Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, I got my mom golf balls with a picture of her dog, Maggie, on them. You have to know Maggie and how my mom feels about Maggie to get just how funny this is. I laugh out loud every time I think about those golf balls!!!

Rodeo

Chad gave me a much appreciated evening off Saturday night. He took the kids to a rodeo in his hometown. He sent me a cell phone picture of BOTH my kids lining up for the goat scramble. My son did it last year, so I was not surprised, but Kinsey?! I never thought in a million years she would get out there in the dirt with all those kids to chase after a goat. Those of you who know her will, I am sure, be just as surprised as I am! I mean really, she won't wear jeans because they're not pink. Needless to say, she's a girly girl! Chad said that Trace almost had that goat. Next year he will be old enough to do the calf scramble. That should be interesting! Hope to get some pictures up soon.

bowling

Trace went to a bowling birthday party today. I talked to Chad during the party and after 7 frames, he was bowling a 77! He got a strike on this throw. I guess all that Wii bowling is paying off!


He also played another ball game today...they won! The kids have all improved so much through the season. I am so proud of them!!!

Pop Fly

Trace's team played a great game last night! The boy who plays at the pitcher's spot was not there, so Coach moved Trace from third base to the pitcher's mound. He did a great job! Our first baseman can catch, and he and Trace connected for a handful of outs during the game. Trace also caught a pop-fly! He reached up, and there it was...right in his glove!!! It was pretty cute, he didn't really know what to do with the ball after he caught it. At this age when they catch a fly, it is usually because that glove is just at the right place at the right time, so everyone was excited. Go Trace!!!

Trace's team is really a good little team. They are one of two undefeated teams in his age group; we play the other team at the end of the month. One of the girls on the team lacked a single, or she would have hit for the cycle!

It was also Kinsey's team's turn to work the concession stand...or the concussion stand, as Kinsey calls it......

Dad's Birthday

Chad turned 36 last weekend. We were not celebrating with a costume party. Kinsey just wanted to be SpiderMan, then an Aggie cheerleader. After the gift opening, Trace went on to put on a pirate costume. Trace had a friend over, he was a ninja.

My Little Power Puff Girl

Kinsey's team won tonight...by one run! I won't get in to how lousy the coaches on the other team were...grrrrrr. All I'm gonna say is that adults really need to remember that this is for the 4, 5, and 6 year old kids. Enough about that.

She is the absolute youngest player in the league. The girls were supposed to be 4 by January 1st and her birthday wasn't until the very end of March. Keeping that in mind, she gets tagged out on the way to first base often. She has also decided she doesn't want to bat anymore because it hurts when she gets tagged out with the ball. She got to cross home plate tonight. Another rarity. The inning ended when she was on 3rd, but the coach sent her home and she was so excited to score a run! Love it!!!

Big Fishermen

Last weekend, the ScaleBusters, Chad, my brother Matt, and Thomas, participated in a bowfishing tournament on the Trinity River. They placed 9th in numbers, or most fish shot, with 63, 7th in the Big 5, combined weight of the five heaviest fish, and won the Calcutta, the highest total weight when combining the weight of one each buffalo, carp, gar, and bowfin.

Custom Marine Concepts Calcutta Division
1st Place - 4 species @ 31.2 # ScaleBusters - Thomas Neumeier, Chad Lucas, Matt Preston

I need a shock collar!

Katie has been a very sweet addition to our family, but she has found her voice!!! I have come to the realization that Macy is either deaf, or really is THE most patient dog on the planet. Katie gets about 4 inches from Macy's face and barks...and barks...and barks. I keep waiting for Macy to put her in her place, but she just lays there and lets Katie bark til her heart's content. It's enough to make me completely crazy. After two days of this, I went to Pets Mart.

"I need a shock collar for a 6 pound dog," I said. The animal-loving lady looked at me like I had just told her I needed supplies for my dog fighting operation. Her response, after a few silent moments, "Ma'am, you know those really are a last resort?" If she only knew how much and how loud Katie could bark, she'd know that I was one stop shy of my last resort! I told her that I would settle for a muzzle, but I needed to leave that store with something to make my puppy quit barking. Because I love that puppy and would like to see her continue to be a puppy!!!

She had two recommendations: 1. puppy training classes and 2. a little 'bark machine' as I call it. The bark machine emits a terrible noise when the dog barks. Well, I can't hear it, but the lady said it's a terrible noise if you're a dog. So I left the store with the puppy training paperwork and the bark machine. The machine seems to be doing something. Whenever I push the button to trigger the terrible noise, Katie turns and snaps at the machine. This stops the barking for all of about 10 seconds (if I'm lucky). Then she gets to spend some time with nature.

