Puppets, Puppets, and More Puppets

You know how my boy just loves puppets. Well, while we were at the zoo, we decided to stop in the gift shop. These are just a few of the puppets that decided to visit Grant while we were there.

A "Tiger-Bear"

Everyone in Gary's family is a "bear." Gary was "Pookey-Bear." Greg was "Booger-Bear." And Grant is "Tiger-Bear." We decided that it was time to take Tiger-Bear to the zoo. It was a beautiful day, so we took advantage of the Enrichment Day... basically, that means they put watermelon out for all the animals. This makes the animals more likely to be active, so that you watch the animals eat and play instead of just sitting there like they normally do. We had a blast!

Ok, get this: There was a Petting Zoo inside of a Children's Zoo inside of the regular zoo. Basically, they had goats pinned up and the kids could pet them. Not sure how much Grant got out of this, but the other kids were having a blast. I love those blue eyes! Me and my sweet boy! Grant loved the sea animals. He just watched and watched this otter swim. He also loved the fish! Oh, did I tell you he can read signs now? Yup, he did the whole time we were there. What a "Genius-Bear!"

Ok, Grant this animal is very important... It's your Tippi's favorite. Don't forget it. Yumm... lunch in the park. Grant just put his head down on Gary's shoulder. I thought it was too sweet to pass up taking a picture. We had a great time! I can't wait til Grant is just a little fellow running around the zoo and yelling out the names of all the animals he knows! It won't be long!

There's Power in the Light

It's official! We have electrcity! Twelve days after leaving our house, we can finally go home! We would like to extend a great big "Thank You" to both of our parents. Since we couldn't be at home, we are so glad we had somewhere safe, comfortable and fun to stay.

Welcome to Aggieland

We went to Aggieland one day while trying to kill time. We visited our old stomping grounds: The George Bush Library and Museum.

We have almost this exact same picture of us taken over 6 years ago. We just added one little member to the family. "Mom, I can't sit just perfect EVERY time!" Family Photo I took this picture weeks ago, but I thought it was appropriate for this blog. Our little Aggie!

R.I.P. Oscar

We called around yesterday to try to find any vet in the area that was open. Over the last few weeks Oscar has lost several pounds, has stopped eating, and has been very lethargic. We took him to a vet this morning. They had no power and were working by sunlight. After a quick examination, she felt that we needed to take Oscar somewhere that could provide him full service (x-rays, etc). We found another vet that was open and actually had electricity. He diagnosed Oscar with Feline Infectious Peritonitis. The prognosis was grim and we had to put Oscar down. He had fluid in his abdomen and on his lungs and we wanted to minimize his suffering. We will miss you, Oscar! We love you!

Ike's Spit-Up Part 2

If you read the previous blog, you know that we were pretty fortunate. Gary and I went by our house again today to check on it. As we drove into town, we saw eighteen electric crews working on power lines. We saw this as a positive sign that things will be restored to normal soon. When we arrived at our house, we stopped someone who worked for Texas New Mexico Power. He said that our street has a "lock-out tag" on it. Basically, the power companies are not even going to start working on our street because there is so much damage to our lines. We might not be going home for some time. Here are some pictures I have taken over the past few days documenting our experience of Ike:

The Calm Before the Storm

The Clean-Up Crew

Our side gate was knocked over. The gate on the other side was blown in also. We had some minor damage, such as gutters and rain spouts that were pulled away from the house. We found shingles in the front yard. The plywood isn't showing on the roof, but you can see the felt under the shingles. Our entire back fence was knocked over. More fencing that didn't withstand the winds. A power line is draped across the back of our house. You can see that it pulled part of the facing of the house away, too. Before we left, we picked up everything that was outside our house. We forgot to take down this wind chime (that Julie gave us for one of my bridal showers). I've always loved to hear it chime in the wind. It just hangs from a nail on our front porch and even after Ike, it remains in the same spot.

Sometimes this picture makes me smile, sometimes it makes me cry. We were so fortunate in every way. We have family that has taken us in. We have friends that have shown concern. And we have a house that still stands and that we will be able to go home to.

Ike's Spit-Up

Gary, Grant and I headed toward home today. We had been seeking refuge with my mom and dad, who we a owe a great big thank you! Gary's parents now have electricity, so we wanted to move a bit closer to home. We were both very anxious to see how our house faired during the storm. Driving into town, we saw hundreds of downed power lines and trees. There were a few buildings with structural damage, but I was surprised at how well the buildings held up. We saw two gas stations in town with gas... both had very long lines. They are slowly starting to open up grocery stores, too, and curfews should be lifted after the end of this week. When I saw our house, I was so relieved. Our fence and gates have been knocked over. We are missing some shingles, limbs are littering the front yard, and there is some other minor damage to the house. We have a power line that is leaning across one end of our roof and the house smells like rotten fish. We still do not have electricity, but hopefully it will be up soon. All in all, not too bad. Gary's school district is closed until further notice (at least the rest of this week). However, I did have to come to class today. That is why I am able to blog. We will be bunkered down at Gary's parents for a while. Our cell phones are getting very little service. I am able to receive text messages, but I am having a hard time sending them out. I can at times get calls in and out. I don't want anyone to think I am ignoring you! I'll post later with pictures of our house.