Party of Four

2011-12-18T16:22:00.001-06:00

Ayden James

2009-12-15T13:44:00.002-06:00

Ayden James, aka Chunky Monkey, was born 12-9-09 at 11:17am, weighing 8 pounds 14 ounces and 21 inches. Caitlyn is loving her baby brother. We still give her plenty of one on one time, because lets face it, the kid had 7 and 1/2 years of undivided attention! She is adjusting well though.

Ultrasound pictures of our baby

2009-08-01T10:17:00.003-05:00

We found out Thursday we are having a baby boy. It took less than 30 seconds for the technician to determine the gender. You will understand why when you see the U/S picture! :)

I am literally beside myself, I never thought I would have a boy - I'm just so surprised. Brian and the Bean are so happy. The Bean told the technician she knew it was a boy! Our boy put on quite a show during the ultrasound. He saw him actually waving while the other hand was behind his head. Then we saw him yawning. He continued to squirm and wave. The Bean was so delighted to see him move. It was precious. I can't wait to see and hold my baby boy!

Birthday Surprise

2009-06-29T14:16:00.006-05:00

The Bean's birthday is on June 13th. She normally receives only 3 gifts from us: visit a location, and two toys. This year we planned to go to Florida, to swim with dolphins and spend time at the beach. I asked her awhile back what she REALLY wanted for her birthday. She excitedly said LAPTOP. Brian and I chuckled. I said it would be very expensive and I didn't think we could afford it. She wasn't too disappointed when I said no. So all was good. Our families eventually called to ask what the Bean wanted or needed for her birthday. Naturally the story came up of how she asked for a laptop, it was a cute story.

We were expecting birthday cards in the mail the day before our trip to Florida. Brian was a little surprised when the envelope turned out to be a box, so we let the Bean open it up as soon as we got inside. As she is tearing the paper off, I noticed the box was from DELL. Brian and I looked at each other and said "Nah.... she (grandma) probably reused the box!" So we tell the Bean to close her eyes as we lift the bag from inside the box. To all of our surprise, it is a brand new DELL Laptop complete with bag.

The Bean of course screamed when we told her to open her eyes. She said she was going to cry, she was so happy. Happy Birthday!

Thanking her grandma on the phone.

The BIG 7

2009-06-13T20:57:00.003-05:00

We are in Florida to celebrate The Bean's 7th Birthday. I woke up around 5am to blow up balloons and decorate the hotel room we were staying at. We then drove to Daytona Beach, to spend her birthday on the beach. Despite the downpour and lightening while we were driving, she finally got to go into the water. Here are some pictures of her on Daytona Beach.

Check back for more exciting pictures involving dolphins...

Baby News to Share!

2009-05-22T10:05:00.003-05:00

We are expecting! We had our first OB appointment this past Wednesday. I am 9 weeks and 3 days. Expected delivery day is December 22nd, but with all my medical issues, we will have a C-section two weeks prior.

Everything looked great. Other than continued morning sickness, I am doing well. Brian and Cait are super excited. We are all waiting for me to be 15 weeks, so we can have a gender check done.

I will scan in the pictures of the ultrasound, so check back soon.

The voice of a young girl

2009-02-21T12:54:00.003-06:00

I believe all people should have a voice - this one being no exception. Just watch.

Whale Watching Cruise

2008-12-30T21:11:00.003-06:00

College Graduate!

2008-12-29T21:01:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T20:59:00.000-06:00

State Booster Seat Laws

2008-11-28T20:46:00.008-06:00

We will be flying to CA for Christmas and Brian and I were discussing whether to take our booster seat with us or borrow one. The Bean is rather small for her age, roughly 50 pounds, so she will definitely be in a booster seat. But, then I started thinking about what the law was for CA, and other states for that matter, regarding age/boosters. What a huge difference: from 4 years (Minnesota) to 11 years (Iowa)! Anyway, I thought I would share the map in case you might be traveling out of state.

Family Update

2008-11-25T17:40:00.010-06:00

We are all doing well. The Bean is doing great with not seeing mom so much but she is having fun with daddy-daughter evenings. School-wise: She is a reading champ and loves chapter books, especially Junie B. Jones. She is blossoming into somewhat of an "artist" and writer. She will draw, color, or paint anything and everything. Her wall and room door are filled with her "masterpieces." I will try to remember to post a picture of some of her artwork and "books." Some of which are really funny.

More pictures can be found at our Flickr account http://www.flickr.com/photos/enghs/

The Bean as a Butterfly/Angel, she really couldn't make up her mind so she was both!

Micky as the Joker

Cousins Trick or Treating

My attempt at carving a cat

Fall Soccer '08

"I almost scored!"

47 pages, over 8,000 words, and 96 hours later...

2008-10-22T21:15:00.002-05:00

I have finally completed my Teacher Work Sample!

The biggest and longest assignment I have ever done. It was a very stressful 4 days, up to the last hour I had for submitting it online. I seriously thought I would have this tremendous weight lifted off my shoulders, but you gotta know how you did, right? Well, check back in a week or two.

And, I just have to add how supportive Brian was throughout all of this. I basically locked myself in the office to write this paper. Knowing how HUGE this assignment was, Brian made breakfast, lunch and dinner for me and even brought it to me! I didn't have to worry about laundry, dishes or cooking. It was so sweet!

Ma and Pa Math

2008-09-29T14:10:00.002-05:00

This is too funny...

Oddities

2008-09-18T12:47:00.005-05:00

The Bean: "Hey mom, my little toesies are odd!"

Me: "What?"

The Bean: "Yeah, look my toes (as she begins to pair them up) are ODD!"

We are home!

2008-09-18T12:47:00.002-05:00

A good friend of ours drove by our place, and informed us Tuesday evening that the electricity was turned on at our house. This is very good news since we really wanted to go home and check on our cat. We took our dog, Bella, with us but left Churchill with plenty of water and food.

I also didn't think this hurricane would cause as much damage as it did. I thought we would be gone for a couple of days and back to normal by Monday (9-15). I only packed enough clothes for 3 days. My brother was very gracious to let my sisters and I (and our families) stay at his house. That would be a total of 17 people! So needless to say it was nice to be home.

