The Matthews family

Wrestling Party

2012-02-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

Christian hosted a "wrestling party," as he called it. He invited his daddy and even decorated his room by tying little balloons everywhere.

They were impossible to blow up! So, he just used floppy balloons right out of the bag.

CK picked the teams. You can guess which team was Ryan's.

(*Hint: Its probably not the team on which you would place any bets.)

Team #1

Team #2

Taylor Rose is Turning Two!

2012-02-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

My baby girl is growing up! She isn't a baby anymore, but now a toddler. *Tear* Just 8 minutes shy of being a Valentine's girl, she will officially be two at 12:08 am.

She is my clumsy girl...

In just the month before her birthday, she was pegged in the head twice by a moving swing (with a big brother in tow). In the picture below you can see a bump right in the middle of her forehead and a healing bruise just above her left eyebrow. A few days afterwards, she fell off of her desk and bit her lip. I almost took her to the hospital because it was really bad, but it stopped bleeding and she seemed okay after a popsicle. She fell out of the car when Ryan opened the door and scraped up her cheek, around her eye, and hands. She also fell off of the stool trying to get off of the toilet and bruised her little hiney pretty bad. Then just a few days ago, she used her stool to reach the stove and touched a hot pan. She reminds me every day that she has a boo-boo on her arm and it was hot.

Its not so much that she is just clumsy. She is very curious and moves so fast that she forgets to pay attention A LOT. Its funny how opposite this is from Christian.

She is my life-sized babydoll...

I LOVE to play dress up with her. I used to only buy complete outfits from boutiques, but lately I have been having a lot of fun with making up little outfits. Sometimes I even dig around in Christian's closet.

She is my sugar-holic...

Ryan bought me a bag of Ghiradelli chocolate. I can make a bag of candy last for months! Tay was tired of looking at it and set up a plan with Christian. She brought my whole stash into his room, shut the door, they pretended to play quietly, and finished it ALL off. I had only eaten one piece before she got a hold of it.

She is my social butterfly...

She LOVES friends and making new ones. Actually, she has a thing for strangers. She really likes flirting with people she has never met. Of course, I am always watching her and nearby. Our neighbors down the road have three kids that come over to play a lot. Tay asks about them every day. She will take off her pajamas, pull on her boots, and ask for her friends. (I have to remind her that she also needs to wear panties and clothes.)When they come over, Tay kisses and hugs on all of them. In the picture below, she is showing her friend how to squeek the dog toy.

But most of all, she is my little sunshine munchkin...

Taylor Rose is always laughing, giggling, and doing something funny. She loves to make others laugh and stir up mischief. I have to control my own laughter a lot of times when I am trying to get onto her.

Baby Girl

2012-02-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

I have received a lot of questions about this baby's name. To tell the truth, we really haven't decided. We have the middle name, but no first name. I don't think we will really know what to call her until we meet her, as was the case with the other two kids. How can we name someone we haven't met?

I really liked the name Brynna with Taylor Rose, but she didn't look like a Brynna at all. "Taylor Rose" was in our minds but "Brynna" was definitely hanging around, too.

I am soooo ready to be done with this pregnancy. This month is half over, then I just have next month. I will be really surprised if I make it that long, though. My babies tend to come early, though this little girl could always be my patient one. (I would love one of those!)
After having Tay, I was told by the on-call O.B. that I would probably need a C-section the next time around since shoulder dystocia would be a risk with subsequent deliveries. That scared me into thinking we wouldn't have any more kids (which is why this one was totally not planned). I had a talk with my doctor and told him that I really didn't think I would need a C-section. He agreed. So, I feel really good knowing he isn't going to jump the gun and head me right into surgery to have this baby. I really, really love my O.B. I hope he is there to deliver this baby! I wasn't too happy with Tay's on-call doctor.

I went to get a facial a few weeks ago. While filling out the form, I ran up on this question:

I thought about drawing them a little stick figure cartoon for my explanation, but instead I just bursted out with "Um, do y'all really need an explanation as to why I am pregnant? Cuz I bet y'all really could just guess.". A few people in the waiting room made some funny jokes.

One Massive Daucus Carota Sativus

2012-02-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

Check out what our little garden grew!

I thought our garden needed to be fully re-harvested. So, when I went to pull the weeks and till the ground, I was very surprised to find this gnarly beast (along with lettuce and beets).

It was NOT fun pulling this big daddy out of the ground. I had to break it into 3 pieces to get it out. Our family can totally chow down on some carrots! In fact, we go through carrots and oranges more than any other grocery item. A single roll of toilet paper will last longer in our house than a bag of carrots or oranges. True fact!

Click here for the incredible health benefits that carrots provide.

The origin of the cultivated carrot is clearly acknowledged to be purple and in the Afghanistan region mainly because it was known to exist there well before reliable literature references or paintings gave evidence of Western carotene carrots. It is thought the carotene carrot was domesticated in the regions around Turkey.

The purple carrot spread into the Mediterranean in the 10th century where it is thought a yellow mutant appeared. The purple and yellow carrots both gradually spread into Europe in subsequent centuries. It is considered that the white carrot is also a mutant of yellow varieties.

Orange carrots probably arrived from mutations of yellow forms, and then from human selection and development, probably in the Netherlands. It is thought that humans made selections from a gene pool involving yellow rooted eastern carrots, cultivated white-rooted derivatives of wild carrot (grown as medicinal plants since classical times) and wild unselected populations of adjacent Daucus Carota subspecies in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Junior Rangers Club

2012-02-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

Ryan and Christian went out to the Ballpark for Rangers Day. Some of the Rangers come out to talk to the kids about baseball, throw them a few balls, sign autographs, and all kinds of fun things. This is all right up Christian's alley!

Jim Kern and Mike Jeffcoat pitched to CK. They were pretty impressed with his skills, too!

CK is now an official Dr. Pepper Junior Ranger. He can't wait to go back and keeps asking if they can go every day.

Ants In Their Pants

2012-02-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

The kids get soooo super excited around 4 o'clock on Tuesdays. They know that within the next hour there will be a knock at the door for them. My mom picks them up every Tuesday and takes them toy shopping. Then they go eat and play at her house for an hour or two.
Last week, Christian was willing to do anything to make the time pass. He probably thinks the sooner they are ready, the sooner my mom will get here. So, he took it upon himself to get Tay dressed. She was very cooperative! Tay's favorite outfit is a hairbow, boots (she has a huge thing for boots), and her birthday suit. So this was super surprising.

CK sprayed her hair with water and brushed it. (Just like I do his hair)

Tay's hairdo per CK

Getting dressed

Here is where I had to step in. My kids have bowling ball heads, so shirts can be a struggle.

I love when they work together as a team. Its sooo much better than the hollering and whining.

Zoo Day with Daddy

2012-02-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

Ryan took a half-day off of work so he could visit the zoo with me and the kids. There weren't many people out at all, so it was a great day to go. Plus, XTO sponsors the Fort Worth Zoo, so we had discounted tickets. I packed up some snacks, blankets, and the stroller... and we were off!

Taylor Rose wanted to see "up high!," as she always says.

... But, her "up high" always collapses like this. You should see the looks and laughs we get. People stop Ryan all the time to tell him that she has fallen. What, like he didn't know? Well, duh! Christian did the same thing.

Christian tried to stay bundled up. It was chilly when the wind blew.

Christian found a friend. I love this picture!

