Volleyball All-Star!

Mackenna finished her volleyball season with a perfect record! It's the second year in a row! They did not lose a single game, let alone a match. What made it even more special is the way the last game ended...

Keep in mind, they were undefeated going into this match and it was not a home game....

Our team won the first game and the other team was making a major comeback in the 2nd game... games are to 25 points and you must win by 2.

Our team was losing in the 2nd game. This was a first, we'd never been behind! The gym was going crazy! The score was 23-22, the other team needed 2 points to hand us our first game loss.

The other team serves.... a long rally back and forth and Mackenna, at the net,  gets the hit (or kill in volleyball terms) to win the serve back....

The game was then tied 23-23...the gym is really going crazy, other team's gym...both fans are going nuts...the closest game of the year!  

Our team rotated to serve and who is serving????    Mackenna...

Mackenna looked up in the stands and made eye contact with her dad. She took a deep breath and served one that didn't come back.....

24-23 Mackenna's team...and Mackenna still serving...

Mackenna took a deep breath again and served for the game winning point - a little volley ensues...... then game over..... Our team, the Longhorns, win the game to go undefeated in two years of volleyball......   

Mackenna is the HERO!!!!

It was pretty awesome to watch! She has worked hard and had a great game with some great points up til the end, but for her to finish everything off...   PRICELESS!!!

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines...

For Matt's birthday(yes, back in May), the girls and I got him a pretty amazing gift...driving 16 laps around a track in a race car!! There are a few select days to take advantage of it and he finally got to cash in!!

For his racing experience....he got to wear a racing suit (there's probably a more technical term) and drove an actual car, not a passenger ride-along experience. His response: It was awesome!! 

Here is a picture of the car he drove and him in the car:

He looks pretty happy!!

Here is a small clip (about 1 minute) of his driving experience. You'll see (and hear) what he sees from the windshield camera and you'll see him driving the car as well. When viewing the video, click on the play button (the triangle) and then click on the full screen button on the lower right to see the action!

House Update

Here's the latest drama with the house...
The foundation was raised. We now need to wait 90 days for the company to come back and inspect. Then, the builder will come in to do the cosmetic work. So, for now, it looks like we decorate with blue painter's tape! We have it everywhere!! It will be there until mid-January. I should have used red and green tape. At least then we would have been festive for the holidays!
One thing that was repaired was the floor. They did come back to lay hardwood floor where it had been torn up. Also, new bricks were added to the front porch so the large gaping hole has been closed up...thank goodness!

Raise the Roof...er, the Floor!

Today brings the anticipation of our house's foundation being leveled. This has been a long and drawn out process. In June, we learned the foundation has settled and even prior to that we had suspected something was wrong. (By April we could no longer close certain doors and the cracks in the walls and doorframes kept emerging.) In August, a structural engineer came to assess the foundation. Based on his assessment, the foundation needed to be repaired. Ten days ago the house had 24 holes dug around it and 24 concrete piers put into place. The front landscaping was removed and our house was looking a little disheveled on the outside. Over the weekend we prepared for the inside work and we removed the contents of the study and put them in two different rooms. Then the family room furniture was pushed back and the rug was rolled up (and placed in another room). The inside of our house looks like we are either moving in or moving out. I am living in mild chaos. (On a positive note, the empty family room allows for about 4 cartwheels to be turned in a row...thank you, Alexa.)

Yesterday the flooring company came to remove part of the wood floor to expose a crack running from the front to the back of the house. Today, another company will arrive to shoot an epoxy to fill in the gap. Here are pictures:

This is the flooring that was removed in the family room.

This is the flooring that was removed in the study.

Here is a closer view of the crack; this part is in the study.

This is a view of the front porch. They removed the bricks to expose the crack. You can see the crack through the middle of the brick. It went up the front of the house. There is also one that runs parallel up the back of the house.

In order to raise the foundation, there were many measurements taken inside the house. Then, each section or area had to be raised by a certain measurement. The workers were laying on their stomachs, reaching down into the holes and jacking up the piers. The head guy was inside the house, communicating via walkie-talkie on how far to raise the piers. It was strange to hear something going on under the house since we are on a concrete slab! When all of the jacking was complete and the measurements were where they were supposed to be, I walked around inside and checked everything out. It's amazing how doors now close that didn't before and how large cracks in the wall now look like a hairline fracture. The baseboards now touch the floors again in the bathroom...and I'm very happy that door closes completely!! The head guy said to me he could not believe how big the space was between the floor and the baseboards. We could have almost rolled a marble in the gap; it was significant.
Here is the close up of before the adjusting and after.

