Macy Wins an Award in NEISD

No, the award wasn't for the cutest little kindergarten girl, but for her photograph of her brother depicting the theme of the PTA Reflections Contest this year, which was "WOW." (See blog from a few weeks ago, below.) Children could enter in a variety of categories, such as art, music, writing, or photography. All of the NEISD schools were represented last night at the awards assembly, from grades K-12. I'd say there were maybe 500 parents and grandparents plus the winners in all of those categories from all of the schools. The room where the awards took place was set up to seat about half that many people. Luckily, Sean got there early and we had seats on the second row. Macy was just recovering from a stomach virus, had stayed home from school all day, but felt better as the day wore on. She was extremely happy when her mom and dad said she could go to the awards assembly. About an hour before it started, however, she began to feel queasy and, about 20 minutes before the assembly started, she got sick again. We almost left to go home, without the award, but she begged to stay. We all held our breath hoping she wouldn't get sick again, or throw up on the lady who presented her with the certificate and medal. (I was holding a plastic bag, just in case!!) The show finally started and lucky for all of us, they started with kindergarten photography! Macy was the fourth name called...

She jumped up from her Dad's lap, and even remembered to tell the lady "thank you," then walked back to where we were sitting and said, "Let's go home!" We followed her advice, got up and turned over our coveted seats to some of the hundreds of people standing in the back!
Here she is with her unsettled stomach, trying to pose for us outside. She got in the car, fell asleep, got home and was sick again before she crashed for the night. She stayed home from school again Tuesday, but was feeling much better, and hopefully is finished with the virus going around her school! We are so proud of you, Macy, and know there will be many more awards for your creative talents! (Her photograph won for the entire district in her category, and has now gone on to the state level!)

Chloe, the Newest Gee Granddog

This is Chloe, a bull terrier, our newest granddog. She belongs to Larry, Ashley, Hayden, and Sam. She came over to our house today to get acquainted. We fell in love with her, of course. Nothing cuter than a puppy with a big black spot on her eye and a little black nose. Chloe looked around our house and was a very good puppy. She liked chewing on Papa's shoe laces, but the funniest thing was when Sam got on the floor behind the chair where his dad was sitting and Chloe decided it was a great opportunity to play with Sam. She joined him in the little corner and began looking for something to chew on---maybe Sam's ear? All of a sudden, Chloe was on top of Sam and he was yelling, "Help! Help!" His dad came to the rescue and he wasn't hurt at all. He just doesn't understand that puppies like to play and most of all, they like to chew on things. She'll outgrow the chewing tactic, and soon, we know they will be the best of buds!

The Little Girl and the Plastic Needle

Once upon a time, there was a little girl, who had a habit of putting things in her mouth. Sometimes it would be the end of a blanket or the hem of her dress, or the foot of a stuffed animal. One day, she had finished sewing up a cute little felt bear and while Mom was giving Marshall a bath, she began playing with the left-over craft supplies, like sequins, ribbon, and thread. She found the pink, plastic needle and decided to put it in her mouth, just to see what kind of texture it had. All of a sudden, the needle went down in a big swallow. It made Macy gag and cough a little bit and she became very, very scared. Mom called her in to take a bath, and after the bath, she knew she needed to tell her mom what happened. She reluctantly said, "Mommy, I accidentally swallowed that stringy thing." Mom grew concerned and said, "What did you swallow? Come show me on the box!" Macy pointed to the long, pink, plastic needle. Mom grabbed the box, Macy, and Marshall and drove quickly to North Central Baptist Hospital. The doctor said the needle probably wouldn't show up on an x-ray, but Macy's mom insisted. Everyone was very worried and scared. No sight of the needle! He just said, "Give her lots of bread and start checking her poop every day!" The next day, Macy's pediatrician, Dr. Gunsburg, ordered an endoscopy at Methodist Children's Hospital. It was a great place to be because everything in the hospital was just for kids. Macy loved the nurses, especially Mary, but she didn't like it when the anesthesiologist began to put a gas mask over her nose and mouth. When the doctor finished, he came out and said, "There is no needle in her stomach, but it looks like there is a little scratch where it may have passed through her esophagus. Also, she has signs of acid reflux. Give her lots of liquids, and continue checking her poop."

Macy felt fine for the next few days, and Mommy, Daddy, and Mimi continued checking her poop, to no avail. Six days later, Mommy was a bit upset and went to the doctor with Macy at 8:00 AM. The doctor could tell this was a very concerned Mommy and ordered a CT scan at Methodist Children's Hospital. It was a long, frustrating day, and Macy didn't get anything to eat until about 3:00! The CT scan showed that everything looked normal---no plastic needle could be seen. The doctor said the needle could be lodged in a little place that doesn't cause Macy any pain or harm. We know it is made of a non-toxic material, because Mommy called the company that made the sewing bear kit and they told her. The doctor said, "As long as she is not in any pain, you'll need to stop worrying about it. It may be with her forever." Macy said, "I'm so glad we finished sewing the little bear, since the needle is gone now!"

Macy Wins an Award!

