Christmas

Christmas has come and gone. It was a very good Christmas this year. We were fairly low key and just celebrated with family. Christmas Eve was just the 5 of us and on Christmas day all my family came to our house. The kids were surprised by our gifts and they loved everything they got. Steve got me a GPS system because it is common knowledge I get lost fairly easy. My mom had to go to work that evening but we still had time for her to open her gifts and have dinner with us. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a very happy new year.

Crazy busy

Around here it has been insanely busy, probably like most households this time of year. I haven't updated in awhile but 2 weeks off from work should remedy that. First off Heather and Jimmy had the new baby and his name is Patrick. We don't have any pictures yet but we hope soon. Next up is an update on my mom and it is good, she is really doing better. Alot of little things have been happening too but my mind is blank right now.

Steve went on the DFW toy run this weekend. It benefits many charities with toys for kids and is pretty big with about 80,000 bikes. Unfortunately it was a whopping 39 degrees that day and not the beautiful 76 degrees it was earlier in the week. Steve probably put on 20 pounds of clothing to get ready for the ride. The neighborhood group went to downtown Ft Worth to meet up with the other riders. It was cold but for a good cause and the guys had a great time.

Thanksgiving

Happy day after Thanksgiving to everybody! We had a get together yesterday at Donna and Mom's and took some family pictures. Steve's daughter and family are visiting from Missouri this weekend and baby James is getting big. We got our Christmas card photo done but I will keep it secret till we mail it out. We also managed to get a group shot of the families and you wouldn't think it would be that difficult but men and teenagers are not that easy of subjects. I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving.

60th birthday

My mom just had her 60th birthday and we celebrated on Sunday. For anyone who doesn't know my mom she has had a rough time lately. She spent months trying to get a diagnoses on a skin disease that was really hard for her to deal with. The good news is she finally found out what it was and is getting proper treatment. This birthday was an important day. We also took the opportunity to get a picture of the grandkids together. They are not easy to catch all in one place.

Honor Society

Stephany had a big night on Tuesday, she was inducted into National Honor Society. We are very proud of her because this is not an easy task. They must have and maintain a 93 average in all their classes and of course never had been in detention. She does all this while taking advanced placement classes, being a posse member, debate club and 2010 club plus she works 10 hours a week. This kid stays busy but the good news is that leaves little time for boys. Great job Steph!

Halloween

We celebrated Halloween a little different this year. We did a very short trick or treat stint and then off to the football game. The game was great until the second half then it just went downhill but we are still glad we went. Chris only has one more game as a highschooler so we really don't want to miss any.

The twins dressed up for TOT and Steph did for school. Matt was an ancient wise man, Ally was a pirate and Steph was a rockstar.

Pumpkin carving time in our house tonight. The kids love it but they still don't have as much fun as their dad does. He takes special pride in making his Jack Skeleton each year. We have some great pumpkins to display this year.

Colorado Wedding

Last weekend I was in Colorado for a wedding. My cousin Heather was getting married. The wedding took place in a beautiful location in the mountains and with the fall colors it was a very pretty sight. This was the first time I met her new husband Brett and I was very impressed, he was a really nice guy. There was lots of visiting with aunts I haven't seen in a long while. We had a great time catching up and hanging out. I went on this trip with my mom and it was great for her to get a little vacation. The only downside of this trip was the long drive but I did manage to read at least one book on the road.

Here are pictures of the happy couple, my Aunt Terry giving the bride away and the extended family.

Texas

Anyone who has seen the news knows about Hurrican Ike and that has been the focus here for the last few days. Steve was in Houston working until Thursday morning when they decided it was time for him to come home. We watched the weather carefully because they were unsure how much of a storm we would get here. We were spared though and only got some rain. I was very saddened to see the pictures from Galveston and Houston. We visited just a few weeks ago and to see so much destruction breaks my heart. Our prayers are with those on the Texas coast.

Friday Night Lights

The stadium was packed on the home side and excitement was in the air. It was our football opener against Eastern Hills. Chris was on the field, he is #86 and Stephy was cheering on the sidelines. The sense of community is amazing and you run into friends all night long. The best part is we won 38 to 14.

Back to School

This last Monday was back to school. Getting up early was the challenge since we had been sleeping in all summer. This is the last year of elementary school for the twins and I am a little sad about that. Stephy is going to be extremely busy this year. She has a full load of advanced placement classes, Rough Rider Posse, and Debate Club. She also is working at the church nursery on Sundays and Wednesday nights. Our goal as her parents is to help her keep a good balance. We are looking forward to a good school year for all.

