Jason's Clan

Random Post

2011-10-23T20:47:00.003-05:00

K is going to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz for Halloween - I'm still working on it. We purchased one at the Halloween store but sadly with K's long legs it was quite a hootchy little number so we returned that and I undertook the task of making my girl a costume. I did most of the work last Sunday but I still need to hem it and put in the zipper (silently screaming inside). It will have to happen one day this week... probably Friday night.

A is taking dance class and she LOVES it - although in classic Jason's Clan girl style she got a run in her panty hose by the second day of class. Grr! She is very excited about playing T-ball next fall. She has been watching Z play and has been going out with the boys to practice throwing and hitting and she likes what she sees. I'm very excited that she wants to participate in a sport and the boys love that she wants to play with them.

B finished the football season and then his team finished 1st in their division in cross country! I was able to make it to San Antonio for the last meet last Monday and watched my son come in 7th overall with a time of 13 minutes 53 second - running a 2 miler!! I was so excited and impressed. He is now playing basketball and we are excited about the upcoming basketball games to go and watch.

Baseball is the sport this fall!! Z has been playing T-ball for the first time and he LOVES it! We love to watch him and on top of it the Cardinals (our hometown team) has made it into the World Series! Z has been watching some games with us - when he can stay awake. In addition to T-ball Z is still taking gymnastics and he really enjoys that too and is becoming very flexible.

Not a lot has been done on the family research. I recently purchased the Family Tree Maker again and would love to get to a place where I can incorporate all the rich history I've inherited, soon, hopefully soon! I'm still getting up and exercising several days a week but I've slid off the weight watchers wagon - I'm conscious of what I'm eating more than before but our schedule has made it extremely difficult for me to track my points.

That's the scoop - hope there is something in there that was newsworthy for you. Hugs to all my faithful fans, sorry I've become so bad at sharing!

Some OLD pictures!!

2011-10-01T19:35:00.004-05:00

On the back of this picture: Ray on the job just before he was killed. I'm not 100% sure which one is Ray, but this picture brings tears to my eyes - he died when my grandfather was 5 years old!

The Hollar Family in 1942 - I had no idea we had so many great pictures & lists of this side of my family!

My grandpa - LOVE!

My grandpa during WWII - second from the left back row (the handsome one - tee hee)

There are so many things that pull my attention and my time but this project keeps gravitating me to it, it is heart-wrenching but heart-warming at the same time. I'm SO thankful for these amazing treasures that my grandparents (Jess & Lora) left for our family. I miss them and it doesn't seem that a day goes by that I don't think of them or remember something that they taught me. I know that this isn't what I would usually put on this blog but I have 1000's of photos, letters and memories and I wish I could share them all with you. B&K have already started looking at and asking questions about our history, can't wait for Z&A to benefit from them too. My personal goal is to be able to take them home at Thanksgiving and Christmas to share with our families in the hopes of adding information, identities and simply sharing this inheritance.

San Diego (finally)

2011-09-21T20:39:00.003-05:00

My friend, Joy, K and I had a wonderful time in San Diego but due to numerous things I haven't been able to post pictures... until NOW. We'll make this the first installment of pictures - stay tuned!

The view from our hotel! Gorgeous!

BEACH!

How's the water feel K?

Hard Rock Cafe - for lunch. When we saw this I said, "I bet Jason knows who Chris Cornell is. If he breaks a guitar then Jason will know him." Sure enough we texted and Jason's response - YES, one of my favorites! HA!!

While we were there we went to watch a Padre's game! They lost and we got COLD in July! But it was lots of fun!

Labor of Love

2011-09-10T21:41:00.002-05:00

After my grandfather passed away last year I willingly agreed to accept the job of family historian. I have been working on this "job" ever since. I brought home about 13 huge tubs of 'stuff' - letters, cards, obits, death notices, birth notices, insurance paperwork, warranty pamphlets, buttons, false teeth, war medals, letters from WWI and WWII soldiers.... the list is extensive. From all of that I now have 1 big box, 2 small boxes and 5 two inch binders and I have now begun the very tedious job of scanning all of this information into my computer to be able to share with my family. Tonight I scanned about 15 letters, including my Great-grandfather's honorable discharge paperwork. This job will take a LOT of time but every time I discover a FIND I'm more encouraged, intrigued and excited to continue.

Scotty Watty Poopy Potty and His Lovely Bride Jen

2011-08-30T21:09:00.004-05:00

It has been brought to may attention via several harassing emails (not from Bon-Mom or Mom) but from a rotten younger sibling that I have woefully neglected my blogging community. To all who have been effected (except Scoot) I am deeply apologetic!
Let's get the scoop - shall we?
San Diego - phone cord went whack so I was unable to upload ALL of my SD photos. Returned via VERY late flights on Wednesday very EARLY. My sweet soon to be sister-in-law, Jen and her obnoxious groom came for a visit and graciously took my children and I to Schlitterbahn. While there I had the pants scared off of me - actually just some some skin scrapped off of my butt however you can see how I might have those two things confused! HA! The following week was catch up before.... you guessed it I returned to the grind! Work, hectic schedule, call it what you will but my time is limited and it just hurts my heart deeply that Scoot can't appreciate how much time, energy and commitment I put into doing simple things like getting up at 4:30am to exercise, eating, breathing, eating, sleeping, hugging (in a vain attempt to nap on someones shoulder), eating and then doing it all over again. Um.. wait.. teaching fits in there somewhere too, along with taxi driving 4 or 14 kids around (I have begun to have a difficult time counting).
SO... here is the infamous picture! Thank you Jen for coming to play with us and I look forward to many more experiences with you (and Scoot) - I'll even try to be on top of my blogging then too.

Oh no!

2011-07-24T13:32:00.003-05:00

I haven't blogged in 10+ days! (Sorry Mom & Bon-Mom)

Honestly the reason I haven't blogged is because we've been kind of quiet. We got home from MO and began to chill. K has been to Six Flags, B went to College Station for a week to spend time with a friend, Z&A have been to the dentist, swimming and making up for all of our missing TV time.

This week K will go to Six Flags (again!) and then on Thursday K and I will be taking a mini vacation to San Diego with my friend, Joy. We've been looking forward to this for months and when asked what we are going to do we all giggle and say NOTHING! I can't wait to lay by a pool or at the beach and read a book (not worrying about the little people near by). Our plans are very simple - the zoo, the beach, the pool and a Padre's baseball game. Fun weekend!

Then... Uncle Scotty Watty is coming to town! Woo hoo! We can't wait to see him (and his lovely girlfriend) ... he's told us that he wants to come to town to take us for some summer fun in the sun at Schlitterbahn (yes that is right another trip to our FAV). I took that as he was wanting some exercise - carrying three tubes around (his, Z&A's) will give him all the exercise he needs. ba ha ha!

School starts soon and I am looking forward to all the new kids that we will meet and learn with, but let me say it now so you all can remind me later in the year, teaching is the best job - I love my summers off with BKZA!

Here's a couple of pictures of Z&A at the dentist - A's first time with the "blue" smile. Looks like Z should lose some teeth soon and from what I could see on his x-rays his smile is going to change a lot in the near future. It also looks like we will not escape braces with these two - those little mouths are little and the baby teeth are crowded, imagine when those BIG teeth try to move in - woo hoo!

Mexican Villa, Dancing & Putt-Putt

2011-07-14T15:42:00.004-05:00

Um yum Mexican Villa!!! Z loves the white cheese - said he was going to marry it!

We went to Branson Landing and found out that the light posts were a huge amount of entertainment - musical light posts!

Putt-Putt - we didn't let A take score or she would have come in WAY under par! HA!

My kids ROCK!

2011-07-03T21:56:00.009-05:00

We have been in Springfield, MO visiting with my mom and my friends. I have determined in a very scientific way that my children are water bugs and respond favorably to any type of water. Summer fun in a pool is not a new thing to me, my father while I was growing up always insisted that our hotels have pools - I now understand why! Nothing works as well at tuckering out the wee little people (and quite frankly the adults) as much as a large body of water. Since we have been in MO we have swam at the hotel, my friend Rae Ann's twice and today we went to Republic and swam a their over-sized local cement pond. Fun has been had by all and did I mention that Z&A are sound asleep?
Here's our pictures!!!

Okay folks now today it got a little scary! We went to the pool in Republic and suddenly the sky began to darken and I frantically tried to recall what that could mean (please folks don't forget that I now live in the barren dry land known as Texas)... I had vague rememberizations of these things called thunder storms but of course those don't happen anymore so surely the god, Zeus was just playing with his lightening bolts. We were booted from the pool and made to wait and wonder about this unusual phenomenon. K entertained Z&A making herself into a human jungle gym and B (as you can see) contemplated the sky with a curious eye. Finally Zeus put away his lightening bolts and we were allowed to re-enter the pool. Here's the cool thing - we were among the few idiots that stuck around so we had a nice time in a BIG pool almost by ourselves.

The little guy in the white shirt on the yellow & blue "lily pads" is our Z.
So brave. K close by to assist if needed.

Swimming with big sister.

Patiently waiting for mommy to finish taking pictures of the big kids.
See - I told you these kids rock!

That's B diving into the pool!

SchlitterbAAAHHHn

2011-06-27T20:16:00.004-05:00

My children (all four of them it appears) LOVE Schlitterbahn - I've referred to this place before...
2008 Schlitterbahn trip.

Here is the scoop - with the help of my friend, lovingly referred to by my children as Youngie - I embarked on the most fantastic water park in the world with ALL four of my beautiful children. We had a wonderful time and have the sun burns to prove it. In addition to Youngie we were able to take this trip because of a friend Christy who blessed us with 1/2 price tickets. Thank you to both of these generous friends!

I was able to get a couple of pictures... you'll like these!

Right after this picture (above) was taken I noticed something shocking!

ALL four of my children were in the same area of the pool!
OMGoodness!
Of course getting them to cooperate is a different matter.

VBS Hero Camp - just the pictures!

2011-06-25T20:15:00.004-05:00

End of Day 2 - my sweet girl A was so tired, she just sat!

The many faces of K.

Who is that masked boy?

Can you spot all 4 of Jason's clan hiding in this picture? They are all there...

A in the firetruck - she was an old hand at this.

A hero or a watermelon bandit?

After some tumbling A gets a nice cool-off with Ms. Nan.

Jumping Jacks pros!

There are two of Jason's Clan in this picture... hmm, who could it be.

Swimming

2011-06-23T20:50:00.002-05:00

We've spent so much time at the pool this year that I wanted to share some of our fun with you. I don't usually have my phone/camera close by because I am always on guard with Z&A learning to swim and both having very little fear at this time. However today I had a friend with me and B&K were on guard like miniature St. Bernard's, ready to lend a hand to a sibling in need. It was wonderful to watch and I'm so proud of all of my kids, those learning to swim and those being vigilant in safeguarding!
For our fans - pictures:

Shockingly his head is out of the water! B the Fish!

Just barely caught sweet K out of the water.

My Z with our new kick-board - he's doing so great!

Sporting her new found freedom in the water - the faithful 'seal'

Jason's Clan going to JUMP in together!

