Our Saturday

We had a nice, easy Saturday. The weather was beautiful. I wore capri pants and flip flops! YIPPEE!!! We started our day with an impromptu garage sale. Brook had a garage sale across the street so I rounded up a few things and sat outside at 7am. We made enough to buy dinner out somewhere and I can walk in my guestroom again, so I say it was worth it!

Knowing how much junk food they would have today, after lunch, for dessert they had fruit. I put Trace to work rinsing grapes. He looks like he's enjoying it, but I'm sure it was just he and Kinsey talking about bathroom issues...a new favorite topic at our house. It's lovely.

Who can eat strawberries without a shot of whipped cream in a can...sprayed straight into your mouth? It's mandatory at our house!

Kinsey was invited to Ethan, her boyfriend's, birthday party today. Here she is giving him a congratulatory hug!

Trace got a strike!!!

After the birthday party, the weather was fabulous so we spent the afternoon outside. We bought these giant styrofoam airplanes for the kids for Christmas but couldn't take them to Colorado, then just forgot they were in the closet. I ran across them today and they occupied us for quite a while.

This happened to Kinsey's a lot...

We have no plans for our Sunday...and I'm very happy about that!

Best Buds

Trace and Katie are two peas in a pod...full of ENERGY!!! Katie likes to wake Trace up in the mornings by jumping up on his bed and giving him a smooch. Usually she is well received, but on those grouchy morning, she gets the boot. Literally. He pushes her off the bed...with his foot.

After keeping it all together for 8 hours at school, when Trace gets home he's generally wound up up up and Katie is so excited to see him that she is also pretty wiggly. So they head off to the trampoline and jump jump jump the wiggles away. Katie even likes to play basketball with Trace. She's always on defense and talks lots of trash. I'm sure our neighbors LOVE it. She chases after him when he rides his scooter and barks away while he keeps her at bay with his light saber.
And they are both so happy, relaxed, and at home at the camphouse. They run hay bales together, chase birds, and love roaming around the pastures. Trace on the 4 wheeler and his faithful sidekick running alongside. I will admit, there was a period of time after bringing her home that I thought I'd made the biggest mistake of my life when I stopped in the Wal-Mart parking lot last April. The barking and the tt on the carpet and the chewing...remember when I wanted a shock collar? But, and I say this with MUCH relief, she has turned out to be a great dog. And an amazing best buddy for my favorite little man!

Ice Cream Fixes Everything

I had a check-up and had blood drawn today. Kinsey does not have school on Thursdays, so she went with me to have my blood drawn. She had lots of questions...Are they going to take ALL of your blood? Are you scared? Is it going to hurt?...When the nurse rubbed my arm with alcohol, Kinsey, with a very concerned look on her face, patted my leg and looked me square in the eye and said, in a most sympathetic voice, "Don't worry, we'll go get ice cream after this. It will be ok."

She couldn't understand why I really just wanted some breakfast! All day she kept asking why we STILL hadn't had ice cream.

We went to the library after school today for a little change of scenery. Trace love love loves the Hank the Cowdog series. The library has a handful of the books on tape and CD. The author reads the books and he is amazing! He does such a great job making that oblivious, overconfident cowdog come to life. Trace was laying there laughing out loud. It was so funny to hear him from across the shelves.
Kinsey was pleased, to say the least, to find her betrothed, Ethan, at the library, too. When she saw him walk in, her face lit up and actually turned red! They sat and looked at frog, bug, and dinosaur books for about 30 minutes. Precious.

What Boredom Gets You

Here's what a bored 4 year old does while sitting in a realtor's office. I spared you from all the pictures of the carpet, ceiling and the up my nose shots she took. No, we're not moving, just looking for some land.

I Want to Ride my Bicycle

We took advantage of the beautiful weather on Sunday and took a spin around the block. It took two different occassions of tears and refusal before we finally talked Kinsey into trying to ride on the pull behind bike. Once we finally got her on there, she LOVED it and wants to ride daily.

Look at that wheelie!

Makeovers

It was a cold, rainy, lazy day Monday, so I kept Kinsey home from school. She decided we needed to do makeovers. Her words, not mine. So I got out all my makeup and let her go to town. I was shocked, as I'm sure you are, at the lack of beautifrul (awful) makeup you see on my face. Evidently, having her makeup done turned her into a model. These are the pictures we took post makeover. She's giving me bunny ears in the last one.

Success!!!

I found this blog through another blog that I read. Actually, Brook told me I needed to read this particular post. I was so encouraged by the success this blogger shared. I hope you'll read it.