These little ducks had mohawks.

Looking for bears.

A two-headed zebra!!

The kids were both totally pooped afterwards. They crashed as soon as we dropped Ryan off at work.

Paying attention to detail

2012-01-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

While we were on one of our MANY trips to Home Depot (more on that later), Christian drew some pictures for his daddy. There was a character that kept repeating himself in Christian's artwork.
This guy...

I asked Christian who he was and what those spikes were coming out of him. He said "Oh, that is Daddy. Those are his hairy armpits." Notice that he also has big toes. I laughed so hard! That night, we went shopping with my mom and picked up some deodorant for Ryan. An inquiring mind might wonder if maybe Ryan was in need of deodorant. No, no he wasn't. In fact, he has 4 different types of deodorant in his bathroom. I guess they just weren't working for Christian's liking. Hahaha! Kids are so brutally honest. I love it!

Girls' Day and Boys' Day

2012-01-30T08:16:00.000-08:00

The boys went to hit a few golf balls with my brother, Mark. Christian packed up his clubs (Kyle got him some for his birthday) and was so excited to hang with the big boys. Ryan said Christian did really good. I wish he had more opportunities to play golf... maybe this summer.

While they were doing that, Taylor Rose and I hit up Target. I let her play in the toy aisle for a little while. As soon as Ryan started texting me pictures of Christian hitting the golf balls and my attention was elsewhere, Tay started doing this...

It took her maybe 1 minute to get here:

And here...

Taylor Rose is gonna be a mega shopper! She definitely knows what she wants.

Vogue Babies

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Christian and Tay played Vogue with a few of their Christmas presents.

Tristan got them these Wuggle Pets.

They friggin' love them!

Ryan's parents gave Tay this adorable scarf and hat.

My parents gave Tay this little outerwear set. (She would only wear one glove)

Both Christian and Taylor Rose ended up with a lot of really great gifts, as usual. They sure are spoiled with 3 sets of great grandparents.

Presents for Jesus's Birthday

2012-01-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

We don't really do Santa at our house except for the fun visit at the Gaylord and mall. We emphasize that we are celebrating Jesus's birthday. Since He doesn't need any gifts, He is happy to watch us give and receive gifts among ourselves.

We had many gifts to exchange this year.

First we visited my Dad's house...

As is tradition, CK picked out and wrapped his gifts for everyone. Next year, Tay will start doing the same thing.

Shane got me a gift certificate to Art.com so I could print one of my pictures on canvas. What a great present! I also got a tripod for my camera!

Shane made my dad this strap for his shotgun.

He did all the leather work himself. It has beautiful graphics.

Ryan got some MUCH NEEDED golf shoes from Mark.

This is CK's new pose. He tries to do it in every picture.

Then...

We had Christmas at my house with my mom and Shane. But, I didn't take as many pictures since I was busy opening presents.

Ryan got me this beautiful set of black pearls.

He got night vision goggles and has now become the neighborhood prowler. Haha!

CK and Tay got a swing set and headrest DVD screens for the car. They love them both! CK also got a new BMX bike (his old one was stolen). Tay got a new DVD player for her room. They both got lots of dress-up clothes from us and my mom and other small toys.

We also went to Ryan's parents house for dinner, family, and gifts. I didn't take a single picture there because I was very sick. This baby had pushed up on my intestines, causing a major blockage. This caused me to vomit all day long and have horrible stomach pains. I wasn't sick at all anywhere else. No one else was sick. Ryan called the hospital and we almost went in, but I despise them so we held out. Shortly after our call, I was able to hold down water. I guess the baby rearranged herself.

We also missed our trip to San Antonio this year. Hemi was hurt pretty bad from a dog fight, so we had to baby him for about two weeks.

Christmas Festivities

2012-01-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

Our annual Christmas party began with a little preparation in the kitchen.

Cajun fried turkey, homemade La Madeleine-style tomato basil soup, mexican mac n' cheese, corn casserole, strawberry with Kahlua-creamcheese dip, deviled eggs, Olive Garden style salad, and super delicious pecan praline cake.

If Kellie is there, so is Tay. She loves her!

Good thing I have a death grip on Sami's arm. Ouch!

The kids played Ring Around the Rosie...

...many times...

... and it was SOOOO stinkin' cute!!!

The girls wore matching snowman tutu outfits. (They had little top hats on, too, but they didn't last very long.)

Tay lost her white stockings, too.

Its pretty impossible to get 3 kids to look at the camera and smile. But they're still adorable! CK LOVES his sisters. (Isn't it funny how these 2 girls have the exact same hair?)

Dancing with creeper Shane in the background.

CK breakdancing...

More b-boy moves

Then the stupidity arrived with these little guys...

BUT! Little did they know...

all of these mini bottles were...

waaaay OLD and RANCID!!! HAHAHA!

That didn't stop the troupers.

So the dumb pics began (I can't blame alcohol for my dumbness)...

Smarter Than a Five Year Old

2011-12-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

Christian's birthday falls in August, putting him right before the cut-off date for school. I have always heard and truly believe that boys do better if they are older in their grade. If I started CK in kindergarten this year, he would been one of the youngest kids in his class. Seeing as how this little boy really loves athletics, I don't want his size to hold him back... so I have held him back. Therefore, he technically would not start school until next year.

I also chose not to enroll him in preschool. Instead, I have been homeschooling him (this will be our second year). I have sort of hit a dilemma, though. He has exceeded both the preschool and kindergarten curriculum. So, my whole idea of holding him back has actually pushed him farther ahead. I am hoping that one of the two schools we have picked for our kids will offer AP classes for the younger grades. That is, luckily, not a concern right now. Homeschool is going great and I will continue with it until it no longer works for our family.

We don't do school every single day and when we do, its only for about 20 minute increments (always while Taylor Rose is napping). The kids do watch Sesame Street during lunch just about every day, and they both love Barney and LeapFrog. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are pretty routine. We occasionally do homework on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but a lot of times those tend to be Christian's nap days. On my lazy days, I just hook him up to the computer with a phonics, math, or Spanish game. Every adventure can be a time for learning, especially in the car. Actually, Christian learned all of his sounds in the car. We made up songs for all of the alphabet sounds and used things we saw to learn colors. It is a whole lot of repetition and patience with some fun crafts and games thrown in along the way.

Both kids get "outside time", as we call it, every single day. If it is raining, then I move my car so they can run around or ride scooters in the garage. It helps me keep my sanity and burns off the kids' energy a bit. Christian's absolute favorite part of the day, aside from when his daddy walks in the door, is when his friends get home so he can play and ride bikes with them.

This puzzle was a Christmas present. The box says it is for ages 5-8, but it took CK about 3 minutes to get it all together completely by himself.

CK wrote us this note yesterday before he went out to play with his friends.

"Di Not Loc -Christian" (Do Not Lock -Christian)

We have not yet gone over how "o" can make the "oo" sound yet, so I guess he just threw in an "i". I think its a pretty good note! We definitely got the message.

Speaking of the "oo" sound, we have been going over how letter combinations can make entirely different sounds. I write the letter combination and CK puts letter stickers down in the appropriate blanks to make the word. I always draw a picture at the top of the page to remind him of the sound.

We called this set the "Pirate" words.

Here are the "Owww!" words (notice the bandaid at the top?).

Today we worked on "Mad Dog Words"... they say "rrrrrrrr."