But with that, we also had to prepare to buy food close to Dallas and be sure to fill up our tank with gas since it is difficult to obtain both easily as you get closer to Houston. So we stopped by a Walmart in Ennis and bought lots of groceries. We filled up our ice chest with the refrigerated items and covered them with ice. We also bought some cleaning supplies, because I didn't clean out my refrigerator before we left! Fortunately, it didn't smell. The electricity had been on for almost 12 hours so I think that helped. Funny though our biscuits had exploded and our milk had seperated! But again that goodness it didn't smell. I'm sure it would have if we cleaned it out while the power was off.

The drive down was definitely a lot smoother than the drive up. When we drove to Dallas we stuck mostly to the back roads to avoid the bumper to bumper traffic that was on I-45. As we drove down, passing SHSU we began to see lots of trees that had fallen over. Pine trees were uprooted and huge branches were broken in half. As we drove just 2 miles north of where we live, we saw a billboard broken and smashed through the roof of some apartment homes that are right off the highway. Lots of signs were broken and all the trees that line the highway as you get into Conroe were leaning or were down. Mind you we live 30 miles north of Houston. I can only image what it looks like farther south.

There are still lots of people without electricity. Please keep those who lost everything in your prayers.

After Ike

2008-09-13T17:09:00.001-05:00

I am so thankful that we decided to leave, but it's really hard to hear of friends and family who are suffering because there is no electrictity. It is very hot, humid, and some parts of the freeway and streets are flooded or full of debris. A handful of stores are open in the local neighborhoods and they are letting only a few people in at a time. The lines are tremendously long and it's taking 2 or so hours to get food. Gas stations are limiting quantities as well so it's taking equally long to get gas.

My school and work are closed till at least Tuesday. My mom drove to our place to check if we had electricity. Unfortunately, we don't so we plan to stay another day. I will update you as we know more.

Before Hurricane Ike

2008-09-11T18:45:00.000-05:00

Our motto is to be safe than sorry. The last thing I wanted to do is have The Bean freak out or stressed over the Hurricane. So we drove to Dallas to stay with my brother. My sisters came too. We all have small children and didn't want our children to suffer with no electricity, the humidity and heat. My mom and dad stayed behind with their animals. We plan to stay till Sunday. I will update when we get back.

What punctuation are You?

2008-07-01T17:39:00.000-05:00

You Are a Colon

You are very orderly and fact driven.

You aren't concerned much with theories or dreams... only what's true or untrue.

You are brilliant and incredibly learned. Anything you know is well researched.

You like to make lists and sort through things step by step. You aren't subject to whim or emotions.

Your friends see you as a constant source of knowledge and advice.

(But they are a little sick of you being right all of the time!)

You excel in: Leadership positions

You get along best with: The Semi-Colon

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

Meet Bella

2008-06-25T20:13:00.003-05:00

Its my birthday and I'll cry if I want to...

2008-06-13T23:53:00.004-05:00

If the Bean had known that song I'm sure she would have been singing it!

We went over to Brian's friends house to take pictures of the Bean's new puppy (one of her birthday surprises, but we weren't telling her about it till her party on Sat). We went home so I could process the pictures and clean. Brian's mom, Rose, is visiting from California and will be staying for a little over a week.

The Bean was not too happy about me spending her birthday cleaning. I tried to get her involved but in the end she kept saying how boring it was and she wasn't having any fun. Pretty much a mopey kid all afternoon. At first I felt awful, but I seriously needed to clean. By 3pm she began to really whine and a few minutes later she ended up crying herself to sleep.

Once Brian got home from work, the Bean was still sleeping and we had to get ready to pick up Rose at the airport. The Bean was still cranky and fussy. We were finally able to change the attitude on the way there. Crazy! She was all smiles and full of excitement while we waited at the baggage claim.

We took Rose out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Los Cucos. Never a shy bone when she is with her Vovo (Grandmother in Portuguese). They danced to the music.

Rose wanting to make dinner special told the waiters about the Bean's birthday. None of us knew that they were going to put cream on her face... (not to self: always ask what they plan to do when you tell them there's a birthday). The Bean was not too happy! But still they kept o' singing! LOL

We then headed out to Market Street, so the Bean could play in the water. It was already dark but there were still plenty of kids running around. We ended the day with delicious ice cream. YUMMMM!

Catch the Emmy's via Webcast on Friday June 13 * updated

2008-06-12T00:59:00.005-05:00

In case you are wondering why I am even telling (yes telling) you to watch the Emmy's, is because our friend, Rachel, co-creator of Signing Time! (videos that teach children American Sign Language) has been nominated for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series! How awesome is that!?! I blogged briefly about it here, or you can read it on Rachel's blog.

I just found out that the first half of the Emmy Awards will be broadcast via webcast on June 13. There are too many categories so they have to split them up. The first half (untelevised) is this Fri. in New York City and the other more popular categories will be on June 20 at the Kodak Theatre (I think). We thought we would have to wait till June 20 to know the results for the first half, but we are ecstatic to be able to watch it live! Be sure to check it out: Emmy Awards on June 13th at 6pm ET.

* Updated:

Dang it! The Emmy goes to Bindy Irwin. There is always next year!

Last day of Kindergarten

2008-06-05T21:52:00.009-05:00

First thing she told me when I picked her up, was that she told her teacher she didn't want to leave. The teacher told her, "But, you have to!" I'm assuming she had fun after I left. After their little presentation, we went back to their classrooms to take pictures and say goodbye. The Bean wanted to stay with her friends.

On a side note: I'm so happy she had a great 1st year in public school. That is one of the things I worried about the most when she turned 5 (I even considered homeschooling her). But we decided to move instead; out of a house, in a school district with problem issues, to an apartment, in a nicer area. Admittedly, I was fearful for her. I didn't want for her to have a "bad" teacher, deal with bullies, seeing school as a chore or unsafe and all the other things that most parents don't want their children to go through. But, I am so grateful that she made wonderful friends and had a caring teacher. I can only hope first grade will be the same.

Latest Dr. News

2008-06-04T15:00:00.003-05:00

My Dr's appointment last week went well!

I was ready and anxious to find out when and what tests I needed to do. Secretly, I was mentally prepared for the worst. I let the Dr. do his routine and before I even had a chance to discuss that I wanted to start having more kids, he said he was taking me off the blood thinner medication!Due to my recent test results and not being able to stay therapeutic on the medication he switched me to 81mg of Aspirin a day. This is fabulous news!! This means I won't have to buy prescriptions or have blood tests done every month. No more drug interactions. But truthfully, I was a little stunned at first. So many thoughts and questions ran thru my head. Then I began to worry...(Could my chances of having another stroke increase?) After talking with him and about the pregnancy, he assured me that the aneurysms would not pose a fatal risk. (Umm, can you say thank God?!) There is also a possibility of not having to do the injections, either, while I'm pregnant.