Hmm.. look who is taking her time! She'll let YOU know when she's ready!

All together now!

Cotton-pickin' cute kids! We LOVE the pool!

Cameron Park Zoo

2011-06-18T19:36:00.009-05:00

Today Jason & I took our under 7 crew to Waco, TX to visit the Cameron Park Zoo - I visited this zoo a few years ago with my friend Beth from College Station and her two kids (Alex & Kate). B&K enjoyed it - Z was a little runt so he didn't enjoy it to the fullest extent. Here's our pics!

We are here - it is hot but this park/zoo has a lot of shade.

We found a Komodo Dragon - went for a ride! :)
Cameron Park Zoo has several "parks" thrown in the middle to liven things up.
Wow - who knew he was a trick rider?
More fun at the park.
Silly monkey!
Some statues were TOO HOT to touch!

At another park in the zoo we found some super cute ladybugs!
Then the adventurers wrestled a snake!
An elephant picture for K!

Mommy's FAVORITE - sliding thru the otter exhibit!!

More otter exhibit.
Both of my babies on the slide - we just missed pics of the otters with them. :P
Finally - this jaguar is real but I believe the has been sitting here for a while!!
Check out this old picture below (B&K June 6, 2006)!

Oh yes and if you are curious about how much Z has grown...
last time he went to the Cameron Park Zoo he looked like THIS:

Busy summer

2011-06-17T11:51:00.005-05:00

Today my big kids leave again - this time for a very different experience. They will be going to San Antonio with our church youth group and serving the homeless. This should be a very eye opening experience for them - sometimes they don't realize how much they have.

This gives us another weekend with just the littlest division of the family and I'm trying to convince my other half that we should drive to a zoo about 2 hours away. I've been looking it up and they have some fun "splash" parks in the area too - extra clothes, a couple of towels and a tank of gas... sounds like a winner to me! We'll see if my sweet spouse agrees - if so you will see pictures later.

B&K come home on Tuesday evening - after stopping off at Schlitterbahn!

Finally - Z&A got to visit the beach this summer with G'ma Judy & G'pa Harold - here's the pictures.

Blessed beyond measure - Day 1 Bahamas

2011-06-05T18:57:00.005-05:00

I have pictures... Wow - these kids are blessed beyond measure! Thankful for my family that loves my kids enough to bless them in this way! Enjoy these pictures.

Z&A will be blessed this week as well with a trip to Corpus Christi with G'ma Judy & G'pa Harold - I will be attending a church conference while they entertain each other at the beach and I suspect McDonald's!

Happy Birthday to me

2011-06-03T19:14:00.002-05:00

I have hinted, no that isn't the word for it... I have BEGGED for a Kindle or Nook for several months. I even started sending Jason emails so that he could give helpful hints to his parents. Guess what I got today for my birthday (celebrated a tad early since my big kids are deserting me for the Bahamas)... I got my very own Kindle! I'm SO excited, I can't wait to get a "book" to read! What should it be first??!
Happy Me Day! Thank you Jason, BKZA!

Summer Break

2011-05-31T15:24:00.002-05:00

Aaaahhhh! Sigh, relax...

Today I "checked out" at work. I still have two days this week that I need to work (to make up for the two days during Thanksgiving Break that I'm going to "miss")... weird system I know.

But I'm officially done for this school year so now I need to make some decisions:
Pool time
Cleaning house
Planning meals
Learn to save money at the grocery store
Find some good deals at Silver Dollar City (for our summer family vaca)
Packing for summer trips
Organizing phot0s
Finish cleaning out boxes from G'ma & G'pa's house
Did I mention cleaning?!
Reading books
Oh and to leave the best and most important for last (only on this list):
Playing with my wonderful children

Let's all hope that this summer is enough time for me to get all of this done. Ha ha!
I will try to upload pictures as all of these things happen.

5 days and counting

2011-05-22T19:21:00.004-05:00

... until I get to do the "job" that I love most in the world. I'm often asked if I teach summer school, this usually makes me giggle and say, "I have 4 kids!" So yes I teach summer school - swimming, exploring, exercising, reading, and we even do math (lots of elapsed time!). I teach and I love what I do - but this last week of school is painful. It is painful to watch my students who I have grown to care about leave (saying goodbye is never easy) and it is painful to watch them so anxiously waiting to be DONE! But all of this leads to two things that enjoy - playing with my kids all summer AND a new group of kids next year to learn from and share with.

Last weekend my brother came to town to take B scuba diving AND to share a special moment with Z&A - he camped out with them in the backyard! I've said it before and I guess it will come around again but I've become a fan of this guy, Mark. He's not nearly as irritating and horrible as he was when I was 10!

This weekend we celebrated Family Sabbath at our church - Pastor Kyle has spoken often about the importance of the sabbath and I'm thankful to be a part of a church that believes practicing what they preach. I am especially thankful for my church family that helps me and loves me so much.
Yesterday Z decided that he wanted to jump off the diving board and into 9 feet of water (be reminded that he no longer wears a SEAL - life vest - and he is generally not fond of getting his face in the water). Thankfully we had friends that could support me as I went to wait and watch and encourage him to swim from the middle of 9 feet of water to the edge of the pool. Thank you Mr. Curtis!
A is learning to use her SEAL and had lots of encouragement from our church family too.
Finally - B&K were surrounded by their friends as they wandered from the pool, the lake, swimming, jumping off a rope swing and canoeing.
KZA and I also went canoeing yesterday - my little sailors did a great job.
We stayed the night in a cabin and it was quite an adventure. I am greatly and truly blessed with my wonderful family & church family.
Thank you all!
I don't have many pictures but here are a couple.

The low down on H2O

2011-05-10T19:21:00.004-05:00

Let me break this down for you:
B - fish
K - fish
A - fish
Z - terrified of water!

This year we have been to our local pool once (busy mom syndrome) and in that one visit I became convinced that this is the year that Z will learn to love (okay maybe accept is a better word) the water. Why?
1. He asked me on the way - where is my floaty mom? Um you are 6 years old - too old.
2. B trying to coax Z into the deep end, but Z's momma didn't raise a fool he wouldn't have anything to do with B! Good for him!
But as you can see I knew it was the year - we've catered to the fear for too long. So I signed him up for classes at the YMCA - Tuesday & Thursday once again would have an event to keep me running.
Last Tuesday I loaded them up and off we went, me singing praises of swim lessons the whole way - telling Z&A what big kids they were and how good they would do. Teacher introduction was the deal breaker for A - Mr. Michael, big guy, young, smiling but completely uncomfortable with small humans (A and I could both see it and feel it) so A did not jump up immediately and go, sort of hung onto my pants until I pealed her off and threatened her with sitting by the pool for the entire summer (good thing she didn't push that threat!). Z actually went very willingly to Ms. Peggy and I was thrilled. A finally got more comfortable with me standing right beside the pool. I thought we were good to go - first mistake, me thinkin'!!
Thursday - we (being good little students) got to the pool early. A was nervous about Mr. Michael and Z had a bad cough that made him more tentative than on Tuesday. Suddenly a siren began to wail and life guards were running, yelling, grabbing equipment and we saw a woman floating in the pool. E-gads!!! We were assured that it was a drill but that didn't calm my already stressed kids. After all the hoop-la we were introduced to A's real teacher, Ms. Dani and Z now had Mr. Michael who promptly took him to the "big" pool and plopped him in - he turned and looked at me, red eyes as big as quarters and began coughing. He looked terrified and I couldn't blame him, he was holding on to the side, no floaty, no body fat to keep out the cold and a rope between him and the stairs to freedom. I did what I never thought I would do - I pulled him out of the pool (I had told him that if he coughed I would get him out - of course I meant a coughing fit). A loved Ms. Dani and did great.
Fast forward to today - Tuesday, May 10 - we started to the car and the tears began. See Z had a run in with a friends head today and had a double nostril nose bleed so his nose hurt and so of course it would probably be a bad idea to swim... ugh! I assured him he'd be fine and that it was important to go and try to learn to swim. A's only concern today was that she was able to wear her pretty blue cover-up. We got there and I assured Z that I would make sure Mr. Michael knew he wasn't comfortable in the water, so he could be a little more gentle then plopping him in the water without ceremony. We found out that Ms. Peggy was actually Z's teacher and that was a relief, she was very gentle and gave him a lot of freedom to say what he wanted. While I was talking Z began to cry and with that came yucky red snot (oh lovely), A walked briskly to Ms. Dani (happy little girl) and I went to sit right by the pool so that Z could see me at all times. He started with feet in the water and then began to get in when Ms. Peggy asked him to, finally swimming with assistance - successful day (thanks to a very patient Ms. Peggy!!!) But we had catastrophe on the other side of the pool - right as A was getting out she swallowed some water and got choked. Quick reminder A has a REALLY good gag reflex and when I say really good I mean this is really bad! I could see she was coughing and through sign language with Ms. Dani I was able to determine that she'd swallowed some water, I got her out and sent her toward the bathroom. She didn't make it - blah! Thankfully it was on the side of the pool not IN the pool but still. I am convinced that I heard applause and some cheering as Z&A and I left the premises! Goodness - never a dull moment! Not complaining - just saying!

Right before swim lessons the FedEx man made Z's day -
delivering a present from G'ma Bonnie & G'pa John.
(look close you can see the watery eyes & bloody nose - sniff sniff)

I think he liked it!

Gymnastics

2011-05-06T21:54:00.004-05:00

Z swingin'
K can touch the ceiling!
Coach James helping Z to swing.
A on the balance beam.
More swingin' with Coach James.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now for the silly ones...
Put your feet in the bucket and use your arms to spin around - simple...
Hi Mom!
Hey this looks like more fun -
stick my head in the bucket that 100+ kids have put their feet!
Gross!

I got NEW schwag!