Before                                                                          After

The gap is not as wide after the foundation has been adjusted.

Epoxy injection is the next step...stay tuned!

New Store Opened

Leaving a place that was familiar was undeniably difficult. I am so happy we finally have had a familiar store open here...somewhat close (35 - 40 minutes away) to our house. At least now I won't have to stock up the next time I venture back to Michigan!!

They converted an old theatre to a store. It has movie posters painted on the wall and the check out lines have the old brass poles with the red velvet ropes partitioning each lane. That was pretty cool!

House Drama part 2

If you saw the earlier post called House Drama, then you would know how our foundation is not what it's supposed to be...as in it is sinking or has sunk or something like that.

This week included five days of digging and drilling 24 concrete piers around the house. It started off somewhat quiet...digging with shovels...6 workers...music playing in Spanish. 

The drama began to build on Tuesday when they brought out power equipment to begin to dig deeper and achieve the 12-foot depth required for each pier. The cement truck showed up, as well as, the dump truck and bobcat-type digger to haul away the massive pile of dirt in the street. There was a lot of noise (think lawn mower meets revving motorcycle) and people and craziness...oh, yeah and they hit one of the sprinkler lines too.  (To drown out the noise, I ended up baking banana bread, chocolate chip cookies and cutout sugar cookies...kitchen therapy!)

Wednesday started with a lot of noise as well and after being here for 30 minutes, there was knocking on the door and then ringing of the doorbell (about 5 times in a row). I ran to the door thinking something was wrong. It was. They had just cut the water main to the house. Luckily, I had just gotten out of the shower and gotten dressed minutes before the knock on the door!!! (I am so grateful I decided to procrastinate on the workout that morning and I wasn't doing laundry!) The drama heightened on Wednesday afternoon when the supervisor informed me they were going to need to break up part of the garage floor because there was not enough room on the outside of the house between the house and the a/c units or between the house and the pool equipment. Ok...so three holes in the garage floor. Well, it’s better than accidentally hitting the lines for the pool equipment. Then he said they needed to put in two more piers along the back of the house...and would need to break up the decking. (The decking we had put in to go around the pool and had it colored to match the rocks...oh no, no, no.) I took a deep breath. Ok...so I texted Matt to tell him we'll need to discuss the latest and told him he might want to consider working from home on Thursday. 

On Thursday, Matt worked from home and had a stroke of genius. What if they used the empty space under the stairs (along the back of the house) to put in the two piers instead of the breaking up the decking? I thought it was a brilliant idea! The supervisor said they could do it if they could have access to the inside of the house and remove the landing of the stairs. And so they did!! I'm sure it wasn't the easiest from a digging standpoint, but it saved us from trying to patch up the concrete decking after it was all done. So Thursday and Friday brought more jackhammering and loud noises, but at the end of the day, the staircase was put back together (the girls can get to their rooms), the piers had all been dug and cement had been poured in each. 

And now we wait. The concrete has to cure for 10 - 14 days and then the next round begins...stay tuned!

(In case you were wondering...yes, they used their microwave on the front lawn every day! LOL!)

House Drama

Today begins a little bit of crazy at our house. Today the company came to begin to dig around the house...24 or so holes, so that they can raise the foundation...because it is settling or sinking or something not so good. 

So, this morning the crew showed up with shovels and wheelbarrows. They brought a radio and were playing some music in Spanish and working together. Around lunch time the music stopped and I glanced out my front window. I did a double take...I couldn't believe what I saw!! I grabbed my phone and snapped quick picture. 

Take a look:  

A microwave on a sawhorse!! I was cracking up. They set up this little cafe on the front lawn. One guy must have been in charge of lunch. He was putting lunches in and setting everything up. Then they moved the microwave and used the sawhorse as their table. Later, when everyone was finished, they spread out all over the lawn and took a nap. Six men napping in the front yard, spread out everywhere there was a bit of shade. Laying all over the yard like that...it almost looked like a crime scene!!

Alexa's Softball Try-Out

Alexa tried out for a new 10U softball team in August. This team is a tournament only team and is called the Fort Bend Bandits. She made the team and is their number one catcher!! She had a round-robin tournament yesterday (Sunday). She played four games in one day...what a long day!! They won the first game, lost the middle two, and tied the last game. It was the first time they had played together as a team. They have another round-robin this coming Sunday. Here she is, looking spectacular, in her new uniform.

Go Bandits!

Back to School 2012

August 27th was the first day of school for the girls. Mackenna headed off to 8th grade and Alexa to 4th. They are getting so big so fast!!