RoughRider roundup

Last night was the introduction for the fall sports including the dance team and cheerleaders. Stephy is part of the spirit team who are associated with the cheerleaders. Our nephew Chris plays varsity football this year. It was a blast and a great way to get everybody excited for school.

A short vacation with some slightly crazy people

Steve was working in Houston this week and talked us into coming down and visiting Galveston for the day. Friday morning we got on our way to meet Steve and it only took a couple of hours to get kids in the shower (finally) and then load the car. We played the alphabet game in the car but the rules got too complicated so Mom begged for some silence. We arrived about 20 minutes after Steve got done working, he started to ask what took so long but got smart and didn't when he saw how mom looked after the trip.

After a little rest and a quick swim we decided to go for a drive. We didn't have a particular destination in mind but decided to wing it. Steve decided to have me drive and he totally forgot I am directionally challenged. We eventually ended up at Kemah boardwalk and only went 50 miles out of our way. They have lots of fun rides that dad and the kids wanted to ride. They were spun around , flown threw the air and turned upside down, while mom had a nice drink on the patio.

The next day we spent several hours on the beach in Galveston and we had a great time. Unfortunately when we went to leave our battery was dead but some very nice people gave us a jump. After another no start we had to go buy a new battery but all was good then. It was getting late so we decided to head for home since it was a 4 hour drive. There is a huge (several hundred feet tall) statue of Sam Houston in Huntsville which was on the way home. We had a fun time exploring the grounds of the statue but our children couldn't resist acting kinda of crazy with a smaller face statue of Houston.

We did have a great time and nothing is ever boring in this family.

Growing up

Ally has been wanting to get her haircut for a few months, she wanted more of a "style". Sunday morning Great Clips was having a special on haircuts so I finally gave in and got it cut. Then something happened my baby grew up. I know it was not just because of the haircut but it transformed the way she looked and suddenly she was older. She has been changing for awhile and she is already 5 feet tall but this just hit me in the gut that she was no longer a little kid. Matt is changing some too but he is a boy and they take longer (thank goodness). I am already missing the little girl aspect of Ally, the time went so fast.

My Aunt Nancy is in town to do some training for her new job and we got to visit with her this evening. Our family hasn't seen her in 5 years and while it has been less than that for my mom and sisters it has still been awhile. We went to dinner at Olive Garden and then took some group pictures afterward. Poor Chris has an eye patch because of a bad case of pinkeye but he was a good sport and took pictures anyway. We had a nice time and it was great to see Aunt Nancy.

It's raining baby

It has been hot lately here in Texas and we have had very little rain. Till this afternoon that is, we had rain and lots of it. The girls went out to play and have some fun. They ran around, danced and hammed it up for the camera. They had a blast, unfortunately it is still hot and now real muggy outside. I loved the rain though and the heat is hot but I love it in January.

Rangers Game

Our nephew Josh played on a baseball select team this summer and his fundraiser was to sell discounted baseball tickets, so we bought a packet to go to some Rangers games. Today the Rangers were playing the White Sox and yea they won 12 to 11. We had never been to this ballpark before and were excited to check it out. Lucky for us we had seats in the shade since today was in the high 90's. We had a great time and hope to go again later this summer.

July 4th

Yesterday was the 4th of July and the day turned out pretty good but it started out a little interesting. We decided to try the fireworks at Lake Grapevine this year but we had never been there before. There was a seemingly easy viewing map online that we printed out. We met up with Dorothy and John then swung by so Michelle and Chad could follow us also. After a few wrong turns which made all the people in the respective cars disagree with their significant others we finally found the first viewing spot. It was super crowded and we decided let's go to the next spot on the map which was nearby. It was nearby alright but it took several wrong turns to actually find it. Yeah, this isn't crowded at all but there is a reason because it is about a 1/2 mile hike in which would be no big deal if we didn't have stuff. So much stuff that needed to be brought in but we did it.

Once we were finally at the spot we had a great time. The kids swam in the lake and the adults sat back and relaxed. We had a pretty good view of the fireworks and we were pretty mellow by the time it was time to hike back.

Out and About

We are not taking a vacation this summer because right now it seems like the time to save money and not spend it. We are not necessarily staying home though but trying to go see nearby sites and events. The conditions we have set is that it must take less than a tank of gas and be free or inexpensive. This weekend we went to a balloon festival which was a totally new experience. Unfortunately because of the wind we were only able to see 3 balloons take off but that was pretty cool to see. We were near the town of Waxachie (don't even try to pronounce it) which has an historic courthouse so we went by for a visit. Stephy loves old buildings and wants to be an architect that designs buildings that look old. It was a fun Saturday and hopefully we will get many more adventures this summer.