Odds are it will make you think of a kid you know or went to school with or that is in your child's class. I know it made me think of someone...I hope that after reading it you will think of it and be understanding when you see that obnoxious kid running around in a restaurant or a store.

http://www.ourfrontdoor.us/notepad/2010/2/24/the-best-parentteacher-conference-ever.html?lastPage=true#comment7600563

Awwww

The third snow of the year is falling in the background. But my favorite part of this picture is how each child's personality is captured perfectly. Trace has been doing so well lately. He's loving school and friends and has just been so very happy. He's such a smart kid that sometimes it's hard to remember that he's only seven years old. He is finishing up basketball season and will start baseball soon (I've been waiting for this since the fall!). I cannot believe he will be in third grade next year. He will graduate from high school in 10 years!!!
Kinsey has decided she wants to go to school four days a week, but I'm not ready for that. I told her that I'd miss her if she went to school that much and she said, "But you'll see me on the weekends." She loves school and we all know how she loves to chat the day away! I took the kids to bootcamp with me last week. I was laying on the ground doing arm exercises. She came up to me and asked, "Do you want covers?" Always the little caretaker. She will be five years old next month; starting Kindergarten in August. I think we need to back up!!!

Being Chickens

Recital costumes for the ballet number came in this week. The girls tried them on and most of them freaked out that the tulle was 'itchy'. We rolled up the sleeves a little and the tears subsided. They were precious dancing around in their fluffy little tutus. They decided that their booties looked like chickens! So here they are 'being chickens'.

basketball

Here are a few pictures of Trace's basketball team this year. Sorry for the poor quality. He moved up to the 7-8 yr old age group this year. Not only does this mean he is the youngest of the group, but it also means the basket is raised from 8ft to 9. He has scored 3 points this season, one field goal and one free throw. He fist pumped all the way down the court then back down again after his field goal. Precious!

???

I have no words...

This is Texas!

February 11, 2010 in East Texas

We are predicted to have 1-4 inches of snow tomorrow afternoon. If the forecasts hold true, then tomorrow will be the third time it has snowed and stuck this winter. The absence of kids playing in the snow in the picture above can only be explained by our recent trip to Colorado. I guess the sub 30 degree temps were still too fresh in their minds.

They did think it was a fabulous idea to put Katie in the backyard and close the doggie door. They said they wanted to watch her play in the snow. Both of them watching from the living room in their jammies. I think Macy must have held it until it thawed the next day! Can't say that I blame her. Her tummy is awfully close to the ground!!!

Privacy, please!

My blog is going private next Friday. I still want you to follow me! Send your email address to me at sunnyd557@yahoo.com and I will send you an invitation. This is the only way you will be able to read my blog starting next Friday. A friend of a friend's blog had some creepy lady copy her children's pictures and then post the pictures to her blog like they were her own children! Too wierd for me!!!

90 years

Holy cow...90 years!!! Big Mama turned 90 on Valentine's Day this year. Here we are at 90, 34, 7 & 4.

When we were kids, I remember her staying with us when Mom and Dad went out of town. She let us have chocolate cake and Coke for breakfast one morning. What else would a kid want to eat for breakfast??? And who else would let them but a grandmother! I also remember her driving to Sinton from Beaumont (I think) wearing a jacket and gloves so that the ham (I think) in the backseat stayed cold enough. I remember eating sugar cubes at her house. As many as I wanted! They were in a white dish with some flowers on it on a lazy susan on the kitchen table. I used to take one just about every time I walked by. I thought they were the coolest things.

She could get any stain out of any shirt and always seemed to be able to revive any plant that wasn't doing so well. She used to make the best chicken and dumplings and chocolate pies. If you ever told her you liked something, you got lots of it...for a long time! I specifically remember these lemon cookies coated in powdered sugar. I ate so many of those things that I don't think I can ever eat another one!

I also remember leaving South Texas for Lake Livingston during Hurricane Allen in 1980. She had a precious longhaired dachshund puppy. We walked out on the pier, me carrying the pooch, and she said to me, "Don't drop her in the water." Splash! Right in the water she went. I'm not sure I can remember her ever getting mad at me. Not just for the baptism of the puppy, but for anything.

Trace and the obligatory bunny ears he attempts to put on someone in every picture.

Someone forgot to get candles...not mentioning any names, but it rhymes with Auntie Lissy!!! Of course 90 candles might have been overkill, so we just used this one! Well...I didn't think to get them either, but we'll just blame it on the sister-in-law ; )

And she blew it out in just one breath...