Rudolph

When we can, our preferred drive into the med-center includes a drive through one of my fave parts of town… the Rice area. Driving down the tree lined street with the sunlight streaming through the trees is just beautiful. Seeing people walk and jog and push strollers on

the wide sidewalk along Rice University gives such a sense of commuity and belonging, even though it isn’t our neck of the woods. Although Henry likes to say he grew up in CA, he’s been in Houston since he was 10 – he’s more Houstonian than Californian. But I’m a Houstonian thru and thru… 3rd generation in fact! That makes our kids 4th generation and total Texasn! This is our city and although we’ve thought of moving from time to time, this is home. You look up and see these huge medical buildings and you know we live in a remarkable city. SO much diversity, so much opportunity, so much busyness on one side of the street and then everyday life, shopping, college students, mommy’s pushing strollers, people walking from home to work to play, right across the street. Driving down University Drive, there is a flower shop that always has the BEST stuff. As we’ve been in and out of the med-center so many times this week, we noticed these big, beautiful, reindeer made of sticks and twigs… they caught my attention and kind of remind me a little of some deer my mom had in our front landscape when we were growing up. At the beginning of the week, the front of the store’s yard was full of them… different sizes, lots and lots of them, with big red bows around their necks. But as the week has quickly gone by… so have the deer. And I wanted one!! BADLY! And once Jake saw them, he agreed. Of course, there is a story behind these deer I grew up with (I’ll save that one for another day) and once I pointed them out to Henry, he said “Oh no, we’re not doing the deer thing.” But I still wanted one and they were dwindling. So as we were heading out of the med-center the other day and back down our lovely, tree lined street, I sat pleading and he began to cave (big grins) . He only had to mention that maybe we’d stop tomorrow if they’re still there to make mommy happy. You know us women… maybe equates to YES! I’m confident that he expeted them to be gone. HA! No such luck becuase as we drove by, there were four left, and the begging commenced… Jake and Kate joined in too. What’s a Daddy to do??? Please, please, please, pretty please, he’s so pretty. Bet you can guess what’s now found a new home in our front yard? Yep and Yay! A reindeer stands so regal and lovely in our landscape.. Jake thinks the deer is “weeley, weeley cool”. AND, of course he has named him Rudolph (because what else does a four year old name a reindeer????). So today we introduce you to Rudolph… hope you like him… we love our newest member to the Hickford Zoo! Hope Gunner doesn’t get too jealous… =)