Mother

I miss my mother!!!

Sleepover Fun

Do you realize it's been February since I have taken a picture? It has been quite the past few months. However, it is nice to put pictures up again, for whatever it's worth. As of right now the kids are sleeping under the dining room table in a 'tent'. Are they asleep yet, of course not, but hopefully soon. You would think Kevin and I wore them out at the pool. We'll see. Oh yes, it's a 103 degrees in JUNE!!!!!!! This is simply not right.

More Houston...

While we were in Houston, we were also able to spend time with my Uncle Tom and his family. The kids absolutely loved playing with Carissa and Colette. They cherish their time with them. It was nice to catch up and spend time. Those girls are growing up SO FAST!!!

Houston

This weekend we loaded up the car and headed down to Houston for the weekend. We got to spend precious time with our friends, the Simpson's. In fact, it was pretty cool that we were able to celebrate Melanie's 36th birthday with her. We've now been going on 16 years. I'm glad we are still able to be close even though we live far away. Hopefully, one day they can move to Dallas. That is my hope.

New Vehicle...

Well, Kevin and I finally did it. We said good-bye to the old Chevy Malibu and we didn't even shed a tear. We went to Honda Cars of McKinney and got an excellent deal on a used dark green Honda Ridgeline for Kevin. It was simply time to put the old car to rest and quit sinking money into it. We had excellent service and professionalim from Honda Cars of McKinney and I would recommend it to anyone.

Movies...

This has been a great restful Christmas break. We have gotten to see a couple of movies. We took the kids to see 'Madagascar', and it was okay. The tacky humor gets a little old sometimes. Then, Christmas day, Kevin and I saw 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'. That was absolutely the worst movie we have seen in years. That's all I'll say about that. But, finally, I went last night and saw 'Marley and Me'. It was really good, but definitely a tear jerker. However, I thought it was pretty realistic and heartwarming.

That's it for the movie critic tonight.

Jolly Ole Saint Nick...

Friday, the Renton's and we took our annual trip to visit Santa at North Park in Dallas. It was a perfect evening. The kids got to listen to Santa's traditional stories and then sit on his lap. Santa acted as if he had all the time in the world for our children. This is always a very special time for us. I will be sad when this will no longer be...

Alana's girlfriends

Alana and her friends from school. Aren't they cute?

Catch Up...

Wow, I've been reminded it's been over a month since I've updated. This is for you, Laura.

Alana and her boys at her school Thanksgiving feast reciting the American pledge in her Indian costume. Confused????

Nana, Thomas, and Alana

My first Thanksgiving dinner. Lesson learned. The food is not as good after a whole day of cooking it. Lesson two: don't put cooked turkey down the disposal. It shreds it in a billion pieces. It not only clogs your disposal, but you dishwasher too.

Alana sitting quietly before singing 'Go Tell It On the Mountain' at her Christmas Program. If you could hear her sing 'Away In A Manger' you would certainly melt. It was precious.

Lake Cooper

A couple of weekends ago, we went camping with good friends from church at Lake Cooper. This was a really nice park with lots of room which was what we really wanted. As you can see, the kids had a great time. They had trails behind them, and wide open space in front of them. We enjoyed roasting smores and hot dogs, eating steak and potatoes and yummy breakfasts in the morning. Thomas went fishing for the first time. It was a little frustrating, I have to say, but oh well. The kids spent a lot of time at the parks, and otherwise just hung around. We look forward to doing it again.

Eisenhower State Park

After 5 weeks of school, Kevin, I, and the kids were ready to get away by ourselves to be a family. So, Thomas and I went shopping Friday night, and then we left on Saturday morning. We had a great time simply being together, hiking, roasting, and carving our pumpkin. Because, we got there on Saturday, we were only able to get a water only site. I have to say that was the best. Since we have never done that before, we didn't realize how incredibly peaceful it is at night without everyone's noise and electricity. The kids were tired and went to bed at 9:00. I have to say the best part was being by the fire and our lit pumpkin with Kevin the rest of the evening. It was awesome.

September

Thomas and Alana started Awanas a couple of weeks ago and they really seem to like it. Kevin and I aren't quite sure what we got ourselves into since it is a nightly practice of scripture and song. However, they like it! It's pretty sweet to hear Thomas sing John 3:16 to the tune of Happy Birthday. You can tell he's quite proud of himself. As for Alana, her favorite song right now is Blue Skies and Rainbows. It's such an angelic voice. I continue to learn new songs from my 5th/6th graders at school that are fun to sing. I'm so outdated, but it's fun to get caught up.

Once again, Sarah and I had our final garage sale this past weekend. So, Saturday we all spent the day together and had a really good time. Of all our garage sales, this was the easiest to clean up. We promise not to do another one for at least 10 years. Who are we kidding, knowing us, it will be in 5 years.

Everything else is going fine, I suppose. This working full time thing is a beating, I must confess. I definitely haven't found the right balance yet. However, I'm hopeful it will come. We are all adjusting! I think what I miss the most is being with the kids and my friends the most.

Today is Kevin's 35th birthday. Happy birthday, dear sweet husband. I love you so much!!!!!!!

Chapel Day...

Thursday is chapel day at North Texas Christian Academy. The children have to dress accordingly. Isn't Alana cute????

Alana and her teacher, Mrs. Jackson