We will wait till Oct/Nov for my follow up appt. to make sure the Aspirin a day is sufficient before we make a decision. I will almost be done with student teaching at that time, so for now we will wait and see where this road takes us. Thank you for all your prayers! We are so blessed.

Espacio Sideral

2008-05-23T15:03:00.001-05:00

One of our latest Spanish songs The Bean and I are listening to. Our music selection is quite diverse. Last month we were listening to opera, er, more specifically The Queen of The Night Act II from The Magic Flute by Mozart. I've added a youtube video for your enjoyment!

Diana Damrau as Queen of the Night II

2008-05-23T15:01:00.001-05:00

Awesome Queen of the Night played by Diana Damrau. If you are not familiar with this piece, wait till about the 3 minute mark, it is quite recognizable and awesome. Also pretty funny to hear the Bean try to imitate the notes! I'll try to get a video.

Good News

2008-05-22T18:57:00.004-05:00

I spoke to the high risk Dr. and I will be able to carry a child!

I have an appt with my neurologist this Wed to discuss my options. So far, I know I will have to have an MRI and a CAT SCAN to check the size of the brain aneurysm and a TEE (transesophogealecho cardiogram) to check the size of the aneurysm in my heart. The results will determine if I will have to have a C-section. We will know more once we talk to my neurologist. Thus far, this is great news. We'll keep you posted...

Good News school wise:
I've got my student teaching placement...I'll be in an 8th grade math class for 12 weeks. The middle school is one block up from our house and it's right across the street from where the Bean goes to school. How cool is that? Couldn't get any closer! Especially, considering the price of gas. I am so stoked. I'm done with all the examinations in education and mathematics, so all that's left for me to do is get through with student teaching. Woohoo! C'mon on December.

More than 3?

2008-05-13T18:03:00.000-05:00

Well, this whole baby thing has really got us thinking. So much so that I have switched OB's to get a second opinion about having a baby. To be fair though, the last time I inquired about having another baby was almost 5 years ago.

My new OB says that my case is "tricky" and referred me to a specialist in high risk pregnancies. I have an appointment with the specialist next Wed. to see what, if any, my options are and such. She did explain to me that I would have to give myself shots daily (which I knew) and that I would definitely have a C-section because pushing would be to risky for my aneurysms (which I didn't know).

I think my biological clock is ticking (for my movie enthusiast friends think -Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny) and I'm ready to explore these options before I get too OLD. ( I'll be 31 this year!)

Truthfully though, we don't want to get our hopes up, but at least we'll know for sure where we stand. Please keep us in your prayers.

And just for the record, No, I am not pregnant. ;)

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T12:58:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful day, not too hot and a slight breeze. For Mother's Day my sisters and I spent the day at my parent's house. Our kids played in the pool and we bbq'd. Eventually, we had a water blast fight, moms and kids against the dads. The dads got thrown into the pool. That' just how we roll.

The Tooth Fairy returns

2008-05-07T22:39:00.006-05:00

The Bean looses her second baby tooth. After taking a bath, she was holding one end of the towel in her mouth, while wrapping the other end around her body. Forgetting it was loose, she pulled the towel out of her mouth too hard and knocked it forward. The taste and sight of blood, brought tears. I couldn't get a hold of the tooth to pull it out. So crafty as I am I get the pliers. No kidding, I just pulled that little tooth right out. Only it wasn't so little, take a look!

I didn't want to wait for it to fall out, mainly because as you can see in the last picture, her permanent teeth are already out. Poor thing, we didn't pass down a big enough mouth or perfect teeth. Her dentist said she will more than likely need braces.

Guess who got an EMMY Nomination?

2008-05-05T13:28:00.000-05:00

Our friend, Rachel Coleman, from Signing Time!
Yes! As in the Daytime Emmy Awards that will air later this month.

She was nominated for "Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series."

OUTSTANDING PERFORMER IN A CHILDREN'S SERIES
Bindi Irwin, as Bindi Irwin "Bindi the Jungle Girl" - Discovery Kids
Jack Hanna, as Jack Hanna "Jack Hanna's Into the Wild" - Syndicated
John Tartaglia, as Johnny ""Johnny and the Sprites" - Disney Channel
Kevin Clash, as Elmo "Sesame Street"
Rachel Coleman, as Rachel "Signing Time!" - PBS

This category, unfortunately, will not be televised but we'll find out the results on June 20th.

Best wishes! We are so proud and excited for her and everyone at Two Little Hands Productions!!
Way to go, Ray!

More Adventures in April

2008-04-30T23:18:00.001-05:00

The Bean was so ecstatic to see a caterpillar. It was quite large and was probably on its way to perch somewhere and change into a butterfly. Very protective she was with the caterpillar, wouldn't even let me hold it!

Girl Scouts at the Dr.'s office. The girls had fun playing doctor and being able to play with the stethescope and otoscope. Open wide...

A changing smile! April 30th.
Her two bottom teeth had been loose for almost 3 weeks and she was very impatient but nervous about loosing her teeth. Who knew all it took was a Cheerio! With one bite of the Cheerio, the tooth popped out and she subsequently swallowed it thinking it was the cereal. She didn't even realize she lost the tooth, much less ate it till she tasted blood. Then she started crying. I called Brian to look for her tooth where she was sitting, while I rinsed out her mouth. It was gone but she was very happy to have finally lost her tooth and to see what treasures the Tooth Fairy would bring!

The Tooth Fairy brought one "gold" coin for loosing her tooth and another for literally loosing her tooth.

April

2008-04-12T00:58:00.000-05:00

School has kept me busy but I still managed to take pictures.

I don't know if I have even mentioned it yet or not, but I am so lovin' my new camera. Not technically new, since I got it in December for Christmas, but still newer and better than my old camera. It's a semi-pro camera, Nikon D40. Still learning all the new features, but I am so happy with the results...

Girl Scout troop decorated the paper bags to display Earth Friendly Themes. The girls had lots of fun.

Soccer season starts! The Bean's third season.