2011-04-30T23:28:00.004-05:00

Today my friend Joy and I ran (okay mainly I walked) the Hell Run! It was insane! I had run the Warrior Dash (similar but not nearly as hell-acious) so I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect - wrong!
Before starting we ran into a few people that we knew and they said, "it is really hilly." Already scared we tried to blow it off, then we heard a few people say, "it was really hard." This was concerning because these people have run 1/2 Ironman triathlons! Now I was freaking out a bit. Joy and I had agreed we would push ourselves but even pushing myself I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with her so we knew she'd finish first - we developed our after the race plan and proceeded to "challenge" ourselves with this "hard, hilly run."
I started off running with the pack, didn't last long before we went up a minor hill, then we went down a big hill covered with what appeared to be sand - okay... I'm dealing with this. I lost Joy and met up with a lady, Wendy. As we bottle-necked at the first "obstacle" a steep, narrow decline I began to realize that my hopes of actually running this race were coming to a grinding halt. The terrain was uneven, VERY jutted and rocky (not gravel, ROCKS - fist sized rocks that would roll under your feet as you walked/ran on them). As we came down to the bottom of the steep narrow decline we were presented with our next challenge - a VERY steep rocky incline. The math teacher in me would have said it was an obtuse angle, approximately 95 degrees! Oh my heavens! I wish I could have taken a picture, it was truly astounding how steep it was. So to sum it up I spent the next 45 minutes (okay closer to 65) doing more of the same, protecting my behind going down steep declines and then panting and praying up steep inclines all the while climbing walls that were about 4 feet tall, crawling under barbed wire, sloshing through mud pits, creeping through holes and running over makeshift bridges between those insane hills. Wendy - my new friend (because that's me, I like to make friends) prayed with me through a lot of the climbing and we decided that a better name for this race would have been Hill Run! It was seriously that bad. Later I found out that Joy had her own share of make-shift comrades, one of which complained loudly about how hard this was, to which her friend replied, "they said Hell Run, not Heaven Run!" Finally the run ended with scaling a 10 foot wall and flinging ourselves into a cesspool, most would refer to it as a pond but let's be honest about this thing, 7 other heats of 100+ people each had gone before us - they had stirred up every kind of micro-organism and piece of cow poo that was in that thing and it smelled disgusting. Finally there were tires to "jump" through and lastly a nice blazing fire to hurtle!
Did I rock this race - NO! Did I go out and do something, burn some calories and have a good time - YES! I had fun, I feel good (now that I don't smell bad anymore) and I'm proud of myself for going out and putting myself to the challenge. Oh and the best part - I have schwag - a new t-shirt, a cape (yep that is right I have a cape cuz I'm that cool) and a medal that says I finished!
Last note - notice our t-shirts (not planned but so funny). Joy is wearing a Longhorn t-shirt and I'm wearing my husbands "cut the horns off the wicked" t-shirt. We couldn't have done better if we had planned. Fun day!

Aw Man!

2011-04-02T07:41:00.003-05:00

5:48 am! I had my alarm set for 7am but at 5:48am my sweet Z came in to let me know he didn't feel well - hoping that he didn't eat a "good" dinner I tried to convince him that he was fine, then I remembered he helped his daddy finish his dinner, he ate plenty! Sadly within minutes of telling me he didn't feel well he proved it! Aw Man! Now our big plans (that included me having an hour here at the house by myself -when was the last time that happened?): B's first baseball game, my hair appointment, taking a walk and going to do some shopping have been completely turned upside down. Waiting for 9am to see if I can reschedule my appt. Jason is going to try to take the girls to B's ball game and I am going to put together my grocery list. I suppose that the good thing (not Z being sick) is that when life does this it makes you slow down. Praying it is over quick and that we all stay healthy.

Miss me?

2011-03-30T19:20:00.003-05:00

So I was told by a wonderful lady that I never did post pictures of my 11 year old - 11 years ago. Trust me she was a cute as a button. :)
March has been a crazy month - B started his scuba class, he has now successfully passed the test and only needs to complete 5 open water dives to be certified. He's very excited about his trip to the Bahamas this summer with my brother Mark.
K & I have been planning our summer trip and she is still playing the piano and participating in gymnastics. She is an awesome student, but how can she not be with 6 mothers watching over her every day at school.
Z is going to be the straw seller in the Kindergarten Piggy Opera in a few weeks, aw I am SO proud! He's learning tons and is now trying to read everything, I see him reading the Kix box in the mornings while eating his cereal. He and his little sister are in gymnastics every Monday night and I think it is a good outlet for all of his energy.
A can successfully write her name, sometimes she struggles with the E but she tries every morning to sign in at school and you can tell she really wants to read too. Love how much she looks forward to learning.
Personally I have been getting up early to exercise. Now I'm trying to get the healthy eating habits but I've not been very successful - will keep trying. Also trying to encourage my husband to join me and get healthier! Wish us luck!
Like I said CRAZY - maybe (no promises) we'll actually see pictures in the near future.

LG

2011-02-26T21:55:00.002-06:00

To borrow from the LG company - Life is Good. Busy, but what do we expect from a family of 6? B just finished with his play, 'Beauty & The Beast' - he shared the role of Chip with his friend H. They were both fantastic and A was especially happy with the choice of script! They had practice every day (except Sunday) for over a month. In addition he was playing basketball at the same time. Now baseball and track start up.
K is still playing piano, practicing gymnastics and just tried out for middle school band. They requested that she play the oboe, because she has music background but she stood her ground and accepted the flute. What a girl!
Z is doing well in kinder and continues to be well-loved by all of his 'mothers' at school. Recently he and his little sister, A have begun taking gymnastics at the same place that K goes (they go an hour earlier). They both LOVE it and ask me daily if it is time for 'gyn-nastics' (A quote) day.
A is learning and growing, she's a smart one and I feel confident that she will keep us hopping and praying daily for a long time! She's full of it but OH so sweet!
Jason has been working hard - lately on a very high priority job, great for career - hard on family time!
I got my braces tightened and now I am wearing rubber bands at night - kind of like having your mouth wired shut, very weird feeling. Each time I go I get a new color on my braces, first - pink (breast cancer awareness month), second - purple (my class voted), third - orange (for my sweet Z, his favorite color). Any suggestions for my color in April? I keep wanting to get green - so it will look like I'm actually eating my green veggies - ha ha!
Next weekend I will celebrate 17 amazing years with the man I love & adore - how very blessed I am to have him to share my life. Funny thing is that on our anniversary I will be participating in a church bible study and then leaving right after that to stay the night with a bunch of lovely ladies - we ARE tough cookies (just one of the things my husband loves about me I'm sure!).
Life is Good!

Adorable 11 year old in the HOUSE!

2011-01-22T21:06:00.004-06:00

Today our K turned 11 years old! We are so proud of her and love her so much. Let me count the ways:

10. She's a great cook.
9. She has an awesome sense of style.
8. She is great company.
7. She loves her family well.
6. She is intelligent.
5. She gives the best hugs.
4. She's as messy as I was when I was her age.
3. When she knows she has done something wrong she says, "I love you Mommy or Daddy!" And smiles sheepishly.
2. She's always a willing helper with a happy heart.
1. We've been given the honor of raising this incredible child to love, nurture and care for and we couldn't be more thrilled with this privilege!

Happy Birthday to one of the most wonderful people that I have the privilege to know!

By the way - she's growing (see pictorial proof coming as soon as my movie is over)!

Happy Birthday to a terrific 13 year old!

2011-01-16T22:33:00.003-06:00

I have been blessed with an amazing family! One of those fantastic people is my son, B - he is turning 13 on Tuesday!
#1 like most people who are entering the uncharted land of teenager-hood I'm a little surprised that I found my way here.
#2 I am excited, because just like every new adventure with B I know that this one will be filled with fun, learning and excitement.
#3 My B is growing up - see the pictorial proof!

#4 One really positive thing about my children growing up - we can share & discuss things, something I couldn't do when I was changing their diapers (at least now I get a response)! B & I were able to discuss the sermon today after church and we agreed that we this quote moved us both, so I wanted to share it with you:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. ~Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles," 1992 (commonly misattributed to Nelson Mandela, 1994 inauguration speech)

Rainy & Cold revisited!

2011-01-10T21:20:00.002-06:00

Since a few weeks before Thanksgiving I started training, to do the Turkey Trot (5 mile strut/trot). Last year I developed allergies and was unable to run, so I walked the majority of it. This year I was going to try to do the opposite, run the majority, knowing that I might have to walk some since I've never run 5 miles before. Anyway - Thanksgiving came and we were in Arkansas, it was cold and rainy, bad combo! As a family we decided that our desire to stay warm and dry was far greater than our desire to accomplish this running goal. Since then I have continued to train. I've been getting up early to make it fit into my day. I was very successful over the Christmas holiday continuing my training but really loved getting up late and running when it was daylight! So after much discussion we decided that K could babysit after school so that I could run after school several days a week. Wow - I love to be able to stay up a little later and I love that I don't look at my clock until AFTER 5am!
Today was a rainy, cold day in Texas - not a common occurrence but it happens. What I would have given for a treadmill!! I really wanted to run, it was on my schedule but I did NOT want to get cold and wet doing it. When I got home, Jason was already here and I mentioned that I was supposed to run. He said, "you should go, it isn't raining right now and I'm here to watch the kids." I whined, I moaned and Jason said, "who is the warrior?!" Me that is who! I am! I ran today in the 39 degree weather (FYI: for Texans that is frigid weather!!), 30 minutes (even though I tried to convince myself between minutes 5 and 10 that I should 'give myself a break'), and I am a warrior!
Sorry for a rambling blog - just proud of myself! Thanks for reading.

Just so you know my goal is to improve my 5K time - I've got some races coming up that I would like to do better on. Front Porch Days, Tough Cookie duathlon AND that Turkey Trot (I'll kick that 5 miles in November!).

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T17:37:00.005-06:00

New Year's Resolution(s)?
I heard a guy on TV today say, don't make 'em if you aren't going to keep 'em. Therefore I tend to steer away if possible. This year is no different... there are lots of things that I think need to be done but when, where and how always make me hesitant to commit openly to tackling BIG goals. Here's what I'm going to do instead - continue to live my life to the best of my ability, continue to strive to be a good mother, a good wife and a person that makes others proud to call me their friend. How am I going to do this? I'm going to continue to fit exercise into my life, avoiding eating out and work on making meals that are healthy for my children, I'm going to encourage my spouse and children to do these things as well and I'm going to make small goals that are achievable and measurable. For example this Saturday I did a "long" run - 45 minutes (this is excellent for me) and I committed to myself that I will improve that and be running an hour by my 17th anniversary (March 5th), I'm adding about 5 minutes per week to my long run so this is an achievable goal as I continue to do those things that I've set forth above. How's that for a wordy response to New Year's Resolution!
If you have read through this then you deserve the next thing - pictures from our relaxing Christmas holiday!
Enjoy!

Sunday before Christmas was Pancakes & Pajamas at church. The children (3 of which are members of Jason's Clan) helped to share the story of the birth of Jesus with us. Very sweet and fun.

A little time at the park, especially with weather so mild in Texas!

Our gifts to KZA were relational. We took each of them on a date, just Mommy & Daddy time with them alone. A went to build-a-bear and I was able to capture a couple of pictures of that. Z went to Gatti-Town where we played bumper cars and all the tickets we earned were given to the boy of the day - Z.

K went to Cafe Monet and we painted pottery. K painted a sock monkey "piggy" bank, Jason painted an orange love bug "piggy" bank for Z and I made a pen holder cyclops (above). Thank you to my mother for helping us to give these gifts to our children.

Cookie decorating! Sadly these cookies tasted like sponges, but they were fun to decorate!

Much of my time this holiday was spent sorting through 5 LARGE boxes of stuff that I gathered at my grandparents house over the Thanksgiving holiday. Oddly this "job" was cathartic - I found treasures, puzzles and wonderful genealogical finds. The above pictures are two of the puzzles that I uncovered. German medals, appear to be new, still in envelopes and not assembled with ribbons. Things that make you go hmmm.... (and then followed by my new favorite thing to say, "G'ma/G'pa what is this?!")

This was Z's first year to get to stay up and celebrate the new year. This picture was taken at 9:45 and shortly after he woke up briefly to tell us he was just pretending to sleep.