We have kindergarten flash cards with sight words on them. He can read most of them, but not by memorization. I like him to sound them out so he can potentially read any word. He has had a lot of fun putting the words together to make sentences. Aahhh, it's all coming together now!

Any ideas on a fun name for the "th" sound? I was thinking of making it the sound that a sword makes as it cuts through the air. It kinda sounds like a long "ththththth...", right?

Christmas Spirit

2011-12-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

We have fallen into the Christmas spirit here at the Matthews's house.
(and yes, that extra "s" is supposed to be there after the apostrophe)

The tree is up and the presents are wrapped ...except for the big ones that couldn't be wrapped. They're hiding in the shed.

Even Tay's toes have caught the red and green bug.

Hi!

Tay helped me make dessert later that night. By "helped me make", I mean licked clean...

Luke 2:12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

On The Outside Looking In

2011-12-14T13:46:00.000-08:00

I have a schedule that I like our family to follow, sort of. It gives me a bit of free time to cook, update my blog, or make little home improvements here and there. On our schedule is "daddy play time", which comes up around 5:30 every week night. This is when I cook dinner, finish up a project, or clean up around the ol' casa.

Since I had the camera out, I recorded how the rest of the family spends this allotted time.

This is what happens every single time I vacuum, and I vacuum A LOT. After the inital chaos ends, Tay grabs the cord and runs around with it. I have to plug it back in at least 3 times before I can finish a room.

This is a new favorite game, also a workout for Daddy, called "crab."

And here is an old favorite...

What's she really like in person?

2011-12-13T15:51:00.001-08:00

I always see cute and fun girls on t.v. and wonder what they are like in person.

Is she really that fun? What are her pet peeves? Is she a snob?

Well, no need to wonder your pretty head over what Miss Taylor Rose is like in real life. I took a day and documented her steps.

We all had ice cream the other night after dinner. Tay had already finished two helpings of Haagen Dazs chocolate/peanut butter ice cream. She wanted more, but the flavor we got for the kids was all gone. I couldn't share mine with her because it was some sort of coffee flavor. Here is what happened when I told her we had no more...

Santa Claus had a puppy dog puppet that really made an impression on her.

I don't think she learned this from her daddy.

Naming and pointing out body parts (she knows more, but I went blank)

Words Tay says that I LOVE

She loves her picture book and can identify most everything in it!

XTO Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

XTO put on another FABULOUS Christmas party. The food was sooooo super good. Massive shrimp, crab cakes, cheese and cracker bar - and that was just the appetizers. The meal consisted of grass fed beef filet, free-range chicken breast, grilled asparagus, wild rice, sweet potato/baked potato bar, and many desserts.

We usually take some friends with us, but this year I was the guest since I no longer work for XTO/ExxonMobil.

The boys enjoyed the open bar. I got some very dirty looks when I went to get Ryan's drinks for him.

It was so good to see everyone. Some co-workers became like family after seeing them day after day for years. Most of all, it was good to get out of my gym clothes (my stay-at-home uniform these days) and all dressed up for a little socializing with good company.

My belly decided to pop out about 4 days before the party, so at least I looked pregnant and not just bloated.

Ryan and I attempted a picture.

(Which we never do b/c we both end up frustrated. He just can NOT take a normal pic.)

We attempted again

Third time was a charm, sort of.

We decided to try really hard not to try. Ryan still looks goofy!

Shane and Tristan, who suck for taking cute and normal pictures.

Bumpin it

Girls

More girls!

Mr. Jay

We were checking out our old people faces. Ya know, when your cheeks sink in and, er, you get fish mouth? Hahaha!

Stressed to Tears, Almost

2011-12-09T12:37:00.001-08:00

As is our family's tradition, Ryan and I went to the Gaylord Texan for dinner and to look at the lights as part of our anniversary/Christmas celebration. We did not do the Ice! exhibit this year, though. Instead, I wasted two hours of our time following the kids around trying to take a decent picture for our Christmas cards.

I was reminded of a story that my sister had just told me. We were talking about how hard it is to paint our nails on our right hand. I said that I even have trouble with my right foot for some odd reason. She went on to tell me about a time when she went through almost an entire bottle of nail polish trying to paint her toes. She was so extremely frustrated that all she could do was cry. Her boyfriend asked her to please just give up.

I couldn't relate to ever being that frustrated... until the day at Gaylord.

First, we took the kids to see Santa. He was 15 minutes late and we had already been waiting for 15 minutes. Standing in line with 2 young kids for 30 minutes is NOT fun. Especially while trying to keep them off the ground and clean, at least until after the pictures. When Santa finally arrived, he did not apologize and actually seemed a bit bothered to even be there. Since Tay was cranky, she didn't want to see him. I put her in his lap, thinking he would be friendly with her and make her feel better. Instead, he seemed very irritated with her and it made her angier. She threw a fit. My secret candy stash wouldn't even cure her fit. I asked them to hurry up and take a picture, but the lady wanted to play photgrapher and capture that perfect shot. I said "No, its fine. Please, just take one picture so we can get out of your way." She kept trying to get Tay to look at the camera, not even using any kind of technique. I grabbed Tay up and walked over to the register. The girl with the big Bump-It working behind the register was clearly new and extremely impersonable. We waited for another 15 minutes for her to get the computer program working, but it never did happen. We left and came back an hour later... when they were still having trouble locating our pictures. When one was finally found, I said "That one is fine. We really need to go." She proceeded to scan through all the day's photos looking for more of our awful pictures. I had to walk off. I was way beyond frustrated.

During our hour break between the Santa photo scavenger hunt, I followed the kids around like paparazzi and gathered over 200 photos. I turned into an evil stage mom after about 45 minutes, demanding poses and smiles. How crazy I must've looked yelling "SMILE LIKE YOU'RE HAPPY, DANGIT!". Tay would NOT sit still and kept fussing about everything. She was throwing fits and just being unpleasant. Christian was trying hard to fake smile, but it showed. Oddly enough, the kids were very affectionate towards eachother. I have lots of them kissing... which melted away some of my funk. A short walk later, they ended up having a good time at the giant gingerbread house but this is only because I let them lick the walls. I know! I bet a hundred other kids have done it, too. I know, I know. But, its no worse than them touching it and then putting their hands in their mouth. Plus, they have great immune systems. No harm done. They were happy and that made me happy. Of course, I forgot to adjust my camera so the pictures didn't turn out. But, I had already accepted my defeat.

They were so sweet on the way in.

Sadly, we let this ruin the mood for first half of the night.

They were both amazed with all the beautiful trees. So was I!

Wow!

The entire place looked fabulous, as always.

Waiting on Santa.

I had my camera's settings all off again.

But, oh well.

Tay loved the fluffy fake snow.

Kisses

and more kisses.

Right after I took this, the train drove by. They both loved watching that!

"Tay, I think this is REAL candy!!"

"Wait. Look! I think we can eat it."

"Yep, its real."

"Wanna try?"

Sweet sugary kisses

Goodnight Gaylord. Whew!

Yesterday, we took the kids to the Parks to let them give Santa another shot. I didn't want Tay have a bad taste in her mouth left over from The Gaylord. This Santa and Mrs. Claus were so super nice! The kids loved them both! Tay loved all of their stuffed animals, especially the Hello Kitty she is holding. (I guess we will be making a trip to Build a Bear for that Hello Kitty soon.)

Giving Thanks in Nature

2011-12-08T12:38:00.001-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving at the farm this year, as our tradition.

