gonna be a great day

favorite picture

2012-01-24T06:11:00.000-08:00

I love this picture of Tara. She was jumping on a trampoline at a local gym that was really dark inside. She is always so graceful when she tumbles.

b-ball Jayhawks 2012

2012-01-24T06:05:00.000-08:00

It is time for another season of basketball. Levi is on the Jayhawks team again. So far they have had 3 games and won all three but just by a tiny margin. The team is struggling a bit and have a few things that they need to improve on. However, they all seem like really nice kids and appear to be having fun. We are looking foreward to baseball season coming up soon!

Gymnastics 2012

2012-01-24T05:53:00.000-08:00

This year Tara is competing Level 4 Division 2. She is still with her same team members but it has been broken down into several "divisions" according to their scores at the first meet. Tara did really well at her first 2 meets. Both times she came in 2nd all around! She has worked really hard this year and is making tons of great scores. However, she is competing against a really good group of girls. The season has just begun but so far so good!

family fun

2012-01-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Tonight we (I) was not really in the mood to cook dinner so we decided to make homeade donuts to snack on. I know, not healthy at all but we have tried really hard to make healty changes over the past several weeks so this was our first real splurge of the year! (The kids had scrambled eggs to go with them- I did not load them ONLY with sugar right before bed!

American Girl 2012

2012-01-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

Over the past 2 weekends Tara was given a really cool opportunity to perform at the American Doll store in order to promote their new doll of the year named McKenna. She is a gymnast doll this year and 6 of the girls from her gym spent several hours a day for several days performing and promoting the new doll. It was really cute and a very fun opportunity. Here are a few pictures of Tara and her doll.

Red River 2011

2012-01-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Christmas vacation with a short trip to Red River so that the kids could snow skii again. The weather was amazing and there was tons of snow on the ground already. The conditions were great for skiing. The boys started the trip snow boarding. However, Levi gave that up after the first day and went back to regular skiis! Hayden did AMAZING on the snowboard all week. By the end of the second day all 3 kids were on the black slopes.

It was amazing to get to spend a few days away from work and school and enjoy time with the kids and the hubby. It was much needed rest and relaxation!

Here are a few picts!

kid art

2011-10-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

I love to decorate with "kid art". I just love to see how creative they can be and love the bright colors in some of the things they come up with. I have pictures that the kids have drawn all over the house. To some extent it is simply because I am not a good decorator so to fill an empty space I simply frame something that they bring home from school!

Here are a few of my faves!!

Homecoming 2011

2011-09-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

It is that time again...Homecoming! Hayden looked so grown up. I just cant get over how tall he is! His date was beautiful and sweet. They grow up soo fast!

The picture of Hayden with the two little girls are both his sisters. Tara and Emma are both 8 years old! He is an awesome big brother to all his siblings.

fun run

2011-09-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

Tara and I ran our first fun run last weekend. We had a blast! Although it was only a mile, it was much harder than we thought it would be. It was very crowded and hot! However, we did make it all the way to the end and enjoyed it tons.

Maybe next time we will attempt a 5K

Happy Birthday to Tara!

2011-08-17T04:38:00.000-07:00

Seems like just yesterday she was this little!

Now she is 8! She is entering 3rd grade. She is sweet and strong and silly. She has several BFF's. She likes gymnastics, swimming, animals, coloring, crafting and to help cook.

Happy Birthday Tara!

We love you!

galveston summer 2011

2011-08-12T08:13:00.001-07:00

We took a last minute weekend trip to Galveston with my sister, Lexi and my mom. We met my other sis and her kids there.

Here are all the kids on the beach. They range in age from 8 (Tara) to 16 (Michelle). We also made sure to get a picture of all the kids in their Buck-ees shirts!

Tara practicing her handstands in the sand.

The sand here is not near as pretty as our recent vacation in Florida but the kids still had a great time.

Henry trying to see if anyone is watching him!

Hayden and Tara just hanging out together.

Lexi and Tara!

after!

2011-08-12T08:03:00.001-07:00

It is done! The kids have been enjoying it for about a week now!

Refreshing changes coming.......

2011-07-17T07:03:00.001-07:00

Before........

destin 2011

2011-07-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our recent trip to Destin. We had a blast! All of the kids got along wonderfully and we had tons of relaxation time. We jet skiid, parasailed, played in the water and ate lots of yummy seafood!

Cant wait to go back again!

Most of my photos were of Tara and her sweet friend Tess. They were just so precious to watch. Two little ladies for sure!

Things I love!