This picture was the first picture I took in 2011. He was OUT! Not a night owl!!

Cleaning Can be...

2010-12-19T15:58:00.004-06:00

I happily accepted the job of sorting through my grandpa and grandma's papers, cards, newspaper clippings and pictures. As you can imagine this trip down memory lane is sometimes confusing, sometimes sad and sometimes joyful. But this particular item made me laugh out loud and it was so fitting for the season. I suppose if this is what it was like in 1964 we have no hope at all in 2010!

My beautiful family!

2010-12-09T22:44:00.002-06:00

Muddy Christmas!

We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas season

and that the true meaning of Christmas is "CLEAR" to you!

Love, Jason's Clan

This year vs. Last year

2010-11-20T20:51:00.008-06:00

They have changed but they are the same crazy little maniacs! :)

Outtakes & the non-traditional but oh so cute!

2010-11-20T18:27:00.006-06:00

Sneak Peek

2010-11-19T22:07:00.008-06:00

My very talented friend, Rachael, took some awesome pictures of my family again this year. I am so blessed to have her in my life for many reasons but her talent is truly unmatched and I'm so appreciative! Thank you Rachael - these are awesome!

Okay folks - that is all you get until you are either blessed with a Christmas card or a family calendar. Hope you enjoy!

Random Pictures

2010-11-12T21:53:00.005-06:00

Smack words! We used to call them popcorn words but Z wasn't getting enough practice so a friend suggested that we put them on the door give Z the fly swatter and let him go to town spelling and identifying words - it WORKS!

Crowe's Nest Farm - I got to go on Z's field trip and had a wonderful time. This picture is Z running the maze.

Z enjoyed using my camera to capture some pictures - this is him catching his favorite chaperon.

Cute little posed picture of Z.

The only good Halloween picture that I got.

WurstFest!

2010-10-30T17:17:00.002-05:00

Today we celebrated Wurstfest 2010 (our 3rd year - the fest's 50th)!

Pumpkin Hunting!

2010-10-17T21:13:00.006-05:00

All the crazy animals!!! (Love Z's pose!)

The sun was in their eyes so they all are looking away from me! Even though I was hollering, "Smile, it'll make G'ma's happy!!"

Today was Pumpkin Hunting 2010!

We were very successful this year! We heard about a great place in Medina, TX (a bit of a drive but supposed to be great). We were pleasantly surprised, NOT Ekert's, but had some fun stuff. This fall tradition has been happening for years. As I described in my Fall 2008 post we are not "traditional" hunters - we like to hunt inanimate objects, pumpkins being one of our favorites! Today we got to see some more dirt play, just like in Fall 2009. I've also included our Fall 2007 pictures so you can see how much the kids have changed. Enjoy!

At The Apple Store (for lunch)

Daddy's Girl

The Boys!

Hay Ride

Reading the map

Waiting for the hay ride (dirt anyone?)

'Cuz they all looked so cute looking at the ducks!

Calendar Pic (spoiler #1)

(spoiler #2)

OLC!

2010-10-06T20:42:00.004-05:00

This was my second year at OLC (Outdoor Learning Camp) but it was my personal best because my favorite 10 year old was there with me! I love that K girl!!! Since I found out about OLC I've been looking forward to being a chaperon in K's cabin - I got to be a chaperon and see her all day (teacher bonus!)! I tried not to make contact unless she did but it was so sweet when she did come and find me. Here are some of the shots that I got of her, when she made time to come visit:

Camera?!

2010-09-28T21:36:00.002-05:00

Where is a camera when you need one?

Today we went to pick B up at school but he was still at cross country practice so we (ZA & I) decided that there might be some bad guys over by the bleachers. Apparently there were several and Z&A were doing a fine job of taking care of them when Z made a decision to attack some that had retreated below the bleachers. (FYI we are in the midst of pretend play, in case you haven't figured that out yet) So he proceeded to find a good spot to jump off the side, not too high but he did it before I could say, "BAD idea Z!" Before I knew it, monkey see, monkey do and there is A hanging from the railing of the bleachers yelling! To ease all the minds of the G'ma's out there it wasn't that high up, maybe 4 feet (but when you are only 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall that is pretty high!) I ran down the bleachers grabbed her up and complimented her on her upper body strength - she held on long enough for her old mom to run down the bleachers and I couldn't shake the image of the poster with the cat hanging from a branch with the quote, "hang in there baby!" No body was hurt, Z stopped jumping but was very successful in eradicating all the bad guys from the bleachers and we had fun playing outside!

Remember that I reserve the right to have run on sentences and grammatical errors in all of my blogging so enjoy the story and no teacher critique!

SYTYCD & Other News

2010-09-23T19:48:00.003-05:00

So You Think You Can DANCE!? (nope!) I don't but I think that K & I LOVE to watch SYTYCD! Whoop! About 2 months ago I saw that the tickets were on sale and that they were going to be in Houston and I "thunk" to myself - oooh we have a "Motel 6" (actually 2) in Houston - aka Casa Dad & Judy-Mom or Casa Marky Sparky & Cheryl. So K and I left school Tuesday, drove to Houston and watched some amazing dancing with Judy-Mom & Cheryl. I worried that I would want to rewind and watch again but it was VERY cool because we'd seen most of the dances before so it was like watching them all again. Excellent show and we had a wonderful time!

This picture is Z's first nurses note. His teacher stopped me on the way to lunch to let me know that he'd fallen off the monkey bars. When I asked him what happened he said, "I was pretending to be a monkey and didn't make it to the next bar." Nice! Yes - he's a monkey!

Cutest picture of the day! Z&A were watching a PBS show (Fetch with Ruff Ruffman) learning about light reflection and how to make light rays bend! It was so cute to see them sitting there watching so intently eating their apples for snack after school. Oh yea they are little mini
brainiaks!

I'm still here...

2010-09-04T08:51:00.004-05:00

Z started Kindergarten this year! He loves it, and with the exception of one day with tears about pizza for lunch he's doing great.
K is in 5th grade (with me) this year. Although I'm not her teacher, I know most of her teachers VERY well. Yesterday was funny (sad but funny) when she realized that she'd left her homework on the table in my classroom. She could not come and get it, just like any other kid would not have been able to go home and get theirs. She had to walk at recess as a consequence and one of her teachers berated her that this was really hard on her (the teacher) because she didn't want to issue a consequence to someone she loved as much as K. TELL me about it!!!!
A has been doing great and this year when I see her she is happy to hug me and keep moving on with class.
B LOVES his school. We are very happy with him there because he is being challenged and he is really happy. Who could ask for more of a middle school student?!
Sadly we lost my Grandpa this week, he was 90 years old and I know that he is now with G'ma. We all love him very much and will miss him. However it is a blessing that we have had as much time with him as we had. I have said often in the last few days that I spent a great deal of time with my grandparents growing up and for that I am forever grateful!

G'pa with his FAVORITE granddaughter (so what that I was the only one!)

He always had a special spot in his heart for his first Great-granddaughter
(who he affectionately called Rae)

Last year at Thanksgiving.
Not our best picture but one of the last we have altogether.

Love you G'pa! Let G'ma know how much we love and miss her!!

Dear Scott! You Called me out!

2010-08-16T21:40:00.004-05:00

Scott called me out! I have Virginia pictures out the backside and I'm working on a powerpoint to present to our 5th grade students and staff (I'm sure they will be thrilled).
Until then - here are some pictures to whet your appetite!

This first pictures is of Redoubt #10 (this was when and where we won the American Revolution) with the help of our French friends at Redoubt #9. I started with this picture because for me it was the most emotional part of the trip - my imagination was vivid and clear as I imagined the suffering, sadness and ultimate relief as this particular obstacle was overcome. Proud to be an American!

This next picture was also emotional for me. This is me with Bunny - the most amazing history teacher I have ever had the pleasure to spend time with. I feel bad because I was unable to take notes while she talked. She knew so much, had so many stories related to people in history and completely captured my attention! Thought she was GREAT!!!

I went all the way to Virginia and met an Austinite - that was AN AGGIE!! Oh yea!! Gig'Em!

Part of this experience was living out and seeing how people lived in the 18th century. Here I am doing just that:

Watering the crops!

Searching for worms on tobacco.
If a slave master found a large one they might make a slave eat it,
since it meant they were not doing their job well enough if a worm got that big!

This is a hogshead.
Tobacco was shipped in a barrel just like this!
Insanely big, huh?!

The next picture is of part of my group. Brina, Jo, Linda, Debbie (my running partner), Steve, Mario & Lindsey.

Me & George Washington!!! Actually, as you probably know this isn't the REAL George Washington, but he was amazingly knowledgeable. It was so cool to listen to him present!

This is where I stayed - actually the very first picture that I took. I had the BEST time and cannot wait to go back and to share all of my new found knowledge with anyone who will listen and let me show them my "stuff!"

Potty Trained! (and oh yea I'm going to Virginia)

2010-07-25T21:51:00.003-05:00

She did it! She's got it & she has her big sister to thank. I believe that K was crucial in teaching A how to use the big girl potty. Day 1 was a huge disaster, Day 2 it was like someone flipped her little switch and she suddenly "got it!" Nice!

Tuesday this week I leave for Colonial Williamsburg - I am SO excited! Can't wait! Tomorrow is laundry day, packing and taking the car to the shop (again!) - then watch out Virginia here comes Sherry! I even get to go to Montecello (Thomas Jefferson's home) - oh boy I can't wait for that too.

When I get back - watch out you will be looking at LOTS (I mean LOTS) of pictures!

Swimming, Potty, Running And Dear Scoot (not in that order)

2010-07-09T21:22:00.005-05:00

Most of you know my brother, Scott, does a lot of traveling for his job, we'll he's at it again! So my blog posts are back to being personal messages to our dear Ghanaian brother/uncle! :)
Dear Scoot - come visit us (bring Shelby) and take us to do something fun! Love you!

Z&A are taking swim lessons. Let me start by saying that this is Z's year to learn to swim! He's doing great, he's following directions, trying hard and just generally giving it his all. Now let me tell you about my strong-minded, princess A! Day 1 her favorite thing to say was, "I don't want to." I tried diligently to let her know that wasn't acceptable but waited until later to have a little sit down with her about how big girls don't tell their teachers that and that if it happened again she wouldn't be staying (or playing in the pool) while Z had lessons. Day 2 my little goof decided that she'd just NOT get into the pool. Thankfully her teacher, Ms. Jill, wouldn't have any of that and forced the issue a few times. We took the opportunity to play at the pool afterward and I think that was a huge turning point. Day 3 K went with us and stayed on the steps with A&Z. A was a little dream, volunteering and trying hard. Finally Day 4, A was on her own (no K to sit with her) and she did GREAT! She volunteered, put her face in the water and followed her big brother's example - yea Z&A!!!

