This months News and Views (March 2000)
- A few additions to our family
First off, no, Paula's not pregnant.These new additions come to us in the form of pets.
At the beginning of the month, Paula was walking around in her second home (The new Wal*Mart super center), and spotted some fish. Micah fell in love with them, and Paula picked up a Beta for Micah. These fish are tough, no aerator necessary, feed them once a day, and they'll last a LONG time she was told. Micah named him Wally, because he came from Wal*Mart (And, because we suggested it).
The next morning, Wally was doing the back stroke, which is something fish aren't supposed to do! We hid Wally from Micah, and told him that Wally was sleeping. Paula went back to Wal*Mart, got another Wally, and the fun began once again.
Until two days later, when Wally II was taking a dirt nap. So, once again, Paula returns to Wal*Mart for another, and finds there are no more Betas. So, she treks over to Pets and Company, and buys another Beta, code named Wally III.
Wally III's been with us for a while, and shows no signs of following his previous friends.
The older boys enjoy the fish, so we bought them a two gallon aquarium, and have a few fish in their aquarium. But, we've pretty much figured out that Wal*Mart's fish don't last as long as Pets and Company's fish. For whatever reason. Even the guy at Wal*Mart admits their fish aren't too resilient.
The final pet added to the Hughes Family is named Mr. Piglet. He's a guinea pig that Bradley bought with some of his allowance. He's very cute, and even whistles when he's hungry, out of food, or Micah is in the room! Brad's done a great job of keeping his cage clean, his water fresh and plentiful, and his food dish filled.
- Micah turned 2 this month
Yes, we know, it's hard to believe, but Micah turned 2 this month.
And, it's hard to believe that his two favorite phrases are "No, I don't want to.", and "Quit, bubby, quit.". Yes, we have officially reached the terrible two's, and either we're getting older, or we've forgotten what Brad and Clint were like when they reached two. My vote is for the we're getting older scenario!
Micah wanted his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese, and that's exactly what he got.
We were the only birthday party there that night, so we had the rat, I mean, Chuck E. Cheese all to ourselves. Not crowded at all, a good atmosphere for the party. They sang Happy Birthday to him, and only him, and you could tell he felt special. Mission accomplished!
His very first gift was one of his favorites. Ms. Dana bought him an Elmo chair. Now, he has his very own chair, and it's Elmo related to boot. He also got an Elmo stroller from Ci-Ci (That's Nancy, for those of you who don't know). Nanny and Pe-Paw got him a very nice motorcycle that he'll enjoy using when it gets a little warmer outside.
The kids got him a Dragon Tails stuffed figure, which he loves. Anyway, it's a two headed dragon, and I think one of them is named Wheezy.
Thanks to everyone who attended, as we all had a blast. It was good to catch up with some friends whom we hadn't seen in a while.
- Completing the house of our dreams
As you already know, we moved into our new house this past August. But, there was much more to do. Some little things, some not so little but still things that needed doing to make our house complete.
We wanted a fence, so Dough Boy could run around freely in the back yard. We finally got our fence approved by the neighborhood committee (That's a whole story within itself), and the fence company finally put us on their schedule. We had to wait a few weeks, but the wait has been worth the results.
We also wanted a swing set for the kids, so Micah could swing and play. Every time we would go to our local park, Micah would cry when we had to leave. He LOVES to swing. So, we finally broke down and bought a wooden swing set kit. After a few weekends of bad weather, the completion of the fence, and some hard work, we finally have the swing set completed.
We wanted a new washer and dryer, as our old ones were on their last legs. We've had our washer for over 13 years, and it's showing it's age. While our dryer is somewhat newer, it, too, is having problems doing what it's supposed to do. So, off to Best Buy for a brand new set. They carry the Amana line of washers and dryers, which we love. On sale, available in 3 days, sounds good to me.
We wanted to get a freezer, so that when we found meat on sale, we could stock up, and save some money. Once again, Best Buy to the rescue. While getting our washer and dryer, we picked up a stand up freezer, and saved on delivery!
We wanted flower boxes around out deck out back, to add some color to the back yard. Our special guests helped us with those, and they're doing great. Micah pushed
We wanted to get a DSS system, for increased picture and sound quality, as our cable bill has become heftier, yet our channel list was anemic. As many of you know, I enjoy our home theater, very much. DSS, or DirectTV, provides you with a clearer picture, better sound quality, and better value. Well, I finally broke down and ordered one, as they offered free installation during the months of March and April. It's now hooked up, and we're enjoying a crystal clear picture, over 160 channels, plus 30 music only channels. Now, if I can just get the universal remote to handle all the components!
Steve wanted a new subwoofer, as our old one just didn't have enough "oomph" to it in the larger room. Our living room is also our home theater room. My old subwoofer worked well enough for our older house, but just couldn't provide enough sound to fill the room. I found the subwoofer I wanted on sale, plus free shipping and handling, and ordered it. With Paula's blessing, first, of course!
Well, because we've been so blessed lately, we've done everything I've mentioned above, plus some I'm sure I've forgotten. Both Paula and I have nothing left to add, and our house is nearly picture perfect.
Now, we just need a few more visitors each month!
- Special guests this month
Gene and Mary joined us for a few weeks in March. OK, it was only 10 days, but we had HOPED for 2 weeks.
We always enjoy having them come up, and Micah is still Nanny struck.
During our adventures, we always take our guests to Cabarras Creamery. It's a local ice cream factory, and they sell cones there. So, you think Bryers, or maybe even Ben and Jerry's makes good ice cream? Well, then you need to come visit us, and we'll take you to Cabarras Creamery. See the picture to the right? That's Nanny and Brad, and that's a SINGLE cone from Cabarras Creamey.
Let it be said that all visitors to the Hughes Family in NC will be treated to Cabarras Creamery during their visit. And, yes, you can quote me on that!
Leaving is the hardest part for everyone. Tears were shed, hugs were exchanged, and our visit finally came to an end. Thank goodness for NetMeeting.
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