2011-06-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

A few girlfriends recently encouraged me to try to post blog photos of a few things I am thankful for once a week. They have been doing this for a few weeks now and think that it has really made them stop and appreciate the "small" things in life a little more. As I sit down to try to come up with a few things, I find myself coming across a ton of photos of things that make me smile. It is not that I am not thankful - I TOTALLY am! It is just that I got sidetracked with all these pretty things! So here is tonights version:

A few things that make me smile!

(as i rest tonight i will think about all the wonderful things that i am thankful for! ) That post will come soon.........

Anything Houndstooth! ( i am not sure why i am suddenly obsessed with houndstooth)

Super cute awesome shoes!

And flowers resting in limes!

Levi wakeboarding!

2011-06-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

Here are a few picts of Levi wakeboarding this summer. He did it last summer when he was 8 but did not have the strength needed to stay on the board very long. This year he is much stronger and can hold on for a really long time. He really enjoys water sports this summer.

(Love the big crash and splash at the end!)

Broken Bow summer 2011

2011-06-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a few picts from our recent stay in Broken Bow. It was a much needed relaxing weekend. The weather was nice and the kids were awesome!

This photo was at the beginning of the drive when the kids were still happy and nobody was cranky yet!

The kids all enjoyed tubing and trying to push eachother off!

Hayden and Tara relaxing....

Tara catching some rays!

redecorating

2011-06-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

Once again I find myself wanting to redecorate and here are some ideas that I just love! I suppose that since my house is small, I feel like I want to change it quite often to make it feel like I am not looking at the same walls all day long!

I love this living room...

I love this media room..

I love this little girls room....

2011-06-05T10:21:00.001-07:00

Just a few recent photos from firts weekend of summer!!!!!

2011-06-05T09:57:00.001-07:00

The kids celebrated their last week of school with a telent show. Much to my surprise, both kids wanted to enter. Levi jumproped with a friend, Corbin and Tara did a gymnastics routine. My pictures are terrible, but it is all I have....

2011-06-05T09:51:00.001-07:00

Here the kids are having fun catching hail and watching the funnel clouds try to form right above our house.

2011-06-05T09:42:00.001-07:00

just a few photos that have been on my phone for a while and i never bothered to transfer....

sweet little tara will be 8 soon!

Meet Milo

2011-03-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

Meet Milo, our newest family member!

She (yes, this "Milo" is a girl) is the sweetest little thing ever. She even purrs when you pet her!

Valentines Day

2011-02-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again! Levi and Tara both had to make "mailboxes" for their Valentine's Day party at school. Levi's class was having a contest for best boy box, best girl box, most creative etc....

That gave Levi a challenge. The more detailed and unusual the better! There was no way he was going to just wrap it in red and put stickers on it. Instead it turned in to a several night project. His box was a small representation of the Super Bowl stadium complete with goal post, and people in the stands! It really was cute and he was soo proud of his hard work.

"Under the Big Top"

2011-01-30T12:55:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos from Tara's latest gymnastics meet. She did very well considering this was her first meet of the year. She had been out sick twice and on vacation once in the past 2 months so she really only got to practice a few times. She scored somewhere in the 9's on beam, floor and vault and somewhere in the 7's on bars. (Cant remember exact scores!!!) She knew bars was going to be a challenge as she was not consistently getting one trick in practice.

All in all, she did great and we had a great time watching her!

Breckenridge 2011

2011-01-19T04:24:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from our recent trip to Breckenridge. The kids had a blast and were amazing skiers. We took lessons the first day and then just skied on our own the next two. Unfortunately I am not skilled enough to take the camera on the slopes but I wish I could have. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was amazing!

snow of january 2011

2011-01-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

We had a little bit of snow here this weekend! Problem is, when you dont get much, it does not make for very clean snowmen. Notice all the dirt and leaves in this one! The kids had fun playing in it anyway!

old photos

2011-01-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

I came across a few older photos of the kiddos on a disc that are some of my favorites. I miss when they were this little!

Christmas Day 2010

2010-12-27T06:35:00.001-08:00

Here are just a few photos of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! Our Christmas tree is really tiny and skinny. This year we have decided to retire it and next year we will buy a tall, full tree that is pre-lit! I cant wait! Tara wrapped a lot of the gifts under the tree herself this year. She is a great helper.