It was nice because we had the newly constructed barn to keep all the food warm, instead of lining up the food on picnic table outside as we have done in the past. The wind, cold, and flies just didn't work well with our plans for a nice dinner. So, this time it all worked out great!

This year we all played fun games like Catch Phrase and Mad Gab. Once it was dark, we took a bunch of glowsticks and threw them into the small patch of woods by the front gate. Then each team would race to find as many as they could. My team won every time! Woo-hoo! We also made a thankful tree where each of us made a leaf out of construction paper and wrote something we were thankful for, then attached it to a large tree branch. It turned out really cute.

This is the main activity while at the farm... sitting around the fire, chit-chatting.

Boots and coffee are always a must.

Yummy!!!

These girls don't even look like they have been roughing it. All clean and pretty!

Our thankful tree

Tay is probably bossing Mark around, but he loves it!

And she loves her "Mawk".

Tay always giggles with Tristan. It must be a girly thing.

CK got to drive Kyle's truck and Mark's!

This big ol' water moccasin was found right where I was standing to take the pics in my last post! There are always snakes right there, but I risked my life to attempt a photo of a tree vine.

This tree, just as trees in the past , required much contemplating. The boys wanted to get that massive fallen limb out of the tree. The only problem was, it was shaped like a wishbone and sat perfectly on another large branch. It was very content in its spot.

Ryan and Mr. George sorted out a plan. Hhhhmmm...

Mark pulled but my dad put that to an end. Mission aborted.

Tay looooves the 4wheeler almost as much as CK.

CK took Nikki and Tay on a little ride.

This was totally not posed. I just happened to have my camera out and ready. Awww!

Shane taught CK how to shoot his AR. Shane sat right behind him for safety, but CK did it all by himself.

The target was 50 yards away!!

Checking out the target

Amazed!!! (he is holding his shell)

He shot it!!! His hole is right under his finger.

Tay lugged around CK's bb gun for him (safety was on and were standing right by her). She thought she was big stuff.

We had a great time visiting with everyone and we thank God for each and every person in our lives. You make every day special.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-11-29T21:52:00.001-08:00

This year, Ryan had it all planned out.

After we returned from the farm, the next morning I was supposed to walk into the kitchen and see a bottle of red wine with a note and flowers. The note said that my mom was going to take the kids while I went to get pampered at a salon (gift certificate was enclosed). From there, Ryan was going to pick me up and take me out. He had reservations at H3 in the Stockyards - where we went on our very first date. (I was supposed to work at the church that night, too. He had made arrangements for another lady to fill in for me.)

This is how it actually went... Ryan had found out that his uncle's funeral was that very day, which kind of put a damper on the day. He also had to leave work for the funeral and wouldn't be able to leave work early to pick me up. He was bogged down with urgent projects. I woke up with a horrible sore throat from being in the wind at the farm. The kids were both very tired, fussy, and also had sore throats. I threw up, partly from being pregnant and partly from whatever was brewing in my system. I saw the note and had no idea that he wanted me to actually get full-on ready. Getting a pedicure is something I can do in my pajamas! So, as the time got closer and I actually talked to Ryan, I figured out what he meant. I was then out of time to get showered and dressed for a night out. Plus, I was feeling awful! I ended up taking a shower anyway and just left my hair curly. Blah. I cancelled my salon appointment. Ryan cancelled dinner.

Then after talking about how much trouble he had gone to, I decided we should still do something. So, we ate at TX de Brazil, picked up the kids from my mom's directly afterwards, and then called it a night at around 7:30.

It wasn't too eventful, but I really appreciated all the thought he had put into everything. I felt bad that it didn't work out the way he intended, but hopefully we can make up for it next year!

Farmin' Along, Part 2

2011-11-29T21:29:00.001-08:00

Then....

The kids and I went on a 4wheeler ride to explore, explore, explore and take a few more pictures.

Tay would not leave the buttons alone! I must've said "No ma'am!" a hundred times.

CK wanted to stop at every fallen tree so he could climb up.

This big mama has been a favorite for a few years running.

Tay gave it a shot, too.

They looked for treasures in the old trough. Kelli and I used to collect old animal bones and store them here. We had it full at one point.

Whacha got there?

CK ran around what used to be a frog/snake swamp. It is completely dried up now.

He threw rocks into the pond (and fell in shortly after this pic was taken).

I cleaned all the stinky mud off of CK's pants and boots and then took some fun pics of God's artwork with my super awesome camera...

What a beautiful time of year!

And then we went back and did it all again for Thanksgiving!!!

Farmin' Along, Part 1

2011-11-29T20:20:00.001-08:00

We have spent many weekends at the farm this month.

My dad was building a barn to store the tractor and 4wheeler, plus serve as a place for guests to sleep. It is complete with a full bathroom and kitchen. This is pretty fancy compared to what we are used to! Well, except for my dad's RV... that is a nice home in itself.

My boss from XTO, who is also a close personal friend, did all the electrical work. Jay grew up as an electrician by trade, taught by his own dad. I don't think he realized what he was in for when he took on the job. Poor guy. We REALLY appreciate his handywork!! So much!

All of the boys helped put up the roof, which was a big challenge with all the wind. Mark cut himself pretty bad on his hand. Shane swallowed a bee and was stung in his throat. Ryan kept making careless mistakes and getting annoyed. Kyle had a few frustrating moments, too. God was really challenging their patience. But, it all worked out and was complete before the rain came pouring.

While the boys did their thing, I took the kids on a few walks and 4wheeler rides... taking pics along the way.

Tay went on a mad stick hunt.

And she had to...

taste...

every single one.

She had a leaf bath.

She makes this face and then says "Pleeeeease!!" when she wants something. Must've been another bite of her stick.

And she had a sand bath.

She tried not to fall into the almost non-existent pond. Poor rickety thing needs LOTS of rain.

She was so tired on our way back.

While I put Tay down for a nap, the boys continued banging around on the barn.

Sausage, rice, and beans hit the spot!

Yummm!

Good night.

Partaaaay!

2011-11-28T21:00:00.001-08:00

We were invited to Brailyn's family's Halloween party. Good times, good food, and good fun.

Brailyn, CK, and Tay

This crazy bird had its own trash can to SLEEP in!!!

I laughed so hard when the boys were playing the orange in pantyhose game (the object is to use your orange, which is in pantyhose tied around your waste, to hit your grapefruit, which is on the ground, all the way to the finish line).

Ryan's started out too long, so he couldn't swing it off the ground. (Which is why he is in the back, being passed by everyone else.)

Dana "fixed" it for him, but made his panty hose too short. (The reason he is bent over trying to get his orange to reach the grapefruit.)

Christian was gone most of the time.. off riding 4wheelers with Mike. Tay jumped on the golf cart with the girls for a little ride. She is my social butterfly.

She was not scared at all on the haunted hay ride. Not even a flinch.

We all had such a great time. I am so very thankful that we have decided to remain close with the VanPatten family.

Goblins, Ghouls, and... Richard Simmons?

2011-11-28T20:33:00.001-08:00

Christian is ALMOST too big to let me dress him up for Halloween. Almost. So, this year I made sure to use up one of my ideas that I know he won't let me do later on. I told him he was a "work out guy" and he was okay with that.

Richard Simmons (panty hose and all) with his workout buddy. Note the extreme intensity here.