Potty Training - Child #4 - my most stubborn child! Well with some encouragement from my friend, Rae Ann, we've "discovered" that all the pull-ups are gone. The only thing left in the house is big girl underwear (well there are some big boy underwear too but you know what I mean!). So my girl is in bed right now with big girl underwear and she is relegated to the kitchen on the floor until she figures it out. This is what we did for Z - only he did the naked thing. When Jason told her tonight that she'd have to stay in the kitchen and couldn't sit on the chairs she looked at him with her big bright beautiful eyes and said, "why?" Ha! So hopefully in two or three days we'll have an update letting you know that she is officially potty trained AND I will
stop getting pop-up FB adds about potty training!

Finally I have decided that I want (okay that is a little strong), would like (nope that doesn't do it), feel compelled to "try" to run a 1/2 marathon. I work well when I'm working towards a goal. So my goal is The Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon in November (San Antonio). I'm excited and nervous. Tonight I ran 3 miles (that is 12 laps) on the track without stopping. This was big for me even though I've run a couple of 5K's because it feels like a beginning. As I got to my last lap I reminded myself of the Bible verse that gets me through this physical activities that I've been subjecting myself to lately -
"I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me"

Philippians 4:13

The great thing is that just as I thought this scripture in my head I looked up in the clouds and saw a very small rainbow in the clouds. A promise! So I have a LONG way to go but I'm going to do this! Prayers always appreciated!

Introducing my new phone!

2010-07-06T17:43:00.004-05:00

Early June Jason decided that we NEEDED (yes I agree that is a strong word for it!) new phones. He researched, he reviewed, he waited... and finally found the phone for him (and therefore me too) - the HTC Evo. Let me just say I was doubtful and not convinced. Now that I've had the phone for several weeks let me correct my original hesitation with this statement - I love my new sudoku playing, FB access, limitless texting, email catching AND camera phone! Love it! Didn't know I was missing out on so much!! So to introduce this new member of my being here are some moments that it has helped me capture.

St. Louis Science Center my fearsome four put together the arch -
who knew they were so incredible?!

BKZ had no fear of this T-Rex (A thought it was a little too lifelike!) -
I thought this was a great way to capture the big fella!

This picture was taken for A's dad -
our lovable geek/nerd that knows all about nano technology.

White Castles - do I need to say more?

My crew with Rae Ann's crew makes a BIG crew having lots of fun!

A special moment on our MO trip -
K playing the piano for her Grandpa Jess.

Please Daddy?!

A's friend Elias giving her a boat ride -
it is good to be a princess! Ha!

Swim lessons for Z&A

"Watch out for the donkeys!" something I never thought I'd hear during a tri!!

2010-06-20T12:35:00.002-05:00

Today was my first open water triathlon, Tri it in Spanish (300m swim, 20k bike, 3.2k run)! I was SO nervous, I really thought several times in the last 24 hours that I would toss some cookies (but I did not). Here's how it happened:
I prepared for the swim by following my friend Eileen out to the waters edge, she insisted that we move toward the front (not way up front with the really fast people) but we decided after the last one that we didn't want to go to the back and short change ourselves. When it was my turn I was prepared, goggles ON! I jumped in and did what I know how to do, I swam. I started strong but when I got to the tunnel (yes tunnel!) I panicked a little and flipped over to do a backstroke. When I came out of the tunnel I flipped back over but only to find that I could not see through my goggles! Ugh. I attempted a small windshield wiper action in my goggles so that I could see the last buoy and it worked. I finished strong and felt really good about my swim.
The bike ride started out flat but then there was a steep incline (read BIG hill) and the road was very bumpy - with traffic, including a truck that did not want to pass me, finally did. I don't mind other bikes behind me but a truck is a little intimidating sitting on your tail. As I rounded the half way point of the bike I was feeling good and smiling, but not as much as I was 5 minutes later when I rounded a corner and heard these words from a police officer, "watch out for the donkeys!" Sure enough I saw a herd (4 or 5) donkeys prancing down the road. Initially they were on the other side until a bike scared them to my side. I was cautious but anxious to get by them, they were obviously scared and I didn't want to be in their way. After several laughter filled moments I was able to pedal like a mad woman past the herd. Wow! That entertained me all the way back to the steep incline where I did a "woo hoo" as I flew down - FUN!
The run! Oowei! The run was tough! As I've explained before there is nothing quite like running when your legs feel like spaghetti. Sadly I was not able to run like I would have liked until the end. For the record let me tell you that people standing around cheering is a must on these runs! As I got to the two mile mark there were a couple of people and they started cheering and telling me I was almost done, then there was a water guy, then another couple - I ran the remainder and finished running. It felt great until I stopped and then I was woozy. I got some orange juice.
For the record Eileen was third in her age group. I am so excited that I have this great friend that does these things with me - what a great treasure her friendship is to me. Eileen's daughter, Shelly got some pictures so hopefully I will be able to add those soon.

MO trip 2010 at OneTrueMedia.com

2010-06-19T13:08:00.001-05:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

7th Annual Splish Splash and Irritated!

2010-06-18T14:57:00.007-05:00

Somehow I missed this blog last year (I'm working on that!) Every year since 2004 we have gone to Wapelhorst Park in St. Charles MO when we visit Gramps and G'ma Bonnie. Guess what! We went AGAIN!! Doesn't look like we will be ending this tradition anytime soon, Z&A are now in love with this park too! I have tons of picture on my camera (thanks Bonnie) but I'm going to post our underwater pictures - we love those.

We have our camera and we are ready to go to MO to play with Gramps & G'ma Bonnie!

BKZA with Gramps!

Shocking I know! B underwater!

K underwater - yep shocking!

Now sit down people! Z's VERY first underwater picture.
This trip was a huge success for my Z-Man,
he went underwater happily many, many times!!

Me and my fearsome foursome.

Now do you want to see how much these kids have changed? Want to see why A thinks that she's been there before and was wearing a pink bikini? Ha ha! Then check out these links, 2004 thru 2007 and 2008.

Aw summer...

2010-06-05T18:25:00.002-05:00

My team

2010-06-03T22:29:00.003-05:00

I have been blessed with an amazing team to work with. One of our student parents took this picture today at the end of the year celebration.

Kickball

2010-06-02T22:31:00.003-05:00

Did you know?! That the rules of kickball are complicated? If you, you like me, thought these were the rules (old school):

1. Kick ball with all of your might
2. Try to hit and maim runner by throwing the ball at them = out
3. Try to catch the ball = out (because you throw like a girl)
4. Umm.. that's all folks, those are ALL the rules!

I found out first hand this week that kickball isn't what it was back years ago when I relegated to the outfield to pick dandelions uh.. I mean, catch the occasional run-away ball.

#1 Just like they have new fangled math they have LOTS more rules in kickball (FYI the before mentioned rules are still good). So many in fact that you might call the game - softball or baseball without the bat!

#2 Foul balls can be caught to get the runner out. Duh!

#3 There is a thing called tagging up or as I liked to call it, "go back, Go Back, GO BACK!!!"

#4 You can't over run certain bases, really don't remember which ones - hopefully no one over-ran while I was on watch.

#5 Fifth graders do NOT appreciate the "no head shots" rule that I decided to implement, apparently that is not as much fun! Mean Mrs. C!

#6 I learned that this signal

means "SAFE" not "OUT" - which, by the way, is what I yelled every time I did this motion. Poor confused 5th graders!! Ha ha!

Hiking & End of year update

2010-06-02T21:07:00.007-05:00

This last weekend Jason & I took BKZA on a hike at the Zilker Nature Preserve and had a great time. I was very impressed with all of the kids and their determination. This was not an easy hike for a 3 and 5 year old! We had a great time and when it was done we got to go to the museum and "dig" dino bones. What fun! Sorry no pictures, hiking with our camera wasn't a good idea.

Tomorrow is the last day of this school year. Wow what an incredible year - I've really enjoyed teaching US History and because of this position I've been granted the incredible opportunity of going to Colonial Williamsburg this summer. As exciting as all of that is, I've been asked and decided to accept a math position for next year. In the past math has been my first love and I commented upon taking this job that it would only be better if I had been able to teach math. Now I get my wish, although it is a little scary. It will be a new and interesting year next year. Z will be in Kindergarten and K will be in 5th grade (with me - but not on my team) and B will be attending San Marcos Baptist Academy with his friend H. SMBA is where Ms. Belle works, a friend we have been blessed to make a part of our extended family. I'm excited and nervous about B attending a school that isn't really close but mostly I am excited about the opportunities that this might provide for him.

Finally I have a few pictures that I thought you all might enjoy seeing, now that you have read all of that!

My little swimmers.

Baby girl A walking in with her class to Z's graduation.

The pre-K graduate walking in to his graduation.

Sharing a fruit punch

Breakfast & Pizza

2010-05-26T17:24:00.002-05:00

A has developed an interest in all things related to private parts. This afternoon this was our conversation:
A: (pointing to Princess Leia's chest) What are those?
Me: breasts
A: you have breaks (not a misspelling)?
Me: yes
A: I have breakfasts too.
Me: yes
A: Z doesn't have breakfasts.
Me: no
A: no Z has peanuts.

HA! HA! Yep it all comes back to peanuts and breakfast!

Family Sabbath

2010-05-16T21:01:00.002-05:00

Today our church family celebrated Family Sabbath! We did this last year and it was an amazing experience (the only clincher was that I was "working") - this year I was there to be with my family and my God. I really can't express in words how much this day meant to me it was truly incredible and peaceful. To think that I actually thought about not going because my house is a disaster. I'm so very glad that I went!! I'm not sure what it was about today, the setting (a church camp), the canoes, the lake, the swimming pool, the lunch, the playground, the church family... all of these things made it wonderful but I think for me it was the time to love and spend time with the gifts that God has blessed my life with - BKZA.

It was a great day and guess what - I spent it enjoying, not photographing so no pictures this time.

A nice Thursday evening

2010-05-13T20:48:00.004-05:00

Tonight was one of the few evenings that I don't have a workout planned and the kids don't have activities so I was home relatively early (I did swim right after school for about 45 minutes). We got home and I put Z&A's new sheets on their bed, made dinner on the grill while the kids played outside and then we had a picnic outside. Fun! It was a good night, fun bath time, book reading and then sweet hugs and happy smiles when they saw that I had put their new sheets on their beds.
Here are some sweet pictures of our evening:

The fearsome foursome picnicking at their teeny tiny picnic table
- shocked that it held up!

After all the outdoor fun - getting clean!

10 things - A

2010-05-11T21:55:00.003-05:00

Here goes my 10 things for sweet baby girl.
I LOVE:

10 - the way she bosses B around.

9 - seeing her at school everyday, watching her with her friends
8 - watching her play dress up with all clothes (spider-man and princess dresses)
7 - the way she says "yellow" (lellow with her tongue sticking out at all over the place)
6 - her passion for water (bath, washing hands, swimming, water in a bucket)
5 - her still funky middle toe
4 - watching her play with her big sister and wanting to do what she does
3 - the way she says, "I love you Mommy."

2 - that she and Z are so opposite and so the same, and it drives her nuts

1 - her beautiful smile!

We run together!