On the first day of school, we always have the same dinner...spaghetti! We always follow that up with a special cake to celebrate the first day. Each year I decorate it differently to celebrate the grades they are in. Here is a picture of this year's first day of school cake.

Here's to a great year!!!

Road Trip!

This summer, on our way back to the Midwest, we planned two stops in Missouri. First, we stopped for dinner in a town called Sikeston where they have a famous restaurant. I saw a show on the Travel Channel featuring places in the United States and this looked like a winner. The name of the restaurant is Lambert's Cafe. Their claim to fame is ridiculous sized portions and throwing hot yeast rolls at you from across the restaurant! We had so much fun at this place and would definitely return! Both girls caught rolls, larger than softballs, from across the restaurant. So much fun!!

Our next stop was St. Louis, Missouri. A few days before leaving, we looked on-line for activities to do in the area. We came up with some ideas from taking a riverboat cruise and visiting the arch to going to an amusement park. While the girls were pretty excited about going to the amusement park, after looking at the weather (predicted to be 105 degrees...ugh, no thank you), we decided to visit the amusement park on another trip when it wasn't so hot. So, we bought tickets to go up in the arch and to take a riverboat cruise. The view from the arch was pretty amazing and we all liked that! Because of the temperatures, we took the earliest riverboat cruise in the day. It was still about 90 degrees at 10:30 that morning when the Tom Sawyer cruised up and down the Mississippi River.  It was hot and humid and I'm not sure the girls had a great time, but now we can say we have cruised on the Mississippi River!

Isn't this a great picture?!? We are cruising down the Mississippi and look so happy... this is what it was really like:

I'm hot....how much longer is this?!? (forget the educational stuff, they just wanted to get into the car in the air conditioning!)

THE hip hop girl

On June 1st, a small miracle in our family occurred....
In case you missed this....

The back story: Alexa wanted to take hip hop dance class. 

I found her a class. 

She told me she was NOT going to do the recital. 

Knowing how timid and shy she can be, I was unsure if this was going to be a good idea at all. 

We went to the first class and only one other girl is in the class. Oh boy...the spotlight.

About a month before the recital was to take place, the other girl quit!! 

Oh great. Now what?!?

I knew there was no way this kid was going to go on stage by herself. Ever.

Her dance teacher said she'd dance it with her. (phew!)

I was worried she'd get on stage and cry and then not dance. 

Well, she got on stage, rocked it out and I cried!! 

I am just so very, very proud of her. In fact, proud is not a strong enough word!! 

Enjoy!!

As we were in dress rehearsal, the other girls backstage said, "Are you THE hip hop girl?!?" She just shyly smiled and nodded. Yes, she was the one and only hip hop girl. All of the other dances were ballet, tap, and jazz. When Alexa finished, the crowd erupted with applause and cheers. She was so amazing!!!

A Busy End of the School Year

The school year finished on May 31 and both girls had a great first year here. They both finished the year with straight As for the entire school year. I think that's quite an accomplishment!!! I am so happy and proud of both of them. The have made the transition here and have been very successful.
Speaking of successful, Mackenna has some exceptional successes to note. First, she was accepted into the PALs program at her school. Even though I posted about this before, it is worth mentioning again. It was not an easy process and highly competitive...way to go!! Also, before the end of the last school year, Mackenna was invited to awards night at the middle school. She received awards for perfect attendance and for all As all year. Lastly, she was also invited to join the National Junior Honor Society. This is quite an honor!! They only take the best of the best and they had to have at least a 93% in all of their classes to even be considered. Way to go, Mackenna!!

Alexa had an award ceremony at her school too. While she was disappointed she did not receive the perfect attendance award (darn strep throat...missed only 2 days), she did receive an award for her exceptional grades (all As), an award for great citizenship, and awards voted on by her classmates (most likely to be a mathematician and most likely to be a scientist). 

Wow, how they are growing up! Good-bye to 3rd and 7th grade!

Surprise visitor

It's about 9:00 on a normal Friday night. Alexa has just walked into the house, coming in from the garage. She had been down the street at a friend's house watching a movie. As she walked in, she very casually says, "There's a snake in the garage." No screaming, no panicking, no freaking out (she obviously did not get this behavior from me...).
What?!? Immediately, I am picturing a large rattlesnake... Matt goes into the garage and Alexa bravely follows him. I was staying inside where it was safe...and besides, what if they needed someone to call 911 or even a snake wrangler?!?
The two of them come back inside calmly.
What happened?!?
Alexa begins to calmly tell me how the snake slithered under my car. (I think at this point I did a full body shiver...I don't like snakes!!!) Matt had her get a shovel. He "took care" of the snake. This is where in the story she says enthusiastically, "there was blood on the garage floor!" I think I almost fainted.
Later in the weekend, Alexa and I sat down at the computer and researched what kind of snake we think it was. Based on what we could find, she thinks it was a Texas Brown Snake..."but don't worry mommy, they aren't venomous"...who is this kid?!?
Here's a picture from the Internet because there was no way I was going to see one up close and personal if I can help it!!