At our local Earth Day Festival.
The last two pict's are recycling old tissue paper into a hat, then decorating it.

We had the soccer game early in the day, then the Festival in the afternoon, followed by swimming. I am such a dope, I forgot to use sunblock and I got so burned! Won't make that mistake again.

March 2008

2008-03-30T00:36:00.002-06:00

Busy month:

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Aunt Tina's B-day

Silly hat=Silly face=Silly girl

Enjoying one of the warm days at the park

Building molecules at the Children's Museum. (Hmmm, I think I might still have the molecule kit from my Organic Chemistry days.)

The Bean so excited about being selected for the Spotlight on Caring. Each teacher got to pick a student they think modeled that particular characteristic.

Spending the afternoon reading. Gotta love Junie B. Jones, the books are pretty funny.

A Cool Easter

2008-03-23T00:24:00.001-06:00

Easter this year was quite chilly. The Bean and I went to Mass and Brian went to work. After church we met my family at the park. We spent the day playing with the kids and bbq-ing.

Cousin Micky and the Bean

Cousin Nicky and the Bean

Cousin Micky and Sylvia

Lovin' the basket

Cousin Nicky, Cousin Jr. and the Bean

Reading Baby at 17 months old - AMAZING

2008-03-06T22:48:00.003-06:00

A friend sent me a video of a Reading Baby who is only 17 months old. Her parents attribute her amazing ability to reading to her since birth and teaching her American Sign Language. The video they used was, of course, Signing Time.

Question of the week!

2008-03-02T14:53:00.000-06:00

"When are you going to have more children?" I have been asked that question so many times this week, its crazy. I guess when people find out that you ONLY have one child in elementary school, they think it's time to have another.

Honestly, I would love to have more children. The thought crosses my mind often. Even The Bean is wanting/asking for a sibling. But, I had a stroke 6 months after having The Bean.

I was hesitant, before, to explain this to people, only just mentioning that I couldn't have anymore. And usually, that was a good enough answer for most. With time it gets easier to say that I have an aneurysm in my heart and a small one in my brain, and that if I should get pregnant again, I could die. OK, so I don't say it quite so drastic! But, seriously, it would be too much to handle physically and emotionally.

I take medicine everyday to keep my blood from clotting, but it also causes awful birth defects. I would have to switch to giving myself shots everyday. And then there is the risk of having another stroke or other complications. I just don't know if I can go through that.

We hope to adopt or maybe find a surrogate mother to carry our child. But right now, school makes it quite difficult to do much in the way of family planning. These days, we are happy and content to have The Bean and maybe one day soon we will be more than three.

Sunday School Signing

2008-02-24T18:21:00.000-06:00

I love American Sign Language. I think it's a beautiful language, right up there with French, although not as visually stimulating. Anyway, I try to share it with as many people as I can. So this week, I taught the kids the signs for HOLY SPIRIT.

HOLY: index and pointer finger of one hand is horizontal (H handshape) and comes down to flat hand, palm up.

SPIRIT: both hands with pointer and thumb touching, with one hand spiral upwards.

Friends in Africa

2008-02-22T22:58:00.005-06:00

A remarkable and incredible journey of our friends, Rachel and Leah Coleman, as they travel to bring, hope and Signing Time to deaf students in Ghana Africa. Reading Rachel's journal was heartbreaking and inspiring.

The Bean at 18 months.

2008-02-13T12:49:00.007-06:00

I was deleting some old videos on our computer and came across this one. I just couldn't resist sharing it.

Arts and Crafts

2008-02-06T16:07:00.001-06:00

I planned for our Daisy girl scout troop to do Valentine's Day crafts at a local Senior Living Community. The ladies were so nice and truly loved having my brood of 5 year olds. Equally the girls loved the attention and singing songs to them. It was a fun time for all.

GIANTS WIN!

2008-02-03T16:14:00.002-06:00

Ok, most of you know that I L-O-V-E the Dallas Cowboys and utterly dislike the Steelers and Patriots. So naturally, I am rooting for my hubby's team to win. And win they do by the skin of their teeth. What an awesome game. And just so you know, I think B had tears!

It's been too long!!

2008-02-01T20:57:00.002-06:00

Our Christmas Vacation 2007 in Orange County, CA

First off, sorry for not updating for like 4 months! We are all doing well.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We spent our vacation with B's family in California. So much fun hanging out with all the family and amazed at how fast the kids are growing. We took the Bean to Disneyland, it was so packed because of the Rose Bowl, but we had fun despite the crowd.

The Bean is doing great in school. She is learning so much and is doing well at reading beginner books. She has had a couple of problems with boys teasing her, not to mention the one whose finger she bit, but only a "little bit... not too hard," so she said. In my opinion, he totally deserved it. Hey, I think if you tease someone and your finger is in their face, watch out! She did have a total meltdown afterwards, when the teacher stamped her behavior chart green instead of the steller silver. If you know the Bean, then you know, it was the end of the world that day! LOL But these days, all is right with the world. Especially, now that she is very sweet on a little boy named Collin. All we hear about is Collin this and Collin that. Even at lunch, she tries to sit by Collin!

Well, as with everything in our lives, plans change. B's plan to do the internship in Zoo Keeping in Colorado, was quite unexpectedly and wonderfully halted due to a job offer with a major company. Unexpectedly: because the company rarely has job openings and Wonderfully: because the pay and benefits are outstanding. To me the benefits were crucial. Due to my pre-existing conditions, I can not get private health insurance... only through the university, which was better than nothing, but still. So, I am elated to finally have health insurance. Really, it doesn't take much to make me happy!!

As for me, I've started Methods (which is like a pre-Student Teaching semester). It is going to be an interesting semester with much planning, organizing and teaching. This semester I will be in a 7th grade math class, I can't wait!

I know I haven't posted pict's in a while so here is a montage of pict's from various places and holidays.

Aunt Katrina and the Bean at the Christmas party.

Outrageously decorated house, in where else? CA

The Bean at Laguna Beach

Disneyland, CA

Wishing you Happy Holidays (yeah, yeah I know we're in Jan!)

Soccer trophy and party- Fall Season

Too cute in a soccer uniform, makes Daddy so proud!

Rockin' out in the tub!!! (You know you do too!)

In the airplane, ready to take off.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2007-09-22T09:54:00.002-05:00

We celebrated our 6th anniversary today! It doesn't seem like a long time, but we've really been together for 12.

