoyed looking at himself in Paw-paw's cool mirror. Keegan had the best seat in the house as you can see below.
We then met Lynne and family at Bucca di Beppo for dinner. It is a great Italian eatery that serves meals family style (huge portions that feed 2-3 people per plate). We had reserved the Pope room. In other Bucca's, this room has a bust of the Pope in the center of the table. This one had a huge round table whose center was actually a large lazy susan. Cole thought it was totally cool. He even set his drink on it and would turn it the entire way around and the take a drink - so funny!!

After dinner, the three of us went to the 7:30 Christmas Eve service. This meant a lot to us since it was at that service last year that we first felt Keegan move. And it was a joy to share this time with my parents, Grandnanny, and the people of our church. Keegan had a great time and enjoyed the singing. He was mesmerized by the candles we held at the end of the service. We then headed home to get everything ready for Christmas day. Keegan wore his cool pj's that said "Waiting for Santa" and had a pic of milk and cookies.

For some reason, it felt like we slept for 20 hours. That night would never end! I'd wake up and see the clock said 3:00. I'd fall back asleep and then wake up again. Knowing I had slept for hours, I'd check out the clock. 3:20. WHAT??? Surely not. But Christmas morning finally came. Santa had left Keegan's presents at the front of the tree. Check out our smumug website for videos of Keegan seeing his goodies.

Our cool stage

My first Tonka

My pj's for opening presents

My parents and Grandnanny came over for breakfast around 9. I made monkey bread which my Dad declared "Best Ever". And it was yummy!!

After breakfast at our new table, we opened presents. Keegan had a great time opening presents.

We would start the paper for him and he would rip away. It was a nice, relaxing time which we all enjoyed.

I think Fat Cat enjoyed it too!

We headed to Mono's house for lunch and presents. Keegan again had a great time, especially with Tad's kids. He kept giving Lily kisses - so funny!!He'd give everyone kisses except Aunt Diane. But she was just happy that he didn't cry when he saw her!

We then came home for a bit of rest before heading over to Nanny and Pop's for dinner. Here we had meatloaf for dinner. Chris has decided that this was the best meatloaf Nanny has ever made. I agreed completely! We were joined by Chad, Cameron, and Trey. After dinner, we opened presents. The best part was the whoopee cushions - Cam's favorite!

Our little trio headed home. We were all tired and full. We slept so good!

The next evening, we headed over to Josh and Shannan's house in Midlothian to open presents with them. Josh had to work Christmas Eve so this was the only chance we had with him. Keegan got such a kick out of Caleb and Cole. And I think the feeling is mutual. He really does enjoy all of his cousins.

Overall, we had a great first Christmas with Keegan. I think the best part was being able to spend the week with him and not have to work. He is such a funny person. We still cannot believe that we got such a fantastic son. I will miss him when I go back to work on Monday =(