Shortly after this picture was taken, a dance party started:

He LOVED prepping and primping. The curly hair made him taller, so that was a major plus for him. He said " I look SIX!". Woah buddy!!

All of this was for Brailyn's family's Halloween party (Christian's extended family). When I took them trick-or-treating, Christian was a retro golfer and Taylor Rose dressed as a hula dancer. Getting them dressed as Richard Simmons and a workout girl involved waaaay too much time. After CK's hair and Tay's makeup, at least 3 hours must've passed. Um, no thank you!

Peter Piper Pumpkin Decorator

2011-11-28T20:15:00.001-08:00

We started out Halloween this year with a little pumpkin decorating. I don't usually decorate much for Halloween, but this is more of a fall activity. Therefore, it is still sitting on our porch right now... drenched with rain, frozen, rotting, but still cute.

Christian has a cute little book of pictures to make using your hands. So, he made a ghost using an outline of his hand on felt. I had him just use little pins to attach it since I knew glue wouldn't last long. He wrote "Boo" to the side of the ghost. Adorable!! He worked very hard on it. Even though the ghost is smiling, CK said he is very scary... Just FYI.

As for mine, I knew what I wanted in my head. So, it was just a matter of figuring out how to do it. I ended up finding the perfect bird to use for my silhouette on Google images. Then I used a pencil and rubbed lead all over the back of the print (since I didn't have any transfer paper on hand). After I finished with that, I just traced over the bird with a pencil pushing the lead outline onto the pumpkin. Once I painted it and added some black glitter, it looked like this:

Taylor Rose had her first hand at painting. She was very, very intense about her work. Then she would stop and smile at her progress. Maybe she will inherit the family's love of crafts and art!

Her completed work of fabulous art:

*She didn't make the bow. She isn't THAT crafty, yet!

TAAAYLORRR RRROSE!!!

2011-10-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

She hears her name so often these days, mostly in my stern voice.

She learned how to climb out of her bed.

The first time, it was funny. Christian and I were outside laying out his freshly dyed noodles so they could dry (he later made a necklace). I heard her holler "MOMMY!". I looked up to see her standing at her window, blinds pulled back, looking right at us. That made me laugh.

I put her back in her bed, since she still needed an nap.

I later came in to something much worse. This didn't make me laugh.

Next to the rocking chair was an ottoman with her baby book (seen on the floor by her chair) and her baby keepsakes in it, all sorted chronologically. This was scattered all over her room.

Every diaper was pulled out. Every toy. All the "too small" clothes that I had sorted - donate, save, give back to whoever. Ugh!

So, I closed her door and walked away. I was too frustrated to pick it up at first.

I then went back and made her help me. CK was a very big help, too.

I didn't know what to do. So, I talked to her. I told her that she can not get out of her bed anymore and that she needed to lie down and go night-night. "No more", I said. She repeated to me, "Out. No ma'am!!". I agreed.

Guess what? She layed her little head down and went to sleep! She didn't get out of her bed again! It always surprises me what babies can understand.

A little bit of Christian

2011-10-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

This month, Christian has done some cute things... some funny things... some inspiring things... and some crazy things.

* He likes to go around the house and try to karate chop flies.

*He throws magic at EVERYTHING with his "magic hands". The automatic doors at stores make him soooo happy! He throws little balls of magic at them and VOILA, they open!

(have you ever seen the car commercial with the kid that thinks he is Darth Vader? This is soooo CK! Watch it here.)

*He put his Bakugans in his pajama pants the other night and told Ryan "Here, put these in your underwear. Thats where I keep them." Ryan told him "no thank you, we don't share underwear treasure."

*He found some tiny little snails in the front yard and brought them in to keep as pets. He took them back out after a bit so they could go potty. They were never seen again.

*While eating at Chick-Fil-A, he prayed and thanked God for his food. I always forget to do this. Thank you, Christian baby.

*My mom emailed this to me:

We were driving to my house from Target and the sun was sooo bright! I had on my sunglasses and Christian was squirming around trying to block his eyes from the light – so I handed him another pair of sunglasses I had in the car.

Me: Wow, that is really bright, it’s almost painful

Christian: It’s God.

Me: That’s right.

Christian: Okay, God, I know I took a long time in the story but really… I’m sorry.

Me: HA HA HA HA HA!

Christian: Don’t laugh you’re going to make it really bad. You’re not supposed to laugh at God.

Me: [serious] I wasn’t really laughing at God.

Christian: That’s good. You can laugh at me, but not God.

Me: I think God likes to laugh too.

Christian: But don’t laugh at Him.

Me: Okay.

XTO Picnic 2011

2011-10-19T12:33:00.001-07:00

Every year XTO outdoes itself and puts on, yet, another fantastic picnic for the employees.

Ice cream stands galore, smoothie stand, pretty extravagant face painting, caricatures, serious pencil drawings, shows, entertainment, bounce houses, foam factory, music, catered food, snacks, drinks, raffle, goody bags for the kids, bingo for the adults (with really, really awesome prizes)... you name it. It's all free, too!

This year's theme was Carribean Getaway, so there were lots of pirates and sand.

The kid's each received a cute pirate-themed bandana (among many other things) in their goody bags. This bandana became Tay's shirt for the day. It was funny how many photographers took her picture at the picnic. She definitely got her 15 minutes of fame and loved every minute of it.

There were cannons going off all over the place! (no cannonballs, though)

Christian quickly ran to the sandpile.

He was determined to find the hidden treasure.

Tay tried to keep up.

She didn't really care too much for the sand, though. She just loved her new accessories(bucket and shovel).

This parrot let CK hold him like a little baby.

Pirates were everywhere!

Nikki and I did the zipline.

Woo-hoo!

I just hung there like a limp noodle.

This guy handed CK the ball and was trying to coach him at first. He even let him move closer a bit. As soon as CK threw his first pitch, the guy said "Woah! Man!". The kid definitely has an arm.

Cheesin'

Chillin'

I let them give her a tramp stamp. HAHAHAHA! Ryan didn't like it too much.

She insisted on having this one, too. :)

CK's favorite part was the BMX/Skate show.

So very intense...

The guy jumped over a kid. I would never let my kid volunteer for this!

At the end of the show, the kids all got autographed posters of all the riders. CK now has his hanging up on the inside of his closet door.

Rainfest 2011

2011-10-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

We ventured out to Grapefest this year to glance at all the wine that I can not enjoy. We had a really good time, though.

I think it rained once this summer in the matter of 107 days. We went to Grapefest on this one day of rain.It didn't just rain... it friggin' POURED for about 2 whole hours. So, we sat down in a little shop to eat tamales then went outside to watch the rain.

Before it rained, we had a chance to hit up the carnival part of the festival.

Christian played a basketball game, hoping to win a ginormous stuffed goat or something. Luckily, he did not win. He came VERY close, though.

Taylor was very intrigued by the merry-go-round. So, we put the kids on and let them go. I didn't even think about how this could affect my not-just-in-the-morning sickness. (16 weeks and STILL sick. What's up with that?!) But, I did survive.

As we watched the rain, CK's hair got curlier and curlier. I looooove his hair!

Changes

2011-10-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

I changed my do. I used to change my hair ALL the time, but since I have had Tay I've been blonde and long... boring. So, I cut my bangs, layered my hair A LOT, and make it light golden brown.

Tah-dah!