We started dating in the fall after we graduated from high school. We met at work. I was a cashier and Big B was a buggy boy (HAHAHA). I remember him walking up to me with his best friend to ask me if I thought he and his best friend looked alike. Corny opening line, I know! But his smile was sweet and I couldn't resist just laughing (because that's what teenage girls do when they talk to cute boys!). Well, after 12 years, Big B can still make me laugh and he still has that sweet smile.

The Downtown Aquarium

2007-09-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

First day of school

2007-08-27T14:18:00.000-05:00

School days are upon us

2007-08-26T19:39:00.001-05:00

Cait starts Kindergarten tomorrow. She is so excited. We met with her teacher on Thurs. (my birthday!) and saw all the cute faces of those she will have in her class. She will have 19 other students in her class. Her teacher was a bundle of fun and energy -perfect for this age group and very much needed to deal with so many 5 year olds!

We had to fill out an index card with various contact information and then we were asked to write what we expect our child to learn this year. I thought about it for a moment and thought what concrete aspects I hope she learns by the end of her Kindergarten experience. She knows how to count to 50, she can write her name, knows her telephone number and she is reading small words but I what I ended up writing and I wholeheartedly believe is that I hope my daughter never loses her love of learning.

Yeah, yeah...some may say this sounds lame or whatnot, but seriously think about how much pressure is put on our kids to learn so much and to learn it "early." I know some parents are "red-shirting" their children, meaning they keep their children out of Kindergarten another year so that they have an extra year to learn more. By the time they are in Kindergarten they are well above what they should be barely learning.

In time, my kid will learn to add, subtract, to read, to write but will her thirst for knowledge continue as the pressure builds? There is just way too much pressure put on our kids to achieve certain standards and through it all their excitement and pleasure in learning becomes a chore.

It really is a shame.

Butterflies, Spiders and Planets! Oh my!

2007-08-05T16:43:00.005-05:00

Pink Rose Swallowtail, the most prettiest butterfly we've ever seen.

I've been wanting to take the Bean to the Museum of Natural Science for months now, mainly for the butterfly center. She is fascinated by caterpillars and butterflies. She literally shrieks with excitement when we see a butterfly flying around.

Her interest was sparked from her favorite song "Caterpillar Dreams" in the Signing Time videos. She loves, loves, loves this song. Too cute to see her imitate Rachel when she sings (ST fans will know what I'm talking about!)

So through books, we've learned about metamorphosis, the chrysalis (also called the cocoon), and it's proboscis (long like tongue). We've learned the name of a few butterflies, her favorite being the Blue Morpho butterfly.

The butterfly center is 3 stories high in a glass dome, complete with waterfall and pond. The Hall of Entomology houses live insects from millipedes to cockroaches (YUCK!) to bees and spiders, including B's favorite: the largest tarantula in the world called the Goliath bird-eating tarantula. This thing was massive! There was also a red knee tarantula (we use to have the white knee which was equally beautiful but sadly died) and a black and white tarantula (which the name escapes me at the moment). Cait and I most enjoyed the display of live butterflies and their life stages. I can't believe I didn't take a picture! It had rows and rows of chrysalis' from several different species and some even had the butterflies emerging from them. Pretty cool to say the least!

We also visited the frog exhibit. The Bean's favorite is the red-eye tree frog. No flash allowed in this exhibit so no pict's. And we watched a 3D IMAX movie on African Wildlife. It was a hoot to see her reaction to 3D and the movie itself! We had a great time and hope to visit the planetarium next.

Cait's latest fascination is in the planets (thanks to a Little Einstein show), her favorite being Pluto (because "its so little and cute" @@). She came to me and had lots of questions, so I ran with it of course! We purchased a few books on the subject and looked it up online Science News for kids. We even stayed up very late one night coloring all the planets and the sun. We also measured them to scale using the book The Planets in our Solar System by Franklyn Branley and hung them from the ceiling. We talked about their size, the moons, sun, asteroids and meteroids.

After a few weeks, our talk on the Earth eventually led to the states, countries, and oceans so that's what we've be learning lately. I hope to take her to the Planetarium soon and to the Observatory to see the Perseid meteor shower on Aug 12th.

Jupiter got tangled up with Mars and fell down and was subsequently chewed to pieces by our devil cat.

Sea World and Natural Bridge Wildlife

2007-07-07T09:22:00.002-05:00

Our end of June vacation was a last minute decision when we decided to meet up with my brother and his family at Sea World. We love that place so much, my sister and her family decided to join us as well. We were excited to have all the kids together to enjoy the park.

Unfortunately, it started raining soon after we arrived. My sister and I hadn't met up with my brother yet. So, we went to the diner to eat and wait out the rain. My brother and his family were on the other side of the park, where apparently there isn't much shelter in the water park. They had 2 kids, 1 infant, no umbrella and no working cell phone. Obviously, not a good combination. So, they hauled ass to the parking lot to go back to their hotel. They were soaked to the bone when they finally got to their room. It was too much of a hassle to come back so they cleaned up and ordered in.

Meanwhile, we're chillin' in the restuarant watching loads of people running through the rain. Their poor kids in wagons with nothing but blue parkas to protect them from the showers. But finally, the rain slowed to a drizzle and stopped. The rain was a blessing though, since it cooled down substantially and was breezy. The weather was so nice, we decided to stay. We had planned to return the next day and try again with my brother's family but spending the whole day at the park really wears you out. We just couldn't do it two days in a row!

On our drive home we did decide to go to the Natural Bridge Caverns and Wildlife. B absolutely loves this place. It's like a safari ride through the park with all kinds of exotic animals that you get to feed. After you drive through the wildlife park, there is a small petting zoo of sheep and goats.

This was the Bean's second time there, but she was too young the first time and didn't remember much. I even forget how much fun it can be. The damn ostriches, though, are the worst!! They are so tall and fierce looking with their beady eyes and strong beaks. They are not shy and will literally stick their head in the car to get the bag of food. The Bean was a little scared when the zebras put their heads in the vehicle to reach the food. B and I couldn't help but laugh. "They are harmless...really they are!"

But, I can see from the Bean's point of view: having the massive head of a wild animal, almost 1/2 the size of your body, sticking its head through the window to eat whatever its grass filled teeth can reach.
Ah! Aren't we great parents subjecting our child to this kind of amusement?!