2010-05-09T19:45:00.004-05:00

May 2nd marked Z's first full day as a 5 year old and it also marked his first Fun Run. We had such a great day! I'm really excited that as I start training for 5K's and sprint tri's that I can share that time with my kids - A is well on her way to joining us. K&B - they ran the 5K with me, both of them beat me and had great races (all of us beating our Chapa 5K times).

B - came in second in his age group (11-19), great job!

Wow K - check out that stride!

It appears that she did a gazelle-like leap into the finish line! Impressive!

Here comes Mom - B ran the last bit with me
(he had rested for about 10 minutes before I got there!)
K left me in her dust!

Aw that is sweet!

K&B were supposed to run with Z - B took off and won the fun run.

Isn't this sweet how they took off holding hands?!

Z finished strong! So proud!

10 things - Z

2010-05-01T21:52:00.003-05:00

I've been going back and trying to copy all of my old blogs to make a "memory book." Scrapbooking is difficult to get to most of the time so I figured that since the blog is easily accessible and has LOTS of pictures and stories that I could create a book using that and then just keep adding to it. As I was going back I noticed that I had at one time written the 10 things that I loved about each of my children. Sadly I don't have the time, energy or brain power to do all four kids tonight so I'm going to do Z today (since it is his birthday!) and then hopefully you will come back to see the others later (not sure how much later)...

10. His amazing smile
9. His incredible amount of energy
8. He's a smart one!!
7. The way he sits in his seat sideways, he never pulls it fully out he just scoots it to the side and sits on the edge
6. The way he tenderly tries to get Hobbes to like him, he talks very softly and gently sits next to him... until he can't do either any longer and completely freaks Hobbes out
5. How he always smiles in surprise when he rounds the corner at school and sees me standing there - then waits patiently for me to come and give him a hug (he wouldn't dream of getting out of line)
4. He never wants what I'm making for breakfast, if I want to make eggs (his favorite) he always wants something else
3. I love the way he wants to help me start the washer and dryer
2. He's learning (from his older brother) how to hide his dirty socks in obscure places
1. He is silly and funny!

Wordless Weekday

2010-04-29T21:18:00.001-05:00

Bedroom makeover

2010-04-25T14:02:00.005-05:00

Since we rearranged rooms we have been trying to figure out what to do with the girls bedroom. Well yesterday as I was jogging through the neighborhood I found a daybed. Seemed like a good idea so I went back after my jog and it was still there. So now the girls have a daybed with trundle and they both love it! Here's pictures:

Tree Hugger

2010-04-19T08:46:00.002-05:00

K had a project at school that required her to make something out of trash and it had to be usable for more than one time. So she decided to take an old pair of jeans and create a purse. As you can see once we got started we couldn't stop. We ended up creating two oven mitts and decorated an old pair of flip flops too. What a great time we had.

I love this girl - she's so awesome!

Wordless Weekday

2010-04-15T22:13:00.002-05:00

You know you are in Texas in spring when...

2010-04-04T14:53:00.006-05:00

... the landscape turns the most beautiful shade of blue. Aww sweet bluebonnets! I have Easter egg dying pictures, Easter egg hunting pictures and Easter dinner pictures but I'm going to opt to show you the beauty of God's creation today! Enjoy our 2010 bluebonnet pictures!

Fort Worth Zoo 033110 at OneTrueMedia.com

2010-04-02T17:26:00.001-05:00

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

FW zoo day

2010-04-02T17:00:00.002-05:00

Today we drove to Fort Worth (why? that's a long story and I have another one I want to tell). We had the babies with us, aka Z&A - so we decided to hit a new zoo the Fort Worth Zoo and we were pleasantly surprised!

We saw a white tiger, a lion roar and all the animals were very active. We saw giraffes, elephants, primates of all kind, bears, big cats, birds and several four legged varieties with hooves. It was a great zoo and a fun day for us all. Here's our picture montage (see you've waited and now you get what you wanted!). Thanks for your patience!

Days 2,3,4 and 5 Spring Break 2010

2010-03-19T20:58:00.008-05:00

I had great intentions of posting every day during Spring Break - you know like old times?! Well there go my good intentions - I was out of town and that made it difficult to post. So here's the scoop:
Day 2 - we relaxed, cleaned and prepared for our trip to Houston. Here's the proof:

Day 3 - we arrived in Houston late on Day 2 and then headed out late on Wednesday to go to ...... the Houston Rodeo! We played on the midway, looked at animals (and smelled them) and then enjoyed the show that night. Hey guess what - I got proof!!

"Woo Hoo G'pa!"

The Fearsome Foursome

Helping out on the farm.

Picking a tomato!

They are so cute!

Milking cows!

The best ride on the Mid-Way!

Hmm... hardly seems fair, nap time for A and ice cream for Z?!

"Mom, look a piece of my cone broke!"

Getting ready for the show.

Day 3 - slept late and then headed out to Johnson's Space Center (NASA)... we were all very tired but had a good time. Let's just say that it was very busy, very crowded and there was a lot to do.

Future astronauts

Day 5 - home... relax... do laundry!

Monday - Spring Break

2010-03-15T21:39:00.006-05:00

Remember those good old days when I took pictures of my kids and posted stories on my blog? Yea - those were the days, huh?!

Well today was Day 1 of Spring Break 2010. We started the day by making a quick appointment to the doctor for A - who woke up with gunky eye. The "feel good" dr. thinks that she has allergies but wanted to be on the safe side so he prescribed an antibiotic to cover all the bases.
After A & I got home we loaded up the van and headed out to McKinney Falls State Park - we went a few years ago but this was our first time without a stroller!! Wow! I am still the pack mule, carrying our lunch, snacks, diapers, etc in my backpack. We had our "lunch" (granola bars, raisins, apples, bananas, crackers and dried fruit) then headed out on a 2.8 mile hike. We had a great time. BKZ&A were troopers - the best part was how much they helped each other.

Oh and when you see Z walking around with a hunting knife don't stress out - it is plastic and I gave him that in honor of his G'pa John. I could hear G'pa John taking him on a hike and teaching him how to use his pocket knife on making stuff, getting a fish to eat or telling what direction he was traveling (I'm really not sure that anyone would say any of those things - but guys have the weirdest reasons for carrying around knives so it makes sense to me). Jason was shocked that I would give a 4 year old a knife but we went over the ground rules - no pretending to injure any of your siblings or other people - and Z did a good job of following directions.

B - "I want to jump in this water!!"

K - she's just so funny & photogenic

I'm not sure what he's doing here - but you can see he's keeping his hunting knife to himself. Ha!

Taken right after A wiped her wet hands on her sister - such a great big sister!

"Wait up!!"

I love K's face in this picture - they all thought this was so funny!

New Sassy Do!

2010-03-09T20:17:00.002-06:00

A got a new sassy look this evening. She looks so cute!!!

Tough Cookie

2010-03-07T20:30:00.002-06:00

Today I participated in the Tough Cookie Duathlon! It was tremendous fun and I am excited to share the story with you all. Here it is:
First of all, one of my Tri-club friends mentioned this duathlon and I looked it up then convinced my friends Eileen & Joy (from work) to do it with me. Eileen talked her daughter and daughter-in-law into doing it too. Since the venue was 1 1/2 away we decided to get a hotel Saturday night.

We all loaded up our bikes and headed out late Saturday afternoon. I was excited but nervous, as expected. This was Eileen and Joy's first multi-sport event so I was concerned as well about their experience. FYI they had a good time and are glad they went, although Joy told me that mid way through she was thinking of ways to "get me back."

We started the race and I was not warmed up so it was a little hard to get a good run (or for me jog) going. I went as fast as I could and tried to get warmed up. I was feeling pretty low as lots of people passed me but pressed on! When we got to our bike Eileen scooted ahead of me at transition but once the cycling started all I can say is - Wwwweeee!!! I found out today that the words, "passing on your left" are some of the sweetest words! Since when I rode my mountain bike I NEVER got to say those words. Today I got to say them... a lot (not bragging, the bike is awesome!!). I got ahead of Joy and Eileen and rode hard the whole 10 miles - felt great!! Several times thought to myself, "man if I wipe out it is going to hurt, cuz you are going fast!"

As I got off my bike and began the second run I could not get a good run (jog) going again. My legs felt like they had been replaced with jell-o (watch it wiggle, watch it jiggle...). I ran/walked the first 1/4 to 1/2 of the second run (Shelly - Eileen's daughter cheered me on at one point, she finished 4th overall) and then I said to myself, "You have to RUN! You have a head start on several women and they will get pass you if you don't get moving." So I looked at my watch, made a personal goal of finishing in 1 hour, 30 minutes and took off at a nice jog. I jogged the rest of the way and as I got close to the finish line I looked up and saw the timer, 1:30:30... awww!!! I visualized BKZA running next to me and took off at my fastest run. I made it over the marker at 1:30:55 - BUT it didn't register!! Needless to say I'm very disappointed about that. I know I did it, my friends know I did it and I'll have to live with that until (if) they can fix it.
Now I know that I am one Tough Cookie! Yea for me! I'll post pictures as soon as I can.

Crazy side note:
Tonight as I was talking to my favorite in-laws, just after sharing this story I heard a weird puff noise... my back tire just went flat! I heard B say, "good thing that didn't happen earlier." Uh - yea that is right!!! Guess I will get to learn to fix a flat now.

My best day!

2010-03-01T20:43:00.002-06:00

Today I had the pleasure of walking into my school with all four of my children. I would love to continue to be a stay at home mom but since that isn't in the plans this was GREAT! Z started pre-Kindergarten this morning and he had a wonderful day! He loves that he writes his name on the white board with a marker to identify that he is present and I see him several times a day as they skip, jump, spin, march or simply giggle their way down the hall past my classroom. Peace! That is the best word to describe my state of mind today as I went about my day. Please don't get me wrong - I know that Z was happy and well taken care of with his babysitter and our friends, however I knowing that he is so close is comforting.
Little girl A also seems happy with the new set up. Today when K went to play with them at the end of the day she said that Z&A were holding hands with another friend and playing happily. Love it!!
B rides to school with us in the morning and takes the bus from there to the middle school.
Z is especially happy with his new Batman backpack and his favorite thing today - "eating."

Who Knew?

2010-02-20T21:37:00.003-06:00

This Valentine's Day was eye opening for me. I was so proud of myself for being "ready" for the festivities. That is until I got a note from Z's class and then a note from A's class. I suppose being home with them the last two years I forgot that this year they would be in the midst of it too. Wednesday night before Z's party I asked him to write his name on a couple of cards. When he realized what we were doing he insisted on telling me which cards went to boys and which ones went to girls AND he wrote his name on every single one - staying up late. It was very fun and sweet. Sadly I didn't get a picture of the cutest thing - when I wrote an "A" just like that he insisted that his "A" needed a point to so he went back and drew a little line on top of several of his "A's" so that they would have a point. Funny boy!
Here's a couple of pictures of my little Valentine.

My father-in-law (the brilliant John) said it well when he said, "you lost one and gained three more." Meaning B is now beyond the V-day festivities but now teaching elementary school I'm in them and Z&A are too. So when I was "ready" I had only considered K & myself. Silly me!