I will admit to taking a quick peek under my car now before I get in. Yikes!! 

You've Got Mail

Here in our new neighborhood, our mailboxes are neither on our house nor on the street in front of the house. Our mailbox is a large, gray-metal rectangular box that happens to be across the street and around the corner. It's really not very attractive. I don't walk over to it to get the mail every day. I think it's like "out of sight, out of mind." Besides, there are usually not a lot of exciting things in the mail...until this particular day.

It was Thursday. I realized I hadn't picked up the mail since Monday or Tuesday so I thought I really should go retrieve it. Sometimes I send the girls to go get it, but today I made the journey. I took my mailbox key, unlocked the box (of course it's the box on the top!), and grabbed all of the mail. It was folded over into two particular stacks signaling to me that there was two days of mail. I clutched the mail to my chest (it was windy), and without dropping any of it I walked home.

When I got back inside, I dropped the mail on the island and hung up the mailbox keys. I opened one of the folded stacks and began sifting through the piles. Most of it was junk mail. Then I opened the second stack and my heart stopped.... There was a green lizard!!!!!!! Yes, in the mail. Yes, I carried it all the way back from the mailbox and held it close to my chest...and now my heart was racing! Yes, I shrieked! Immediately, I began imagining this thing running around the house and I was going to have to somehow catch it. Better yet, I quickly decided was going to just leave it and wait for Matt to come home. (Looking back now I realize this was probably not the best solution, but I wasn't thinking clearly at the time!) I think I began to hyperventilate. 

I slowly tiptoed back over to the island, not wanting to, and reached for the pile of mail. Luckily, the patio door is close to the end of the island. I needed to be quick. I opened the door, grabbed the pile of mail, flung it out on to the patio, and slammed the door. Then I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief. 

My mail is now outside but so is the lizard. Upon closer inspection at a safe distance (and through the window because I was NOT going out there), the lizard was dead. My heart and my breathing began to slow. Looking at the picture, it may not look very big, but I can assure you it seemed quite large in the pile of mail....

Shortly after this traumatic event, Alexa came home from school. "Mom, why is the mail outside?" So, I began to explain the story to her. As I am telling this tale, I began to feel guilty. What if I killed this lizard while carrying it home?!? Oh no. This was horrible. Alexa, in her infinite eight-year-old wisdom said to me so calmly, "You didn't kill it mom. Because if you did, it would have exploded and it would have been all over the mail and probably your shirt." ACK! This was when I did a "full body shiver!" Oh. My. Gosh. THAT would have been so much worse...

By the way...I haven't been back to the mailbox since! I talked to few neighbors and no one else has had this experience...just me. Lucky me!

Scheduling for 8th grade

Recently, Mackenna went through the process of scheduling classes for next year, eighth grade. (How could she possibly be going into 8th grade already?!?) She sought out an elective course for next year called PAL (Peer Assistant Leadership). She had to complete an application, write an essay, get three teachers recommendations, and then go through an interview. She was told she would find out the week after Spring Break (which was mid-March). 

March came and went and with no news about PALs. If she didn't get in, she'd be stuck taking cooking and sewing (not that there's anything wrong with that...except it’s the year 2012 and do we really still need this in the curriculum?!? I'm getting off my soapbox now...). The only bright spot is some of her friends had not yet heard either. So we continued to wait.

On April 10, she received an envelope that contained a letter that began like this:

"Thank you for your interest in the PAL program for this year. It is wonderful to see students who are interested in giving and helping others. The applications and interviews were impressive, and the committee had a very difficult task in trying to select next year's class."

So, at this point she said her stomach sank and she immediately thought she didn't get into the program.

However, the letter continued and the next paragraph began with this sentence: "I am pleased to tell you that you have been selected to be a PAL for the 2012-2013 school year."

HOORAY!!! She was so excited and so am I. They only take eighth graders and only 20 students. What a proud accomplishment!!

Her schedule for next year will consist of the core subjects (Pre-AP math, Pre-AP US history, Pre-AP science, Pre-AP ELA...that's English/Language Arts), Phys. Ed., Spanish (for high school credit) and PALs. 

Eighth grade...the last year before high school. Make time slow down!!!!!