The Bean and cousin Nicholas.

The beluga whale show was cancelled due to the new baby.

The Bean and Daddy going on the kiddie roller coaster.

The strawberries and cream attacked the kid.

Cait feeding the Aoudad.

Cait afraid of the Zebra getting into the van.

Video of Brian feeding the Zebra and Caitlyn not to sure about the whole thing.

Daddy, cautious of the infamous ostriches.

And we all liked the little peacock!

The Bean's 5th Birthday

2007-06-16T12:21:00.007-05:00

We wanted to do something different for her birthday this year. Since we all know turning 5 is a big milestone ;)!

Every year prior we've always had her birthday at home. This year we took her to Abilene, TX for some live shows, which by the way totally rocked! And we decided to have the party at an indoor inflatable party place, called Pump It Up. Indoors are a must unless it's a pool party since afterall it is freakin' HOT here in June.

We limited her presents to 3 this year. One toy (a doll), one instrument (a violin), and one place to visit of her choice (Sea World). She really had loads of fun, playing and jumping and running and sliding, and more jumping. We like it because the inflatable structures are HUGE that the adults can join in too. Fun for all, is our motto. So here are some pictures from that day...

June 13th

2007-06-13T07:07:00.001-05:00

This particular date is always a bittersweet date for our family.
Today is Cait's birthday. She turns 5 today.
Nine years ago today my sister, Melissa, passed away.

I remember when I was pregnant, my initial due date was June 12th. I had been dialated 2-3cm for like 2 weeks. I thought for sure I was going to have her early (wishful thinking on my part). But, on my due date I was no sooner to having her than I was the two weeks before. And when my OB told me I was going to have her that night, I remember thinking "Yeah right!"

Guitily though, I also didn't remember that the following day was the anniversary of my sister's death. I was so caught up in the pregnancy and getting things ready for her arrival, that when one of my other sister's mentioned she was destined to be born on the 13th, I felt a pang in my heart. Really, how could I have forgotten??

Sure enough at 2:45 am I started having contractions. I was in labor for 4 hours and 22 minutes. At 7:07am a big, beautiful baby girl arrived. Weighing a hefty 8 lbs 7 oz and only 19 inches long.

Brian and I have both experienced a loss of a sibling. His brother Jim (James) passed away while working on the set of the X-Files TV show. We had talked about it and decided that our children would carry the name of our siblings. But, since Caitlyn was born on the anniversary of Melissa's passing, we chose Alyssa for her middle name. If and when we ever have a son, we will choose James for his middle name.

So today we kept it simple, Cait and I enjoyed a nice breakfast together and for lunch we met up with Daddy.

The Bean's post

2007-06-11T10:26:00.001-05:00

Photos picked by The Bean for her post:

Photos taken by The Bean:

The following is her contribution to this post in her own words.

I like nice people, pretty flowers, my pets, school, musical instruments, Signing Time, barbies, Little Einsteins and Littlest Pet Shop.

I don't like macaroni and cheese, or flossing my teeth.

My Favorite joke is:
knock, knock
-who's there?
banana
-banana who?
knock, knock
-who's there?
banana
-banana who?
knock knock
-who's there?
banana
-banana who?
knock, knock
-who's there?
orange
-orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say banana!

Favorite books:
Too many frogs!
The Cat in the Hat
All my Mercer Mayer books
My Eric Carle books
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
The Scrambled States of America
and Cookies

Road Trip

2007-06-10T19:08:00.002-05:00

OK, so I missed helping Rachel and Signing Time in New York because of the car accident. But Signing Time was having another event. This time with Dan Zanes & Friends for KIDZFEST in Abilene, TX. Both of which The Bean enjoys immensely. OH MY, did she have fun!

She's known about this weekend for about a week now but the day we were set to drive to Abilene she couldn't wait to see Rachel. And the bonus was having Leah and Aaron there too, which I hadn't told her about yet. The last time she met Rachel and family was when she was 2 years old. She and I flew to Salt Lake City, UT to have her sign in the Baby Signing Time videos. I can't believe how time has flown. I mean she had barely been potty trained and in one of the shows the children were dancing around in diapers. I thought how cute and she wanted to go out there and dance but I didn't want to confuse her by putting her back in diapers!

So, we get to Abilene around 2am Saturday after about 7 hours driving. The Bean instantly woke up when we parked and asked if she was going to see Rachel NOW. I assured her that they were probably sleeping and we needed to too. Thankfully, she didn't fuss. Later that morning she finally saw Rachel. She was a little shy at first but that was soon gone.

The Signing Time! show was at the Grace Museum for the grand opening of the Children's Museum, which you can read about here. What a good turnout. And even though, there was a slight mishap with the sound system, it was still a great event.
Hopkins, Rachel and Leah.

Photo after the show.

The next show was Dan Zanes & Friends. If you watch Playhouse Disney then you have probably seen the guy with the wacky hair singing and dancing.

Brian and I were very surprised when Rachel took The Bean on stage to sign some words in DZ's songs. I was shocked she actually went up there. I'm sure having Leah up there too, really helped. She never ceases to surprise me. We were so proud of her!

The show packed the lower level of the Paramount Theatre and part of the balcony. The show was very soul full and entertaining. I love bands that incorporate orchestra type instruments. I find it fascinating to see them play. Anyway, DZ did not disappoint. Caitlyn kept telling me "Mom, that's my favorite song." Apparently, she has a lot of favorite songs. So, anyway, here is a short video of the show.

This is the same song but before the show began so you can probably hear the music better.

More photos with DZ and band mates:

Congratulations Graduate!

2007-06-01T13:34:00.000-05:00

My neice and sister

The Bean and Sylvia

Sylvia and my Mom

Congratulations Sylvia! We are so proud of you. College is full of choices, risks and opportunities. The adventure begins!

GOOOOOOOAAAAAL!

2007-05-19T10:07:00.001-05:00

Cait scored her first goal on Saturday (May 19th)!