My Miss Priss

2011-10-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

I have been messing around with my camera some and decided to take some pics of Taylor Rose. She is such a ham and LOVES having her photo taken. As for me, I still need a lot more training on my camera. There are times when I surprise myself and a shot comes out in great focus and is very detailed. But more often, my shot comes out a bit blurry and without much depth. I need to get the whole ISO/shutter speed/ aperture thing down. Just when I think I have it, something goes wrong. Maybe I just need to take a class. I could use a Photoshop class, too. I am descent, but not great. So for now, I stick to basic editing.

Where did all the water go?

2011-10-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

We went to Possum Kingdom to celebrate Candice's birthday and watch the first Cowboys game of the season.

I took the kids on a walk to the lake, which wasn't far considering we were at a LAKE house.

But, the lake was much farther away than we remembered. All of this dirt used to be under water. It now makes a great home for many deer. Taylor Rose LOVED the deer!

When we made it to the water, we all ran right in and discovered that the ground was very soft. I loved the texture. It was super silky and squishy mud. We all wanted to roll around in it!

Tay couldn't resist the squishy-ness.

Christian liked how clear the water was. We could see straight down to the bottom.

Tay just liked to run and splash.

Christian practiced skipping stones and got REALLY good!

He ran...

And ran.

We collected cool things along the shore. I was determined to find jewelry or something really awesome since this had all been under water for a super long time, but had no luck.

CK found lots of shells.

They are actually STILL in this very cup in the 3rd row seat cupholder of my car. No one ever sits back there so I always forget to grab them.

What the heck?!?! We never did figure out what this thing was.

CK wrote his name in the sand.

And Tay wrote hieroglyphics.

I love that my kids are such water babies!

We all had such a great and relaxing time.

A family of five.

2011-09-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

Apparently, Christian found my phone and took some candid photos. I wasn't aware of this incriminating evidence until just the other day as I flipped through my pics.

This has been me lately:

And while I am being me lately, this is Taylor Rose lately:

Yes, she gets into EVERYTHING! It helps to just lay on her floor, close her door, and let her do her thing while I catch a few Z's.

Why have I been sleeping so much?

Because of this:

(How can anyone say that this isn't a baby at 11 1/2 weeks? It is definitely a LIFE... a sweet baby.)

Yes.

Its true.

Yes, it was a HUGE surprise.

I was always one of those people that didn't believe in accidental pregnancies. I was that annoying person that would cleverly say "It takes two to tango." I never took into consideration that it only takes one to do the Roger Rabbit (or in Ryan's case its the Lawnmower, his signature dance move... his only dance move). I thought we all know how it happens, if you are taking the right precautions then there should be no surprises. Right? Well, I now disagree with myself. I don't take any oral contraceptives because I fully believe they do more harm than good. It seems like they are always being recalled because of some very dangerous side effects. It just doesn't seem good to mess around with what our bodies are made to do. Plus, they mess with hormones and weight, blah, blah, blah. So... we practice other safety measures. Unbeknownst to my knowledge, these practices we use were on some sort of a sabbatical. (Though, Ryan was surely in on this.) After a few weeks, I felt different and couldn't shake that feeling of "maybe". So, I took a test to rule out the possibility since I had a few on hand from Tay. I fully expected it to say "Not Pregnant" and then I could blame my weirdness on that-time-of-the-month rearing its ugly head. Instead, my little blue and white stick flashed a huge "Sucker! You are soooo pregnant!". I cried. I denied. I thought about how I wasn't ready just yet and that Tay is still a baby, herself. I called Ryan and got mad. He apologized.

Now, I am okay with it. Since we didn't plan this one, I won't ever think to myself "maybe we should have tried sooner so the kids would be closer in age" or "maybe we should have waited a bit longer". This time it happened just as it was supposed to. God said "Let her be pregnant!" and BOOM, so it was. We weren't even sure if we were going to have more than two babies. Decision decided!

I am now close to entering my 2nd trimester and am 11 weeks. This little person's EDA is April 12.

**Weird thing about that date... While at my dad's about 3 months ago, we were all discussing birthdays and how we had at least one in almost every month. April was one of the 2 months that we were missing a birthday in our immediate family.

Meanwhile, Taylor Rose is totally taking advantage of my vulnerability:

This is her getting in the candy drawer. I had put the kitchen stool on top of the counter to keep her out. She hauled the bathroom stool all the way to the kitchen on a serious mission. I figured she deserved a piece of candy after that. (P.S. She will not leave her panties on. I do NOT know why.)

She found Christian's markers and colored all over my white couch. Twice.

And the carpet. Twice.

Happens once shame on you, happens twice shame on me - right? Well, I did take all the markers away and hide them. But she is smart and must have known what I was going to do before I even did. I think she took a few markers and made a secret stash so she could color whenever I wasn't looking. The second day was so bad that I wasn't even amused enough to take pictures. The whole breakfast area was black with marker. The walls had scribbles all over them. The table behind the couch, the kids' desks, the back of the couch, the pillows, the back door, the sides of the couch... everywhere. Christian and I were sitting on the couch watching a movie. I thought she was playing quietly behind us. Again, she was smart and knew to not come into my view. Neither one of us saw her in the 3 minutes it took her to destroy everything.

And now we're having another one.

A Night at the Hospital

2011-09-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

We all went down to the neighbors' house for their daughter's 8th birthday party. Ryan and I were sitting on the back porch while Christian and Taylor Rose played with the kids. A man sitting outside slightly waved his arm at me and said "Uuuhh.." while pointing at Christian. I looked to see Christian bent over, holding his face, and a small chihuahua under him. I ran over and noticed red... everything was red. Blood was everywhere. His entire shirt and hands were covered. I couldn't even tell where it was coming from. When he moved his hands, I saw his lip - it was split right down the middle. I grabbed him in my arms, got the owner's attention, and went inside to see how bad it really was. We ended up taking him to the E.R. because it looked pretty deep. It takes a lot to get me to go to the E.R. I am not a fan. I am very glad we went, though.

He got 4 dissolvable stitches in his lip. The cleaned up his eye where the dogs top teeth had scraped.

As we sat there and discussed everything, we both realized how angry we were at the man who just sat there and said "uuuuhh". He never once got up to help. Never tried to see if Christian was okay (he was closest to him). He didn't even get up from his seat during the whole ordeal. What a coward. He is also a neighbor, so Ryan makes is a point to give him the evil eye every time he drives by his house.

The dog's owners were very nice about the whole thing. Their dog isn't a mean dog. It was overwhelmed by the party, understandably. They asked that we give them our hospital bill. I feel bad about doing that, but we will... that $400 was not in our budget.

His shirt was so covered in blood that we had to take it off.

They put numbing medicine on a cotton ball and taped it to his lip.

The stitches were the worst part. They wrapped him up like a burrito in a sheet and held him down. I layed on his legs. I kept saying "Its okay, baby. I am right here." He said "Mama, I want you. Please." Then he said in his most polite voice, "Anyone, can you please get off of me?".

He did get a huge popsicle afterwards. (I highly recommend the Mansfield hospital!)

The finished work. It looks awful here.

The stitches have since fallen out and he is completely healed. His scar is not even noticeable. I can not believe how well he healed all on his own.

Rangers Day with the Hughes Clan

2011-09-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

My dad got us all tickets for a family day at the ballpark. We all had a REALLY good time, despite playing slip n' slide with our sweat in our seats the whole time.