They're Back

The kids are back. They returned yesterday and Mama was so glad. They had a great time with their grandparents and came back pretty tan from playing on the water. After they settled in we went for a walk in the park and played around some. Just one more day and daddy will be back too then we will all be together again.

Home Alone

For the last week I have been home alone. It was kinda of nice the first couple of days but now I am bored and lonely. I know the kids are having a great time with their grandparents, these are special memories they are making. Steve is stuck in Arkansas working and it is just bad timing. I have accomplished quite a bit while they are all gone. Bedrooms have been decluttered and laundry caught up on. This time just reminds me of how much I really love being a mommy and I can't wait till everybody is home again.

Baby in the house

For the last 2 weeks we have had baby James here visiting. He talks to us all the time and smiles a lot. He is not so fond of naps though. Grandpa and Nana have had so much fun playing with him plus if he gets too fussy we just hand him back to mom and dad. I took a ton of pictures of him. I got a lot of great shots and we will be mailing out pictures soon. He is going to go home soon and will miss him.

Busy, busy weekend

This has been one busy weekend. We packed a lot in the three days we had off. We bought a gazebo and a shed. Steve and Matthew spent the weekend getting those projects done. We now have a nice shaded area on the patio to relax. We also have a nice big shed to help with all the clutter in the garage. All that is left to do is paint it and add the roof shingles. Matthew and Steve did a great job with just a few hammered thumbs.

The best part of this weekend though was visitors. Grandma and Grandpa from New Mexico came by on Saturday and then again today. At about 5 pm this evening Heather, Jimmy and baby James arrived. Great Grandma had the baby out of the car and in her arms in less than 3 minutes. I made sure to get a 4 generation picture because this just does not happen that often. The grandparents go back home tomorrow to get ready for the grandkids who are headed there in 2 weeks. Heather and family will be here for about 2 weeks.

Mothers Day

Today, mom isn't posting this, Ally is. Since it is mothers day, she wants to relax. So I get to write something instead of her. Anyway, today we had tons of fun, even though mom wouldn't stop cleaning! My aunt ,uncle, and two cousins came over and we ate lots of food! Matthew, me, and my cousin even got to go to the park and ride our bikes, while we were there we picked out my mom flowers. Earlier that day, Dad took mom shopping. I even got to get a pair of flip flops! I made mom a book and I made her a website, but since I made the site all about mothers day, I'll have to make something new of it tommorrow! So happy mothers day everyone who is reading this! I hoped you had fun!

Ally's Joke:
♥ Why did the man freeze his money?♥
♥ Because He wanted cold, hard cash!♥

Rough Rider Posse

Stephany has made it she is part of the Rough Rider Posse. Tryouts were last week and she found out officially today. For those that do not know what that it is they are associated with the cheerleaders. They are on the sidelines during varsity football and basketball games and their job is to get the crowd going. She is very excited and already has ordered her uniforms .

This was very important to her because she didn't make the dance team this year. A few days before tryouts she dislocated her knee again but she went ahead and tried. Unfortunately she fell during her final tryouts and didn't make what was so very important to her.

We feel her personality meshes really well with the RR Posse because it requires her to be out in the crowd. Anyone who knows Stephy knows she is very outgoing and doesn't have a problem getting loud. We believe the reason she didn't make the dance team is because that is not where she was meant to be.

Archery

This weekend the girl scouts got to do some archery. I felt it was more of a dad kind of thing so he was the one who took Ally. They had a great day and hit the target almost every time.

Anniversary

Today was our 17th wedding anniversary. We had a very low key day mainly just hanging out at home. We had a no gift rule but Steve did buy me some very nice flowers and he even remembered that I didn't like roses. We went to dinner at Pappadeuxes and then brought icecream home for the kids. We have had our up and down times and right now we are just enjoying what is day to day.

Bluebonnets

It is spring time in Texas and that means bluebonnets. They grow wild in fields and on the side of the road all over the area and on south down to Austin. It is absolutely beautiful and every year I have the kids pose in them. The girls are so much more cooperative than Matthew but we still managed to get some nice pictures.

Spring ball

Spring is the season of baseball and softball which is in full swing in this house. Matthew is playing for the Indians again this year and Ally decided she wanted to try softball and her team is the Crush. They both enjoy it but unfortunately this puts us out of the house 4 nights a week and of course daddy had to leave town again. We are still waiting on his bosses promise that he will travel less. He did get a promotion so we are really hoping that will make a difference. Anyway back to spring ball. Monday the twins had their first game at the same time, lucky for mom the fields are only about 1/4 mile apart so I walked back and forth to keep an eye on the action. Both of them had close games and both of them won so it was a good night all around. If you can't find me for the next 8 weeks I will be somewhere there is a baseball or softball.
Ally's first at bat.

Matt warming up for his game.