First let me preface this by saying Cait is very much a competitive little girl. And because of that, I was a little hesistant to put her in a competitive sport. I didn't want her to always see things as win or lose. But knowing how much her daddy absolutely, positively, withouta doubt wants her in a soccer, I couldn't refuse. So we found a soccer league that emphasizes fun and doesn't sweat the competitive aspects of organized sports, like keeping score. Plus it didn't hurt that daddy could take part too, as the coach ;)

So her little 8 player team consists of 5 girls and 3 boys. There are only 8 games to be played in the season and before May 19 Cait had watched 4 of her teammates score goals. Despite our saying that as long as she tried to play and was having fun we were proud of her. She was still dissappointed and had began saying she didn't want to play because she wasn't "good enough." Now I started to worry! But she continued to try: learning to control the ball but never long enough to dribble it to the goal....that is until May 19th.

From the beginning of the game Cait seemed more focused, more determined. Funny, but she seemed on top of her "game" (well as much as any 4 year old could be!). She dribbled the ball and kicked it towards the goal. The goalie caught it and threw it in, straight to her though. Caitlyn got to it before the other players and kicked it ever so slightly, just outside the circle. It slowly, and I mean slowly, rolled inside the goal. GOOOOOOAAAAAAL!

She knew she scored! She threw her hands up and said "YES! I did it." She spun around looking for daddy, running and yelling "I did it! I scored my first goal!" She wrapped her arms around her dad with the biggest smile! Her face was BEAMING! I was proud of her. I knew how much she wanted to score. But I am also proud of her for not giving up. Daddy knew his little "Mia Hamm" would score a goal this season. I on the other hand wasn't so sure. I just wanted her to be happy. And well, after Saturday I can see it in her eyes when she tells someone about her goal.

Brian and soccer legend Pele

Caitlyn and her soccer idol: Daddy

The Bean

2007-04-13T00:07:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist not posting these. I took these a couple of days ago. I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast (she'll be 5 in two months).

Leah, Spelling Bee Champ!

2007-04-12T23:05:00.000-05:00

How cool is this? Check out the link to YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbBTJFy87cE

The video is of Leah, my friends daughter, who won her Elementary School Spelling Bee. You might recognize her. She is one of the stars from a very popular DVD series, called Signing Time! Or you might have even seen her, her mom, Rachel Coleman, and cousin, Alex Brown on your local tv station. Signing and singing "It's Signing Time with Alex and Leah..."

But if you didn't, the series teaches ASL (American Sign Language) to children. They are so incredibly awesome. They teach and entertain, what more could we as parents want?! I started watching them with Caitlyn when she was around 10 months old. I wanted to give her a way to communicate before she could speak. Which she did, and c'mon it is definitely cute seeing your baby sign "EAT" at 11 months old or any sign for that matter. And as Caitlyn has grown so has the series, which now has 13 Signing Time DVDs and 2 Baby Signing Time DVDs. Each DVD has a different theme, with music and cute little kids to help your kids learn how to sign the word. The songs are catchy and yes, even Daddy will hum or sing them.

Anyway, I know lots of kids win Spelling Bees so whats the big deal, right? Well if you don't know about Signing Time or Rachel's story then I'm guessing you didn't know that Leah, was born profoundly deaf. I don't have the stats but I'm sure most Deaf children don't even compete in Spelling Bees. And since some Deaf students graduate high school with an elementary reading level, the odds are even slimmer. So that's why I linked her video, it is amazing and inspiring. Kudos to her mom and dad and even lil' sister Lucy for helping Leah be a champ. You can read more about that day on Rachel's blog

Update on Baby Paul

2007-04-12T22:59:00.000-05:00

Baby Paul, as called by some of us and Micky by the rest of the family, is finally home. He actually came home last Friday (4-6-07). Home for Easter! He is not eating a full 2 oz. so he still has the tube in his nose to be fed the remaining milk. But, he is gaining weight, so that's good news.

Caitlyn sporting her new uniform

2007-04-04T22:08:00.000-05:00

Finally the day Daddy has been waiting for...Caitlyn playing soccer!
She hasn't had a game yet, that will be on Sat.
Tonight we got the uniforms, and of course she had to model them for us.

These are pictures from her first practice day.
All suited up and ready to play.

The tired babes after a hour of practice, tears and sweat.

Pray for Baby Paul (Micky)

2007-04-03T07:51:00.000-05:00

My sister had her baby boy on March 7th, due to preeclampsia. He was a month early and weighed 6lbs and was 18in long. He was slow to want to eat, eating a few ml and then napping. So they had a feeding tube put in. But now he is eating more and he is up to 7ibs 2 oz. We hope he can be home by Easter, as he has no clue how many people want to just scoop him up in hugs and kisses.

Oh to be back to the mundane.

2007-04-03T07:32:00.000-05:00

No more surgeries, or wraping the injured limb in plastic before showering, or cleansing the site everyday- twice a day. Oh its good to be back to being able to get ready in under 15 minutes! How little it takes to make me happy. As I'm sure the kiddo is happy mommy can do pony tails once a again and Brian is elated to be off dish duty. The latter I could have done without for at least two more weeks.

So in all the good things, I still have hand therapy. My wrist is stubborn and needs more work to get it fully mobile, but I can write and THAT has been the best of all.

Recovery

2007-02-26T19:28:00.000-06:00

It's been one roller coaster after another since the accident. Everything from the insurance not working with the hospital, that I was supposed to have surgery at, to buying another vehicle, and catching up in school.

When I went to the orthopedic doctor they discovered that one of the bones in the forearm was badly dislocated, and needed surgery to realigned. And of course while they are in there they are going to put a metal plate on the broken bone to speed up recovery. I had the surgery 2 weeks ago. They put in several screws to secure the metal plate and 2 small rods to keep the pesky bone from going back to the wrong position (which I suspect is due to waiting over a week after the accident to have the surgery). So as of today they took out the stitches from the 4 inch cut on my wrist, OUCH! to say the least and I am in a small splint so I am able to move my arm at the elbow. I will go back in 2 weeks to remove the metal rods, which are currently protuding from the skin like the dude from Hellraiser. From being a former science/medical major it is pretty cool to see.

Some of you asked if I was able to go to New York and sadly I was not. There was too much going on. After missing 5 class days I am still trying to catch up, all while using my left hand. No easy feat I tell ya.

So anyway, thanks for the emails.

A Bad Day.