She is a smart dog. She started using the doggy door after living here for 7 days, so maybe she'll figure out that the bark machine only 'barks' at her when she barks. Let's hope anyway.

Puppy training classes are definitely in our future. I figure that Katie will probably live a pretty long time and my life will get just a little shorter if she doesn't stop barking. Or I'll drink way too much wine.

Sweet Sophie

Kinsey and I met Sophie today. Kinsey was very excited to finally meet her cousin and had big plans for her. It was decided a long time ago that Kinsey would feed the baby and I would change her diapers. She told me how she would hold her, using her elbow to support Sophie's head.

On the way to Dallas today I explained that aside from crying, Sophie would behave a lot like Kinsey's baby dolls and do a bunch of nothing. I think Kins was a little disappointed with the lack of fun...but got to hold her just the same.

We took a walk around the neighborhood and Kinsey had her first ice cream man experience. I had to run/walk 5 blocks back to the house to get money to buy a very overpriced popsicle, but it was worth it. Aunt Jane had a Pink Panther pop and Kinsey had a Power Puff Girls pop. Both with gumball eyes, of course.

Boot Camp

I hesitate to post this because now I am accountable and have to do it! My friend, Erin, told me about bootcamp last week and wanted me to sign up. My reaction was to tell her how working out for two months over the summer was about as much fun as going to the dentist for two months and how hot it would be. I could go on and on about how much I do NOT want to do this. She told me that I would indeed hate it for the first week then would feel great about doing it.

I talked to my neighbor, Brook, about it and she was interested. I told her I needed to think about it for a while before I decided. In the next breath decided that I needed to NOT think about it and just sign up now so that I'm locked in. If I thought about it too much I would absolutely talk myself out of it.

So Brook and I decided that we should start working out each morning now to get in shape for boot camp. We signed up for boot camp today and started riding our bikes. Neither of us wanted to go when the alarm went off this morning but couldn't skip our very first day! We both felt great all day. Not only did we exercise, but we got up early and did something we didn't want to do...and it was cold.

41 days to boot camp!!!!!!

Do I Look Like a Jedi?

After spending some quality time in their rooms this
morning...if you have kids, you understand...Trace came out
and asked if he kind of looked like a jedi. He had a plan to
take two light sabers apart and put them back together, mixed up. When one of the neighborhood boys is at our house, there is some serious jedi warrior-ing going on!

Teeth

Nurse Patty came through for me again today. She pulled another of Trace's teeth at school...his third. I cannot stand loose teeth or the holes they leave behind. yuck yuck yuck!!! I don't know what it is, but the kids in Trace's class all love to show me their wiggly little teeth.

Our Sweet Katie

I came home from Wal-Mart today with a sweet, new puppy! I was headed to the pound to look at a couple of dogs I had found on-line, when I saw a man with a handful of "Free Puppies" in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

I sent my neighbor a text message asking if I could sleep on her couch during the divorce! But, because Chad knows me, he knew a dog was coming soon. He was a great sport about it and didn't get at all upset.

SHE's here!

Kinsey woke up this morning, grinning from ear to ear. First words out of her mouth..."My cousin's coming out today!"

She is finally here! What a relief to finally be able to say 'SHE'. My sister-in-law, Jane, delivered Sophie Caroline Preston this afternoon. I kept the gender a secret for about 6 weeks.

Everyone thought sweet Sophie was going to be a boy. I wish I could have been there to see the surprise on Jane's face when the doctor said, "It's a girl!" Randy claims he thought 'girl' from the beginning, but Jane just knew that she was having a boy. Needless to say, Auntie Missy and I are thrilled...girl clothes!!! Kinsey is very excited to have a girl cousin, but Trace was hoping for a boy. Maybe Auntie Missy and Uncle Tug will be next with a boy......

Opening Day

We had a full day of t-ball on Saturday. Opening ceremonies at 9:30, then games at 1:00 and 2:30. We also had a family party for Kinsey's 4th birthday. She was very excited about her first game, but probably more excited about her third 4th birthday party in one week.

Opening Ceremonies

First Game of the Season

Pre-game pep talk. Kinsey is the second from the left. Have you ever seen a cuter team??? Can't go wrong with pink jerseys, pink gloves, and pink batting helmets.

After the first win of the season. The Power Puffs are a force to be reckoned with!