This always makes me smile!

Trey is a GIANT!

Trey started his first season of Blastball. It is like a precursor to T-ball. Blastball has three goals. First to teach the kids how to hit the ball off the T. Second to teach the kids how to run the bases. And third, when they are in the field and they get the ball, they are supposed to throw it to first base. You would think that these three things would be mastered pretty quickly, but it is pure madness out there. The boys are all really cute and have a good time. It will be neat to see how far they come in one season.

Sydney is Six!

Sydney turned six years old on September 6th. We had a very busy day filled with a lot of fun things. We started the day with our traditional pancake breakfast and then we went to NRH2O (the local water park). We meet up several families from church and Sydney had such a great time celebrating her birthday with friends and family.

Next we were off to the mall to get Sydney's ears pierced. She has been planning to get it done on her birthday for about six months. She was such a trooper and didn't even shed a single tear. She was pretty nervous walking into the mall, but she calmed down and was pretty pumped. When they were letting her pick which earrings she wanted, she immediately picked out the biggest "diamond" earrings that they sold. Needless to say, they would have been huge on her and since she needs to wear them night and day for 6-8 weeks, I talked her into a more modest pair. She knew that she wanted diamond because she says, "diamonds go with everything!" What a diva.

After the mall, we came back to the house and Sydney was surprised with a new bike. She had really outgrown her other one and this one is a lot easier to handle. After a bike ride, Tiffany's family came over for cake and ice cream and more presents.

Beautiful Aunt Kendra

My baby sister, Kendra came to Texas to visit before she headed off for her freshman year of collage. We had a really good time with her and the kids really love her. I was getting ready to go out to lunch with a friend the other day and I was putting on some makeup. Trey asked me what I was doing and I said that I was putting on makeup to look pretty. I said, "Does Mommy look pretty?" He said that I did and then I asked him if I was the prettiest Mommy in the world. He thought about it for a second and then said NO. I said, "well then who is the prettiest?" He thought some more about this and said, "Aunt Kendra."

Cowboys Game

Blake has been dreaming of going to a Dallas Cowboys game for the last year. Nick was able to find a sweet deal on a preseason game and so Nick and Blake had a great time together at the game. I don't think ever dreamed in a million years that he would be paying money to see the Cowboys play, but Blake really is a die hard fan. I am glad that they had such a good time.

Off to TALK

Trey is in preschool four mornings a week this year. He has speech therapy preschool Mondays and Wednesdays and he loves riding the bus to and from school. He also is in a co-op preschool where I get to teach every six weeks. He is such a good boy and is a good listener. I hate to have him gone so much, but it is nice to see how much I can get done while I don't have any kids at home.

Long over due Back to School Pictures

School started August 23rd. Blake started second grade and Sydney started kindergarten. They were both really excited for school to start and both kids love their new teachers and are making a lot of new friends.

Visit from Aunt Jenne' and then Uncle Jace too!

Thanks for coming to see us. We had a really great time with you. Come back any time. We can't wait to see you at Christmas...(thanks for the pictures, tiff!)

Lake Owen 2010

Right after Blake's baptism, we flew up to Wisconsin to vacation at our families favorite spot, Lake Owen. We went later than usual, but we were blast with perfect weather. It was a great week. We all skied, although some liked it better than others...we caught some little fish, snorkeled and saw BIG fish, enjoyed going for long runs when the weather was perfect, at way more than we should have of awesome food, and best of all soaked in as much friends and family time as possible. Thanks to all that helped to make it happen.

Sydney Waterskiis!

We have been trying to coax Sydney into water skiing for several years. Last year, she said she wanted to, but would always change her mind. This year, we finally got her to do it. She tried the first day and fell pretty quickly and bailed on us. A few days later, she agreed to do it again and she is great! She was upright away and hanging on for dear life! She kept yelling to stop and even let go of the rope for a minute to make the cut it signal with her one hand. Everyone kept looking at me to see if I wanted to stop the boat and I said no and kept yelling to her that we were turning back. She was on a verge of meltdown when we started passing other vacationers watching from the shore. They were cheering and waving at Sydney and as soon as she saw them, she got the biggest grin and acted like she loved every second of it! It was so great. She even skied a few more times after that too. I will load the video when I get some more time and more posts done.

Monarch Butterfly Experience

We were really excited to discover a Monarch Butterfly chrysalis hanging from a tree near where we park our boat. The first day we saw it, it was the same green color as the leaves. It just had a few gold sparkles on it. As the days passed, it got more transparent and dark in color. These pictures were taken on the day it emerged from the cocoon. It hung around a while to dry its wings and we got some pretty good pictures. The kids were really excited to get to see the process.

Annual Haul from the Candy Store

Most of the family heads for the sugar candy....I head straight for the homemade caramel fudge balls. Delish!