The new rooms

2010-02-07T22:05:00.002-06:00

We now have an office in our house! The kids have moved into same gender rooms and they are loving it, for the most part! :) We had a lot of fun telling the kids all the wacky reasons that we "might" have been making this change - we were getting ready to move into a two bedroom apartment, we were having another baby (no this is NOT true), we were moving out of town. It all boils down to the fact that it was going to happen sooner or later and since A had pretty much moved herself into K's room we decided it might as well be sooner. We still have a LOT of work!! I am going to go in and purge K&A's room (as I did for the boys today), I still need to get the office closet figured out, organization wise - it is smaller than the one in B&Z's room where I had all the stuff before. We are saving up to buy bunk beds for the girls but for now they love having the queen sized bed. Here are the pictures - check out K&A's smiles!!!

Holiday's with G'ma Judy & G'pa Harold

2010-02-01T20:22:00.003-06:00

G'ma Judy & G'pa Harold came to visit - they even brought a special surprise, Uncle Scoot!!
Here's the pictorial proof:

Parenting - this is tough!

2010-01-14T22:23:00.002-06:00

My sweet baby girl, you know the one, the one that slept through the night at 6 weeks old! The one who has a smile that can melt your heart, sparkling eyes to warm you through and through - yes little baby A!
She is giving me a run for my money. Since going back to school she has decided that her Mommy time should be taken at night. Needless to say we are not in agreement about this. SO - back to parenting class - this time I call it Tough Love 301: Mommy won't get up (even if you toss your cookies).
Last night was the first night - 12:45am
"Mommy I want tiny bear." Repeated 15 times (times are approximate as it was 12:45 am and who can track these things at that time?)
"Mommy I want..." 20 times
"Mommy I want a book" 10 times
"Mommy I want..." 25 times
"Mommy cover me up!" 14 times
"I want Mommy!" 100 times!
Lots of crying at this point - reminded that if she threw up on her Cinderella jammies I wasn't washing them. At this time A begins her deep breathing exercises to calm down... sleep resumes 1:15am. I laid wages that we'd make it until 2am.
YEP!
2am
"Mommy I want breakfast!" 16 times
"Mommy I want..." 34 times
Calm breathing - sleep resumes at about 2:10am.

I love that little girl so much and this is very hard. Little A - when you read this some day I want you to know that laying there listening to you cry was one of the hardest things that I have ever done! All I want to do is pick you up and hold you but I know that isn't going to help anyone, not in the long run.

Too funny

2010-01-08T13:46:00.002-06:00

I stayed home today - lost my voice Monday and it still isn't back completely. A stayed with me and we've been watching princess movies all morning. Right now we are watching Cinderella and the stepsisters just tore Cinderella's dress. A said, "Aw it's broke! Fix it! Tape on it, fix it!"
I love that tape fixes everything in a two year old's mind. ha ha!

Chocolate, snow and relatives... oh my!

2009-12-22T13:05:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Jason's Clan went to Hershey's Chocolate World - yum. It was fun, lots of opportunities to spend money... ha ha!

We left there and headed for Aunt Erin and Uncle Alex's house in New Ashford, MA (don't try to find the weather on weatherchannel.com - it's too small). Suffice to say it is COLD and they have a sheet of icy snow on the ground, which of course we had to go "play" in this morning. Basically we spent the morning sliding down on our rear ends in frozen snow. Woo hoo! The kids had a lot of fun (as did Jason & I) - this was A's first time in the snow. She reminded us of the little boy in Christmas Story - she was so bundled up, she couldn't sit down without needing help standing up! Pictures to follow soon.

Today Jason is heading to the airport to pick up Bonnie, John & Andy at the airport. I can't wait for them to see all the grandkids playing so well with each other. They will love it!

Finally - tonight it looks like we will be having my favorite food - FUNdue (that's fondue for all of you out there that haven't been listening... ha ha!) - Erin's house is a blast!! Fun times!

TX to MA

2009-12-20T23:40:00.002-06:00

This weekend we set out on what B likes to call the Great American Road Trip. We discovered that before we return to our home we will have traveled through 14 American states. Today we went through several: Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virgina and Pennsylvania... the funny story there was that we were only in West Virginia for about 20 minutes and most of that was spent at Sheetz where Z had to take a .... restroom break! HA! They had some fun sensory potties that flushed on Z twice both times making him look up at me with confusion and not just a little anxiety that soon he would be disposed of if he didn't get off the pot! Very funny... (a little potty humor for my dear father-in-law).
Fun new game for road trips - take normal acronyms and make them more fun.
FBI - freaky button injuries
AMD - absolute melt down or angry mother dissertations
fun, fun, fun! Gave us at least an hour of humor on a day full of driving monotony!

Yesterday & today my children were troopers! They traveled 11+ hours yesterday & 13+ hours today! We stopped only a handful of times each day. I thought they did an exceptional job and best of all when we got to the hotels they went quietly to bed. As I am going to do ... right now!

"Princess-rrreeeAAA"

2009-12-09T22:03:00.004-06:00

We aren't really sure what this quote means but it is just one of the many reasons that A keeps us all smiling. She says this all the time when talking about princesses... if you can figure it out let us know - we know what it SOUNDS like! Check out the pictures below to see more really great reasons:

"Smile!"

She likes to help dress herself.

Sometimes she just stops and pouts.
No one knows exactly why - I suspect she's not getting her way
(and that makes the boss angry)!
Other times she is so sweet and cute you could eat her up!

Yes - I actually paid somebody to do this to my poor, sweet, innocent child!

BK&Z make me smile and laugh a lot too but their not quite as expressive in front of the camera anymore (well - Z still is... he'll be my next victim, I mean focus)

Because you have been so patient!

2009-12-03T21:40:00.004-06:00

We had a wonderful time in Arkansas for Thanksgiving. The big kids, Jason & I walked (B - did some running with Cousin Justin) the 1st Annual Pinnacle Turkey Trot & Strut - this was our second year going out and getting active as a family before we got down to the business of devouring turkey and the fixin's - YUM! It was great and I hope that it will be a family tradition.

Here are some pictures of the fun that was had - spending time with family, rock band, karaoke, eating, perusing the sales ads and don't forget playing!

Uncle Mark giving Z a little love, Uncle Mark style

The bookends - they are so enamored with each other!!

Kess with G'pa Jess, he thinks she's pretty special!

K with Aunt Cheryl

Mark & Deb

B - the Rock Star!

Big Cousins acting like goofs

Our Debbie trying to get Z more comfortable with G'pa Jess
(since we all know that Z is much more comfortable UPSIDE DOWN!)

Uncle Marky Sparky Superman & the lovely Aunt Cheryl

I have a really talented friend!

2009-11-22T23:32:00.005-06:00

I can't even imagine how hard it is to get a good picture of all 6 of us smiling and looking in the right direction, but my brilliant friend did it a few times. Of course you will see the best one on your Christmas cards but here's some good ones and some fun ones to hold you over.

Not the usual

2009-11-17T21:25:00.002-06:00

So for days I've been wanting to vent and tell the world that I'm going into hibernation for an extended period of time. Although I realize that this is completely different than most of my blog entries I've decided to post my ranting here.
I'm tired! I'm cranky and I feel completely lost most days. I have recently been praying a prayer that goes something like this - Dear Lord I know you have me in this place for a reason and your timing is perfect and unquestionable. Please help me to see why and how to get out of this "rut" that I feel like I'm being swallowed by.
Here's where I am: I don't have time to make dinner, much less clean up the dishes, my job although it is a good one is consuming and at times overwhelming in the sheer speed of the day (if I haven't shared with you here it is 8:40-12:45 teach, teach, teach, teach, 20 minutes lunch, teach!) yes it goes quickly but I can't find the time to grade, enter grades, create lessons, etc - except before or after school hours. Overwhelming - especially when you consider all the little blessings I have at home wanting my time and attention.
Okay now let me say that I love my kids, I love my husband, I'm happy with the job I have and I have a wonderful extended family and church family. Please join me in prayers of thanksgiving for these many blessings. If after that you have time to pray for some relief then that is greatly appreciated too!
Thank you & my loyal blog readers... love you!

Fall 2009 at OneTrueMedia.com

2009-11-05T22:02:00.001-06:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The scoop

2009-11-01T21:55:00.002-06:00

This weekend was Halloween. Not my favorite time of the year but I enjoy it for the kids. This year has been completely different than in years past though - here's the scoop. A has been going through some serious fear issues - she has been waking up between 1am and 3am nightly and cannot go back to sleep without horrible crying jags. I began to suspect night terrors but then after reading about them on the internet (the source for all things true and believable) I found out that they were more like "walking in your sleep" - not being cognizant of time, place, etc. Then I began to suspect a growth spurt but now with some counseling from a good friend, a nice reality check and some deep soul searching I have realized that A is manipulating me - YET again!! Therefore this weekend we instituted Tough Love 201 (remember 101 occurred when the little sea cucumber wouldn't go to sleep at night). So last night (yep Halloween night) we did not take her out - to prevent the fear factor - and I started the new night time ritual. It goes something like this:
Mommy (M) - I love you A - you will sleep in your own room tonight - all night.
A - otay Mommy
M - if you wake up I want you to think of something happy and then roll over and go back to sleep.
A - otay Mommy
M - what makes you happy?
A - bouncing
M - okay then you think about bouncing and go back to sleep. I love you, good night.
Then I proceed to leave the room singing, which makes her laugh (what's up with that?! I have a beautiful voice)! Last night I had to go in 3 times to remind her that, "I love you, you will sleep in your own bed, good night." Tonight Jason gave her a couple of those little speeches and she finally fell off into slumber at about 8:30pm (an hour after being put to bed - she was just talking). Oh yea and Z is now sleeping in K's room - for "two weeks" until we get A over this hump. I have not been forced to get up in the middle of the night yet - but when it happens (if it happens) my goal is to be calm, confident and allow her to get herself back to sleep. This will be an obvious change from my normal clumsy, whiny response to her crying out in the night. That goes something like this:
M - A please go to sleep, Mommy is tired. Daddy is tired. We can't sleep with you yelling. You are going to wake Z up. (waaa - yea still me)
A - Mommy, momma, momma, MOMMA!! Sleep in floor!
M - fine but no more yelling
A - otay Mommy
then repeat about 5 times (after she's been moved, the only difference is that she doesn't mention the floor in those she just screams my name repeatedly).

So that is the scoop and here is the rest of the story!

B has taken a break from swimming. His current plan is to return in December - I hope so but don't want him to feel pressured, it must be his choice.
K is doing a cheerleading class, playing the piano (can't wait to play Debbie's at Thanksgiving) and Girl Scouts (of course).
Z is growing and becoming such a little gentleman. I'm so proud of how much calmer and more mature he seems daily.
A loves school but (as mentioned above) I suspect that she's missing some Mommy & Me time and is trying to take that time in the middle of the night. I guess a whiny mom is still mommy time.

Jason is working lots and this weekend worked until 4am Saturday morning on a huge project at work and then was back up there at 9am. He was very tired this weekend! But still managed to take K&Z trick-or-treating (B went with some friends for a birthday party).

