Grandma, Surgery and Sea Horses

It's been a long week and a lot has been happening. Grandma arrived from Thailand last Sunday (along with Aunt Than) without incident (apart from all the computers in the arrival hall crashing as they stepped off the plane) and Meghan is loving the extra attention.



She has had a bunch of bites from the mosquitoes that came out in the cooler weather during the week and in the aftermath of the hurricane and has been telling everyone who smiles at her about her booboos.

After a recent visit to the ear doctor when we discovered that her hearing is degrading because of a long-standing ear fluid problem, we decided to go ahead and get the tubes put in so Wednesday, we took her in for surgery. Even though it is a routine operation and only minor, it still had us on edge. Happily things went smoothly and now our little chatterbox is even more chatty.

Yesterday, Hurricane Ike rolled past nearby and we got lots of rain and wind.. so we decided to drive to the Dallas Buddhist Center to fix Aey's passport. Fortunately, Dallas was spared the full force but Houston did not fare so well, nor Galveston.

We went to Ikea this afternoon to buy a new bed for Meghan so we can move her into her own bedroom upstairs when the twins arrive which will be soon. They had some fun furniture and Meghan enjoyed climbing on most of it. We came away a new junior bed, mattress and covers and a really night light in the shape of a seahorse that is about 3 feet from head to tail.

This evening Aunt Than and Meghan played video games together. At least, Meghan thinks that they did and probably enjoyed it just as much as if she had any idea how to play Mario Karts.

Lego Architect

Uncle Neil and Cousin Geoffrey sent Meghan a big box of Duplo Lego which she has been playing with and enjoying herself. Here are some photos and a video clip where she constructs a monument to their generosity

Mini-van

Mum and Dad decided that it was time for a mini-van. The twins are arriving in October and Grandma and Aunt Than are coming to visit in September so we need more seating than the Honda Accord was allowing us.

We started looking a few weeks ago and started pricing up the available models with the features we wanted and ended up at David McDavid in Frisco. After some hard bargaining, we struck a deal and drove out in a new Honda Odyssey.

Sasha brought his family over on Sunday and the toddlers took us all on a road trip. They enjoyed a nap and we enjoyed the smooth ride and amenities of the van.

Sasha's mum took some nice pictures and sent them to us:

New Lens

I bought a new lens for the Rebel XTi with a fixed focal length and it takes great pictures but I need to get used to it.

Meghan likes it when we cook and enjoys being part of the mess.







Sheba looking majestic and patient:

Landscaping

We have had some landscaping done by Garrison Gardens after getting some trees from Treeland and the yard is looking nice. Next week, we will get the patio covered by Precision Pavers and then we will be done with the upgrades.

Mini-Gardener and Mini-Cook

Meghan has been helping in the yard and we have been taking pictures. We planted new trees in the back and new flowers in the front and they all need extra water and care and a little gardener.






I was making a cake and Meghan wanted to help:

Happy with Dad's wallet

I planted new flowers (with some help from Mum and Dad)

I decided the front yard was looking plain so I picked out some new flowers and, with some help from Mum and Dad, planted them and watered them.

Sasha came to visit (and brought his parents)

My friend Sasha came to visit today and we had fun with food, drink and outdoor water things.
Sasha is a nice boy and sometimes I like sharing my toys with him and sometimes I don't. Today we played with new water table. He brought his parents Uncle Philippe and Aunt Asel and they played with mum and dad. I asked Dad to put some pictures after this note.

Mini-swimmer

We took Meghan to the community pool this evening and put on the arm-rings that grandma brought and walked her along the step .. and then into the pool. I was just supporting her tummy and she started kicking! Little swimmer! Later she launched off the step into my arms. I think this swimming thing is going to be good.