Just the fam

The fam and their significant others (which is everyone). This is what Sunday dinner looks like.

I didn't know how to position myself with my high heels on. I should have moved to the end!

Just the girls

Just the boys (it took a few tries to get a normal picture of them!)

They always start cutting up. Always. Shane is usually the culprit.

How to Catch a Lizard

2011-09-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Grab an accomplice

Step 2: Gather a Nerf gun and grocery bag

Step 3: Aim, shoot, and try to catch

If that fails, switch positions with your partner.

Cheeser

2011-09-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

Taylor Rose is such a cheeser. She is such a goofy little girl. I sure love her smile!

Here she is very excited because she spotted SHOES in my dad's magazine. She LOOOVES shoes!

Summer Bash for CK!

2011-09-12T21:12:00.000-07:00

CK's party turned out perfect! We invited our whole street, the street behind us, and both street perpendicular to us. Of course, we invited friends and family, too. I was so happy that some new neighbors came to join in the fun. Christian made a few new friends out of the party.

We put this banner all over our neighborhood and in friend's mailboxes:

(Ignore the two mustaches. They are blurring out personal info.)

*disclaimer - a lot of the kids were in their underwear to sub for swimsuits

We had face painting

The t-shirt decorating station

Ryan made some large pitching games, but they ended up being impossible to score!

Even with 100% concentration, the ball just wouldn't go through the little hole.

Fun with the bubble machine

Christian's sisters "sharing" the kickboard. Haha!

I love this!

Brailyn

All the babies were so cute playing together!

Sky and Brailyn had a blast on the trampoline

What fun!

Mr. Mike got bombarded with water balloons. Apparently, he was the only adult outside when they decided to throw them. I guess he was the easiest target. I am glad he is such a good sport!

Happy birthday, baby boy!

2011-09-12T20:52:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been FIVE years since God blessed my life with this precious baby boy. What a gift! Every day has been a joy... and most are also a challenge. Christian is bold, sweet, funny, super smart, loving, rambunctious, energetic, sassy, extremely athletic, very coordinated, talented, and sensitive. He is definitely a momma's boy but his daddy is his best friend. He looks forward to his daddy walking in the front door every evening. I am so happy that I am able to stay home to spend more time with him, teach him school, and watch him grow.

We had our own little party at home on his actual birthday. He was with me when we bought the skateboard deck (no wheels, just a deck that is made for doing tricks on the carpet). I had to think of something when he saw me put it in the cart, and the only person I could think of was Tristan. I told him it was for her 24th birthday. He gave me a look like I was nuts... which made me lose it. I couldn't even stand up I was laughing so hard. He said "Well, maybe if she doesn't like it then she can give it to me." I told him "maybe". I am such a bad liar!

He had no idea what was going on and was already in his pajamas, ready for bed.

...just realized what was going on...

...super excited!!!...

a bubble machine (I got it for his party, but it doubled as a gift)

an iPhone speaker thingy that he can carry around

a teeny tiny mini skatepark and skateboards (like the size of a paperclip)

two skyball paddles and a ball - NOT an inside toy, turns out. Haha! Lesson learned.

headphones for his PSP and iPhone

skateboarding trick deck

Tay loved the balloons

She kept saying "awww" because she thought the puppy was so cute

Trying out some tricks

Kyle took CK to get some real golf clubs. He has played with them almost every day since. (These pics were taken first thing in the morning, so he is still in his undies)

He thinks he is so big, now.

Look at that concentration! (Now he needs a new golf bag. That red and blue one has got to go.)

Guacamole River

2011-09-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

When you think of a river, general running water comes to mind.

This river trip was different in that the tubers were the ones propelling themselves down the river instead of the water flow. I literally asked "Which way do we go?" when we got in. I couldn't tell which way the river was supposed to flow! If I had guessed, I would have gone the wrong way.

It was a great trip, though. We all stayed in a super cool and nice condo where the pool was just as much fun as the river. We got to hang out with good friends and celebrate Tristan's birthday. Fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun!

Nikki, Lindsey, Tristan, me, Cheri, and Jenny... plus a new friend behind us

Jenny, me, Nikki

Me and Nikki

We woke Tristan up to surprise her with balloons and cupcakes (Nikki made them)

Happy Birthday!!!

I got her a dress in Hawaii a few months back... it was so hard to just hold onto it!

Her birthday hat that I made her

Top view

Triple Digit Heat Photo Op

2011-09-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

I carry this new camera around with me almost everywhere I go because I just never know when I will get the time to mess around with it. Turns out, I had a bit of time while we were at my dad's and the kids were playing outside. So, most of the pictures feature sweaty hair and very pink cheeks. I snapped away while the kids played and were in their own happy element.

VBS, Minus the Vacation Part

2011-08-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

I taught VBS.... meaning I was surrounded by tired and cranky 4 year olds for 5 days straight from 8 am to 12:30 pm. There wasn't enough coffee in the world to wake me up to deal with the screaming, running, arguing, tattling, kicking, and potty accidents. Christian was in my class and I think that made it harder. He is NOT a morning person, doesn't do good when he is tired, and is very cranky when he is hungry - a lot like me. Every day he had all of that working against him. I may have been harder on him, too, because he is mine and I know what to expect from him. I am glad I did it though. I feel like I did what God wanted me to do. A while back, I filled out a very extensive survey to see what my gift(s) is/are. Turns out, I am good with kids... so, I use that God-given where it is needed.

It was a great program. There were lots of really fun and educational activities. The only thing I would change? The snacks. Why serve super sugary snacks to kids with empty bellies? The kids all went into sugar overload after their fruit snacks and CapriSun on Monday, rice krispy treats on Tuesday, brownies on Wednesday, ice cream Thursday, and bomb pops on Friday.

The kids all worked on learning 4 new songs, complete with hand motions. On Thursday, the parents were invited to watch the kids put on a little show. It was absolutely adorable! I wish I could've recorded it. I had to sit down in front and go over the motions with the kids, so I couldn't hold a camera at the same time. Ryan had to wrestle with Tay, so he definitely wouldn't have been able to do it.

The theme was "Drive". I printed these little cars and put a pic of each kid in the drivers seat, along with a pit pass for each.

I couldn't have done it without these girls! (I had one more helper, but she is MIA here)

Ready to go!

Lukas (CK's cousin) is all grinning it up. Goofy boy.

Summer Things

2011-08-11T06:56:00.000-07:00

All dressed up for church on July 4th. Tay wore this dress last year, too!

We went shopping and let CK pick out his own clothes. He found this shirt at Gap and his shoes at Vans. I think he did pretty good!

Taylor Rose can now climb the play thingy at Chick Fil A! Its getting her to come back down when its time to go home that's the hard part.

Ryan went to San Diego for a conference. Christian had a really hard time without him, so we made this coundown chart. I didn't have anything to put on Thursday, so we called it the boring day.

Christian went skinny dipping at our friends pool. My kids prefer to be naked 95% of the time.

He has no hiney! I love that little back crack. Cutie pie.

I mentioned before that Tay has an obsession with smells. Here she is at a restaurant with her candle.

And she has a new way of sporting her shades.

Isn't she ADORABLE in her little panties?!

Dancing in the water puddle at Pop's house.