This weekend was crazy for me because I had to work at the fall festival for school - but obviously couldn't take A (remember we talked about this new fear thing) and of course Jason was gone or very tired so we had to do some very creative juggling and I was so thankful for my friends Terry & Belle for their help! I'm still trying to get a good hold of teaching and juggling family - it is work but I wouldn't trade my family and if I have to work then this is a great job.

Side note - one of A's new fears is some chicken (aka dhicken - her words) that she saw at a costume shop. It was one of those plastic ones! Anyway now we have daily conversations about how the dhicken won't hurt her - we eat dhickens! Tonight as I put her to bed she said, "Mommy there is no dhicken?!" I said, "you are right there is NO chicken!" Poor child.

Lastly - as I mentioned my friend Terry helped me out when I had to work this weekend. She stayed here when A was napping. When A woke up she came out, looked around and started calling for B! When Terry told her B wasn't there she put her hand on her hip, threw that bottom lip out and yelled, "B!" I can just picture it! So cute and funny.

Pictures? Jason refused to carry the camera (Bonnie - what are we going to do with that boy?!) so my friend Belle took some, but she hasn't sent them yet. Will post when I get them.

Putting a smile on YO Face!

2009-10-24T23:31:00.003-05:00

A family that plays together...

2009-10-20T21:50:00.001-05:00

You can just imagine what my house sounds like on a nightly basis! Usually K is on keyboard, but just started recorder at school so she is liking the freedom to move around that this instrument allows.

Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing ~Lao Tzu

2009-10-18T22:35:00.004-05:00

We have definitely not been doing nothing! Ha ha!

Proof in the form of pictures (I'm having technical difficulty with the video - which means I can't figure out how to do it and I'm not willing to spend anymore time on it tonight):

K at Cheer Camp:

B at Band-O-Rama:

My how they have grown

2009-10-02T21:49:00.003-05:00

January 2008

September 2009

Zoo Time

2009-09-27T21:35:00.003-05:00

Today we went to the zoo - our eldest didn't want to go, guess he's getting too old for this kind of thing. He said he didn't want to see animals sleeping and pooping. The irony is that while we were watching the hippo (swimming - not sleeping) he began pooping. HA! Cracked me up. Of course Z - who is at the age of thinking that kind of thing is hilarious thought it was... well... hilarious!!
It ended up being a fun day for everyone - even B.

1st Football Game

2009-09-19T20:07:00.006-05:00

Today was B's first football game. When we got to the crazy crowded parking lot we noticed a man with his face painted and I suggested to Jason that we were probably not ready for what was about to happen to us. (Please know that we've lived in Texas for 7 years and are proud to say that we've not been to any football games - no offense football fans out there) At that point I noticed that this same man (face paint man) was holding a fishing pole. At this time I realized that I was in way over my head - I had no idea why you needed your face painted and you needed a fishing pole! What in the world?! We decided to wing it and moved on hoping that no one would notice our lack of these two "essentials." HA! HA!
We were told to arrive an hour early but because of the crowded parking lot we only got there 30 minutes early. When we got there we found out that all the games were running behind so we didn't start at 1pm as the schedule showed, we started at 2pm. That gave us an hour and a half to walk around, play in the van and generally be bored.
When the game finally started, KZ&A entertained themselves with the dirt and Jason and I waited anxiously for our favorite player to hit the field. I learned about 1st downs (surprisingly not the first time my child is tackled or tackles someone - j/k) and about defense. Finally after about one injury per play (to our team) we got to half time, and we still had not seen B on the field! After half time B got on the field, another one of our players was injured and our coach called a forfeit. Apparently according to B the team was bigger, the referees were not calling fouls and as I mentioned earlier our team was getting injured every time they blew the whistle. So the pictures that you will see are the one and only time that B was actually on the field. Crazy!

Waiting and walking.

Do you see this big guy?! Most of them were that big
(not that I was expecting anything different)

A couple of days ago - A dressing up in K's ballet costume.

A's new sassy hair cut.

Daddy waiting for the game.

Z playing in the back of the van waiting for the game.

The lazy dog with this own personal pillow - he's got the life!

Camp Champions 2009

2009-09-13T13:19:00.004-05:00

Last year was Camp Champions the Freeze! This year was (believe it or not!) Camp Champions the Flood! My friend, Heather W. coined those names and I think she did a fine job! It didn't truly flood but considering our drought conditions for the last year the amount of rain we got this weekend made it feel like a flood.
We swam in the pool (very refreshing), we practiced archery, kayaked and swam in the lake. Here are just a few pictures of our fun!

Weekly update

2009-09-10T22:14:00.003-05:00

Missing me? I said weekly and here it is!
B had the flu this week - we thought it was sun poisoning because he came back from Galveston with a horrible fever and sunburn. We took him to the doctor Wednesday and tested him, flu (not sure which strain). Jason went back to work today and they sent him home! They said that since they didn't know which strain it was they didn't want him there if he might be infected. So he's home the rest of the week. KZA and I all went and got flu shots/mists yesterday. Hoping that we beat it!
K starts cheerleading next Monday - but this weekend is Girl Scout Camp! Can't wait!
B's first football game is this weekend - Jason will be on his own for this one. Although Scott has said he's coming so that will be helpful.
Z&A still love school, but I think that they miss our time at home. Z has commented a couple of times that he'd like to spend the day at home with me. aww!!
Here are some pictures to prove that all is well.

Ready for school (with my drink yogurt)

I miss my kids!
Love that sweet smile!
This guy is fun to be around!
Got my drink yogurt, now I need my lunchbox.

Football?!

2009-08-31T21:33:00.002-05:00

Look for #32

Two updates this week

2009-08-29T21:30:00.004-05:00

Our first week was crazy and busy. There really isn't more to say about it other than that. My team is great and I'm glad to be working at Negley. This week I've been trying to juggle teaching, peeing and eating. Next week I'm going to try to figure out how to take attendance and check email during the day.

This week - B decided to play football! Oh my heavens - pray for me. He's very excited and I'm very nervous. Now I just need to get K set up with her cheerleading classes and I'll have two regular Texas football fanatics on my hands!!

Here's pictures - update later in the week.

The paparazzi just will not leave this kid alone!

He loves that computer!

My sweet girls loving each other.

Weekly Update

2009-08-25T21:59:00.002-05:00

I'm going to try to send out a weekly update - I may even have a cute name for it each week but for now my time scarce so that is as creative as I can get.

The big news this week IS... dum dum da dum! A went potty on the big girl potty yesterday morning, last night, this morning AND today AT school!! Oh yea I can see the end of diapers in my immediate future and it is good. Whoop!

B&K started 6th grade and 4th grade yesterday - oh my goodness I have a middle school child. K and I love that she's at school with me, she leaves me little notes before school and I've been leaving her some to find while I'm doing duty after school. B is loving his "new" cell phone and I really enjoy getting texts that say, "luv u" and "see u soon."

Z is going to Ms. Cindy's - he's enjoying himself and today he got to go to the library and have story time. Very exciting stuff. We are really working on him watching his little mouth, he has found the word "poop" and thinks it is hilarious all day, every day and in every setting. Ugh!

Finally - my first week (okay two days) have been busy, crazy and I can see that it will be an exciting year and full of learning. I'm excited, still nervous but feeling better every day. A friend told me on Sunday to "rely on my competence until my confidence comes." It is working... my confidence is building, slowly.

Hopefully I can share some pictures soon (but not tonight) - I did get a couple of cute 1st day of school shots.

Pictures as promised

2009-08-21T21:55:00.004-05:00

They're moving!

2009-08-15T20:17:00.001-05:00

Z and A are moving. A moved into the "big" twin bed and Z moved up - up to the top bunk. They were so excited tonight that they were ready to go to bed at 7:00pm! When we finally put them to bed they just laughed and giggled for at least 30 minutes. Very fun. I took pictures but it will be later before I get those posted - just wanted to share a story with my faithful readers (Bon-Mom & Mom).

MO pics #1

2009-08-11T11:51:00.003-05:00

These first pictures were taken at Our Debbie's park in Arkansas.

These were taken at the Magic House in St. Louis -
A loved this ball exhibit and B seems to like it too (or just spending time with his little sis).

Why? Why? Why can't all of my kids look at the camera at the same time???

Z&A's first day at preschool/childcare

2009-08-11T11:43:00.004-05:00

This morning (as I mentioned before) was a big day at Jason's Clan. A went to a babysitter - she will begin at my school next week and Z began preschool today. If all that weren't enough A also went tee tee on the big girl potty (wow)!!

Home, 1st day & some exciting news

2009-08-11T07:48:00.001-05:00

#1 Z, A and I are home safe and sound. B&K are still in MO and from what I can tell have an incredible time, obviously oblivious to my missing them. Love you B&K - continue to have a great time and I will see you soon.

#2 Today marked the first day of Z&A going to childcare. A will be going to Negley with me but this week she is with a really nice lady, Cindy. Z is going to preschool and has been very excited about going to "school."

#3 This morning A woke up dry and went tee tee on the potty for the VERY first time - obvious proof that my baby is growing up.

#4 I hope you are all well and I will try to post some more pictures this week from our MO trip as well as a picture of Z&A on their first day of "school."

My little Z

2009-07-23T15:05:00.000-05:00

Today as Z sat drinking his chocolate milk at lunch he said, "Why don't we just not make chocolate milk junk food? I've been thinking about this ALL day!"

He cracks me up!

VBS 2009

2009-07-21T17:11:00.004-05:00

Bug Safari is underway at The Journey UMC! Whoop!!

Here's a couple of pictures of my babies (and their friends)!! Hopefully a better update later - for now know that each day from about 8:30 until 12:30 I'm watching the 4 year olds and under crowd (today we had 9 of them!!). Can you say - TIRED?!

Pictures and update

2009-07-16T19:20:00.004-05:00

B is in Presidio, TX on a mission trip - miss him! But I've seen pictures and talked to him once and I know he's having a good time. I can't wait to hear all about it!

Monday & Tuesday were my "last days" of summer. W,Th&F are all GT (Gifted & Talented) training - A went to a babysitter and I farmed out the other two to some friends. It has been a hard couple of days, realizing that this will be the new norm in my home makes me sad. Especially since yesterday (due to training and then a meeting) I didn't see Z&A until they were in bed!

Next week is VBS and I'm looking forward to that - I am the director of Ladybug landing, that's the littlest people. I know most of them and I'm sure we'll all have a great time.

The following week - July 27th we leave on Tuesday for our annual G'parents ROCK! We'll head to my mom's first and then to the world's best out-laws (Bon-Mom & John). This year we are going to mix it up a little and B&K are going to stay for about a week and a half with the grandparents - I'm sure they will have great time. I'm thinking that Z is now a "big boy" so maybe they want him too. hee hee!

Here's a couple of old pictures that I just had the opportunity to put on the computer. Jason with his clan and what the neighbors did to their yard on July 4th ('cuz the signs that said ABSOLUTELY NO FIREWORKS didn't apply to them!)

Watching the city fireworks - being good citizens.

The goobers next door trying to burn down the place!