Macy entered a photograph that she took with her mom's camera in the PTA Reflections Contest. This is a contest sponsored each year by the PTA with a specific theme. The theme this year was "WOW!" Children can enter in categories of art, music, writing, or photography. Macy's picture has won the district level for her age and category and is now at the state level of competition. Here is an excerpt from the PTA newsletter at her school:


The following students had Reflections entries chosen to advance to the STATE LEVEL. This is a huge accomplishment, as these entries were judged against ALL other entries in the district!Brandon Macmillan- Intermediate Visual ArtsChristy Castleberry- Intermediate Photography- 2 entries advancedDevyn Sunderland- Intermediate Photography, Macy Metcalf-Primary Photography,Emily Mitchell- Intermediate Literature. These students will receive an Award of Excellence from the district at a ceremony being held January 26th at 7:00 p.m. at Piper Bass. Congratulations!


And here is her picture, which she titled, "Bubba Says Wow."

WOW, Macy! Way to go! Mimi and Papa are so proud of you!

Tony Parker and Eva Longoria

Tuesday afternoon, we went to see "Slumdog Millionaire" with our friends, Bob and Mary. As we came out of the theater, there were Tony and Eva standing in the hall talking to another couple! No, I did not take this picture! (I got it off their website!) At first, I thought the short female standing next to him was a young girl---her head was down checking messages on her phone. She had on pink sweats and a pink baseball cap with her hair hanging straight down, kind of messy, no make-up at all. She clearly did not want to be identified. A few minutes later, they walked by us holding hands, and I got a better look at her. A little different vision that on the Golden Globes Awards Sunday night in that spectacular red dress!! Oh, and the movied, "Slumdog Millionaire" is a MUST-SEE!!! What a script!

Funny Ainsley, 14 months old

I went to Houston last weekend to see Ainsley---at 14 months, she is talking constantly, trying to immitate everything she hears! (Dangerous) One of the funny things she does is when she is finished eating, she pulls off her bib and says, "All done!" Here she is playing "Peek-a-Boo" with her bib, another favorite game.

One of her favorite toys is her Mickey Mouse truck, a birthday present from the Metcalf cousins. It's fun to ride and makes lots of noise! For dinner on Saturday night, we went to-------

---a very "kid-friendly" place. Ainsley enjoyed eating from her mom's and dad's burritos and since she just learned how to drink from a straw, she also enjoyed some nutritious Diet Coke!

Here she is imitating her dad who was being silly and holding his nose and talking to her---

Ride 'em, Cowgirl!! She's getting ready for the rodeo! Sorry I cut your head off, Daddy.

The video above is about 10 seconds long. It'll make you smile. She has just learned about TOUCHDOWNS! You can hear Mommy in the background prompting her! It was a weekend filled with lots of laughter. I hate that I live so far away, but I'll be going again next month to see what new tricks and words she has learned.

CELINE DION!!

I felt so lucky last night because my friend, Lois, had called a few days earlier and said, "Hey, I've got two FREE tickets to see Celine Dion, do you want to go?" It didn't take me long to say, "SURE!" Of course, with free tickets, come the "not-so-good" seats, in the nosebleed section, but the jumbo-trons helped, and we loved every minute of the concert.

A picture on the jumbo-tron.

This, to me, was the highlight of the show. They showed Andrea Bocelli on the screen so that it looked like (when you looked at the jumbo tron), he was singing there with her. They sang my favorite song, "The Prayer."
Every so often, Celine would disappear down the middle of the stage, and come up a few minutes (or seconds) later with a new outfit on. I just had to get a picture of her in these "boots" ---I guess you'd call them boots. They were stilletos that laced up to her thighs. When Larry saw this picture, he said she thought she had injured herself and was all bandaged up! Thanks, Lois, for a great, unforgettable evening!!

Funny M&M

Macy and Marshall spent the night here last night, so Mommy and Daddy could have a real date night. They went out to dinner and to a movie, then got to sleep in late this morning. I was reading Macy and Marshall a book last night and Marshall had to go to the bathroom. He said, "Mimi, would you please put that book on PAUSE for just a minute?" (A child of technology) Later, I had told him we would go on a walk this morning, and when he woke up at 7:15 AM, the first thing out of his mouth was, "Can we go on a walk now?" When we walked out the door a couple of hours later, Macy saw water in the street from a water leak, and said, "Oh, good, the drought must be over now." (I had no idea she knew anything about a drought.) Their funny comments are really too numerous to write down at this age! Here's the latest family picture of the Metcalf family.

Cheers and Happy New Year, 2009

New Year's Eve fun with good friends

Betsy and Tom Stolhandske, AKA the King and Queen of the New Year's celebration!

Kenneth and Jackie Graf---please notice that Jackie's wine glass matched her blouse!

Larry even got into the swing of it!

A great evening at Frederick's Bistro with the Stolhandske's, the Graf's and Larry and Barbara Peabody. We had lots of laughs and Larry lost his glasses somewhere at the table! We looked on the floor under the table with a flashlight, to no avail. We think the waiter must have taken them with dirty silverware when he was cleaning off the table....but wouldn't someone in the kitchen have noticed? It was a big mystery! Oh, well, he'll just have to go to the Dollar Store and get another pair!