2007-02-03T16:29:00.000-06:00

Well, I was in a car accident Wed. night. It was raining and I skidded through a red light. I hit a truck head on and still didn't stop after that. Nope, the van veered off to the right and smacked every so gently into the light post at the crosswalk. I remember everything and talk about a very bad nightmare. I didn't notice that the truck I hit did a 180* and hit the vehicle behind it. After the van stopped I noticed my right arm right away. My right arm was broken at the wrist. Let me tell ya, you gain a whole new perspective on how your bones are NOT supposed to protude from under the skin. Yuck! That was the only injury I sustained, save for some major bruising in varios places from the steering wheel and seat belt. I am extremely happy that no one else was hurt. Now the interesting thing out of all of this, is I had knock on some guy's window to let me use his phone. No one really came out to help. What's up with that? Anyway, the guy called 911 and I spoke to them, fortunately an ambulance was just driving up so it was barely 3 minutes before I was in it. It sure took them a while to find a vein in my arm and pump me up with some morphine, which I had initially refused. Yeah, can you believe that? I refused pain meds with a broken arm! That is how much I hate taking meds. Oh and I had also refused to lie down on a stretcher, since I hadn't hurt my neck or back. But when the paramedic said I had to sign a waiver I changed my mind. So there I go lying on a stretcher with a neck brace and morphine manuevering through my veins easing the pain. The paramedic kindly reminded me that I had paid for all 10 mg of morphine and did I want the remaining five. By that point I am all loopy so I said "Sure, why not." I did forget to mention that after talking to the 911 operator I was forever trying to get a hold of Brian. But the reception was bad either from the phones, location or weather. Did I mention it rained all that day? So anyway, I finally get a hold of him and tell him vaguely what happened, trying to get HIM to calm down. Poor guy! Well, we get reunited at the hospital. I'm trying to explain what happened but I was oh so drugged and sleepy. I thought for sure morphine was supposed to knock you out. Perhaps it was the adrenaline. I won't bore you with the detais of getting x-rays and feeling them stretch my hand and arm to get it aligned the correct way. Yeah not a something I wanted to feel, even though they supposedly aenesthestized me. I got a soft cast put on and sent home. I will see the orthopeadic doctor on Mon to get the hard cast. Did you also know I am right handed. Sigh. I will have to have to adjust to school and work, well practically everything, with one non-dominant hand. But I am lucky, oh so lucky to have not been hurt worse.

So you wanna know about the car?
Brian had asked one of the officers about the van, who mentioned it might be totaled. Another nice officer, who gave me a citation, said it wasn't that bad. Well, I get a call from the insurance adjuster, who quite confidently states that the van is a total loss. Another big sigh.

Brian has this running joke about me willing to hurt myself to get another car. Since we had been talking about trading in the van more a more economical car. Geez, babe! Not like this!

I was also supposed to be flying out this coming Thurs. for New York. I really want to go. It is another Signing Time event that is happening at Carnegie Hall. I still don't know if I'm going it depends on how I feel in the next few days. I don't want to be on pain meds during the trip. Wouldn't be any fun being drowsy the whole dang time. Did I mention I really want to go? So we shall see...

My how time flies.

2007-01-31T15:26:00.000-06:00

Yikes, I know I haven't updated in a while. Things were quite busy with the move. Unpacking. Getting school schedules in place. Transferring to a new job location (the Nazi came back, I'll write what happened in another post). Setting up new work days and hours. But alas, things are somewhat settling down and we're getting back into the groove of things.This is a picture from the cold snap we had a couple of weeks ago. Yes! Icles. What a nice change from the mild winters that are normal here.

The Bean is doing well. She says she loves the new place, so we're really happy about that. She enjoys school and says she wishes she went everyday. LOL. B. says she is definetly my child!

I'm back at school now. Relieved to be back. I only have to drive up to school 2 days a week. I work 4 hours the other 2 days. So that leaves me with plenty of time to spend time with The Bean and B.

Brian is definitely a busy man these days, especially with working two jobs. We are forever grateful for all that he is doing for us. As The Bean says "He is one special Daddy." I couldn't agree more, kiddo.

More pictures of The Bean:

Thanksgiving Party at school.

Finally able to use her legs to pedal herself.

Playing dressup and diging for dinosaur bones at The Children's Museum. Oh so much fun. They have a huge department store size space in our local mall. The Bean had a blast going from center to center. Playing in the child size house was her favorite. I thought I took a picture of that. I will try to remember the next time we go. She had so much and its so convenient being 10 minutes from our home that we got a family membership. Not a bad way to spend $ 50 which lasts for a year.

Took The Bean and her cousin to Incredible Pizza. Gotta love the way she bowls!

The semester is almost over...

2006-12-13T22:10:00.002-06:00

We are moving yet again New Years Eve weekend. Yeah I know, big surprise. I will send out an email with our new addy and phone number.

The Bean is doing well. Her Pre-K class had a Christmas program, "Christmas around the world" Thurs night. Click on the video for a short clip...

Scary Mary

2006-12-11T11:04:00.000-06:00

Mary Poppins a horror film. If this was the clip they had used I think I might have wanted to see it. BUWHAHAHAA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5_0AGdFic

Halloween 2006

2006-11-05T09:39:00.000-06:00

Angelina-Bumblebee
Johnny-Darth Vader
Sylvia-Little Miss Muffet
Stacy-Juliet
Nicholas-Spiderman
Caitlyn-Ballerina
Jr.-Mr. Incredible (with musles to boot).

Its a bird, Its a plane, ITS BAT CAT!

Sleeping Beauty: Caitlyn's first choice for a costume.

Followed by The Little Mermaid (it was a conspiracy to release the movie in October, close to Halloween!)

Jr., J.C. and Caitlyn playing around.

But, alas Caitlyn decided on Halloween Day to be a Ballerina. An outfit we ALREADY owned. She was excited to have lipstick which is why she has a funny smile, she didn't want her lips to touch.

All the PK classes at Caitlyn's school went to the local Pumpkin Patch. They got to on a Hayride, Train and play on the playground, race with potato sacks, feed the goats, play in a huge mound of hay and pick out a baby pumpkin.

Best Friends

2006-10-01T12:26:00.000-05:00

Alyssa and her best cousin and best friend. Too cute

About Us

2006-09-28T22:16:00.002-05:00

I've finally decided to keep a blog, to keep you informed about us.

Right now, I'm in school, so I may not post often. Patience! I will try.

I have read some very interesting books. If your wanting a good book, try HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff. This was the first book, since the Harry Potter series where I still wanted more when it was finished.
The Bean's favorite book right now is Too Many Frogs! by Sandy Asher