Decor Updates

2011-08-11T06:22:00.000-07:00

This summer, I have taken on a few updating projects. The major one we are working on is the back porch. I have finished staining the concrete dark brown, stained all the concrete tiles the same, layed all the gravel between the tiles, transplanted our Crepe Myrtle, and painted the outdoor table and chairs white. Most of the porch cover is painted, but we need to paint around the edges. I rented a paint sprayer to help me tackle the job a bit quicker. Boy, did that make a HUGE mess!

I was squinting the whole time, so the paint left wrinkle marks on my face. This is a preview of what I will look like when I am 75.

My old lady face to go with my old lady wrinkles.

Taylor Rose helped a bit. I hope there isn't any lead in that paint!

I will post pictures of the porch makeover when it is complete. The weather is hindering the project. As soon as I get the paint brush from the can to the wood, its clumpy. 115 degree heat will dry anything up in 2.4 seconds.

Another little update I tackled is our dining room table - I painted it stainless steel and restained all the chair legs. Our table was a rustic light tan color. You can see it in the background of this video:

Here it is disassembled and ready to paint:

It now looks like this (minus the chairs because they're still drying):

A tad more modern, don't ya think?

The chairs have a nice fresh look to them. See the after (left) and before (right):

Even Christian got in on the dirty work. He went along the entire perimeter of our house, dusting the baseboards with a microfiber cloth.

Texas Rangers Vs. Minnesota Twins

2011-08-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ryan was invited to a Rangers game by a fellow oil and gas company, a company in which the CEO owns a personal island!! No biggie, I am sure.

We had a great time in the suite watching the game, meeting new people, and cramming calories into our stomachs. Shane, my brother, called me and said he was also at the game. I spotted him in the crowd right behind the camera crew pit! So, we went down to sit with Shane and Josh (aka Guff).

Dude! Those were some waaay aaaaawesome seats!

These are from the suite:

And theeeese bad boys are from the seats:

Uh oh! Who is that on the screen?

Apparently, this dude is pretty awesome.

I think he looks like Mr. Incredible.

Well, there we are again! The camera loves us. What can I say?

This dude has real antlers on his head!

I guess Shane is trying a new do - inside out hat.

Ryan said this guy is awesome.

Since we are celebrities now, like, everyone was taking our pic! No autographs, please.

Family Band

2011-08-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

How cute is this?!

A box of tricks.

2011-08-06T06:44:00.000-07:00

As most moms do, I think my baby is a genius.

Taylor Rose can point out and say all of her body parts - eye, ear, nose, mouth, head, feet, etc. She can say a few animal noises and animal names. She knows how old she is. And she has a very extensive vocabulary... probably a girl thing. She started talking very early and now has over 40 words she says on a regular basis. Some she uses to show off her little attitude, like when she tells me "No ma'am" or "No! Mine." or yells "Go!" (as in get away). Other times she uses her words to show her sweet side, like when she says "thank you" or "muah" (kiss noise) or "Pleeeeeeease Mommy!" (I love this one!). It cracks me up when she peaks around the corner and says "Boo!". One of my favorite things she does is sing. There is nothing sweeter than a little baby voice singing a happy jingle. Her favorites are "E-I-E-I-Oooo"(Old McDonald) and "Happy, happy, happy" (If you're happy and you know it).

She is pretty much potty trained. There are accidents sometimes when we are away from home, but while we are home she does VERY good. She does still wear a diaper during naps and at night.

Tay's favorite things are shoes, shoes,dancing, glitter, puppies, anything fuzzy or soft, sparkle, dancing, music, babies, shoes, dancing, food, shoes, and shoes. She also has a very odd fascination with things that smell good. We have been known to enter a restaraunt with a sweet-smelling candle in tow to keep Taylor Rose occupied.

Her name is changed up a lot... its one of those flexible names that can contort. Christian mostly calls her Tay, quite a few others call her Taylor Rose (which is actually what her name is supposed to be), others call her just Taylor or Tator, and then there are the pet names like "baby girl" and "sweet pea".

As far as her personality goes, she is definitely the most stubborn person in our family. By far. She is very goofy and loves to be the center of attention. She does not have a single shy bone in her body. In fact, she is known to go sit in the laps of strangers or ask them to hold her. She makes it a point to say "hi" to every person she sees. She is also VERY, VERY clumsy always has some sort of bump or scrape on her little body.

I tried and tried to capture a few of her talents on video, but, being the very stubborn girl she is, she had a different agenda. It took me over 8 tries to get even one single trick on camera, so I consider myself lucky to have these few seconds of footage.

My New Toy

2011-07-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

... A Nikon D60 DSLR!!!!

I have soooo much to learn, but I am practicing. Lots.

Hey Shaney, its ya' birthday. We gonna party like its ya' birthday.

2011-07-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

My bro turned 28. Yowza! He is friggin' old now!

I took his very first baseball jersey and his little trading card with his photo on it and made him a collage in a shadow box. He always gave me a hard time about that little size 10 youth jersey because I took it, cut off the sleeves, and made it a tank top for myself. Oh, how I will miss my fave tank. I hope he enjoys his present cuz I now have NOTHING to wear.

We all went to Little O's to celebrate.

These days I rarely get out for grown up time, so it was a super good time.

All the single ladies, all the single ladies

Put your hands up! Uh uh oh, uh uh oh.

Nikki dared me. (I didn't take much persuading.) I had to.

She is a now a felon, unconvicted.

My ride to the next party.

2011-07-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

We didn't get to celebrate the 4th on the actual day, but we did shoot off some fireworks with some good friends and family to commemorate this awesome country's independence.

Man talk. Its serious.

Tay loves Mel!

She also loves to jump in the water to Mel.

There she goes!

She is so young to already have such an extreme shoe fetish! Is it just in a girl's blood?

Chicken Dance! Tay's signature move.

Breakin' it down with the chicken dance. Woo hoo!

Cutie pie!

She adores Mark, especially when he dunks her. Haha!

Adores him!

Love.

Sharing her new found treasure - a boy's chunky flip flop.

Jump!

Uncle Jay.

Lil' ham.

My sweet baby Tay.

Christian was thrown...

And UP

And UP!

And waaay UP!

Jay had to show Christian's tricks up.

A lesson in fireworks

Ruunnnn!!!

He thought it was cool to stand super close to the BlackCats... like it proved he was a man. Jay dared him, of course. Us girls just rolled our eyes, unimpressed.

Tay's reaction to fireworks

She was kind of in a daze watching the boys.

Then she got super excited!

This bad boy is called "A Girl's Best Friend" (stay tuned to see why)...

because it sparkled so BEAUTIFULLY! This pic doesn't do it justice at all.

Nikki and Mark. Aaawww...

Bedtime!!!

We had a great time with great company. Here's to a great country.

Daddy Day in the Boondocks

2011-07-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

The day before Fathers' Day the kids and I all took Ryan out to eat and made him some brownies. We also gave him a really great study bible that he had been eyeballing. Christian made him a few adorable cards, which I think were Ryan's favorite gifts.

The next day was spent at my dad's farm. We had a massive cookout that brought out the carnivore in the meekest of us. Talk about deeeelish!

Christian used his own money to get himself the cutest little puppy, Bunny. I suggested other names, but he had his heart set on Bunny. Plus, its super cute to hear Taylor Rose say it. She is a mix dog, but looks just like a golden retriever.
It was super hot so the kids went skinny dipping in the little pool. Thus, a few nudey pics.

Sky was so proud of his pinecone!

Grubbin!

Man talk

The babies were breaking it down!

They found a stage to get jiggy.