We went to church Christmas Eve with my parents and then had dinner at their house. The kids opened their gifts from the grandparents that night but had to wait patiently till the next morning to open all others.

winter fun

2010-12-27T06:18:00.001-08:00

About 2 years ago we purchases a fire pit for the new pack patio that we had enlarged. However, it sat unused for all of those 2 years until last week. We finally bought some wood and built a warm fire. Here are the kids trying to figure out the best way to get it lit!

I have had this tiny plant for years and years. I believe that I took a clip of it from my mother about 15 years ago and planted it in my own pot. It has not grown much and I have even gone months without watering it or paying any attention to it. It is supposed to bloom at Christmas and it never has until this year. Hopefully this is a sign of a good year to come!

Rare Moments!

2010-11-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

Not very often I get a picture of these two beeing sweet to eachother!

pet rocks at Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving morning we spent some time at Wendy's house before heading out to Kansas. The kids were busy the whole time making pet rocks. (remember these from childhood??) Aunt Wendy was even kind enough to quickly sew up a few leotards for them! The kids built them a house that was fully furnished and even had an elevator! It was precious. Of course, creative little Lexi was the one that came up with this fun idea!

A day at home with nothing to do.....

2010-11-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

Tara stayed home from school sick the other day. As usuall, after a dose of medicine and a little extra sleep she was way too full of energy. She discovered that jumping on the trampoline can give her some really awesome static electricity in her hair!

TCU vs UT

2010-11-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

I love this photo of Levi running with the ball!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

Halloween snuck up on us this year and I was not very prepared. Tara picked out her own costume and was what she referred to as a "deadly cheerleader". Levi wanted to be a football player but at the last minute did not want to wear helmet, pads, shoes etc. Poor Jake the dog was better dressed than the kids! We had a lot of fun but next year I promise to be more prepared!

We trick or treated with some good friends and their kids were dressed soo cute. Their sweet daughter was a bumble bee and - as usuall - was terrific with all of the younger kids. She is such an awesome girl. I love that Tara looks up to her.

Their son stole the show! He was fantastic. He dressed up like an old man and it was very, very realistic. His mask was amazing but more than that, he acted the part so well. He had a fake cigar and cane and everything. It was hilarious!

Homecoming 2010

2010-10-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

It is so hard for me to believe that Hayden is old enough to be going to his first Homecoming dance. It seems like just yesterday he was a tiny toddler running around with his blue fuzzy grover doll in hand!

These photos are of he and his sweet date, Anne Claire.

Hard to belive that he is really that much taller than me!

The frogs

2010-10-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

Love, love, love this picture of Levi's football team preparing for another game

tara's dream job

2010-10-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

I found this sweet picture and letter in my daughter's backpack today. She has always asked to take acting classes but I never put much thought into it. I guess she really wants to get the message across to me!

just a few ideas.......

2010-10-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

Has it really been over a year since I looked at this? Wow, time flies!

I have been keeping a pile of photos on my computer of decorating ideas. I am anxious to make some changes at home but not real sure which direction I want to go. Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

I love the design above for a boy's room. The idea of using the Pez dispencers for color is adorable to me!

Love the splash of color with all the dark, dark wood. Very relaxing to me!

I love pink for girls but I find myself drawn to this because it is very girly without being too childish.

2009-05-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back our family took a much needed vacation. We went to a quiet cabin about 4 hours away in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. I am not much of a cabin-staying-in type of gal but this one was very nice. It had all new appliances, fancy beds, flat-screen TV's etc. In other words, it was like a nice hotel but secluded in the woods. The kids had fabulous time hiking by the river and running wild. I loved that we could feel so far away and still be so close to home.

The men spent most thier time doing this.....

Nasty!

2009-04-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Easter. The air was chilly but atlest the rain stopped. We had to hunt eggs in the front yard because the back was too muddy. The kids had a blast! It was great to spend the day with Lexi. Although she lives only minutes away, we do not get to see her as often as we would like. I am so thankful that the kids have their cousin close by! I wish all of the other cousins were closer too!

2009-04-06T19:09:00.001-07:00

Lexi -

I just couldn't resist posting this amazing photo of my sweet neice, Lexi. She is so talented and sweet all bundled up in a tiny little package!

2009-04-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

They grow up too fast....

It is so hard for me to believe that Miss Priss is getting ready for Kindergarten graduation. She is reading, rides a bike with no training wheels, gets phone calls from friends, worries about whether her outfit matches, and even gets giggly when someone mentions "boys". My sweet baby girl is growing up way too fast!

2009-04-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

This not seem like a big accomplishment to most people but it was a proud moment at ours - Levi went to his first sleepover this weekend!!!!! He stayed the night at his friend Tyler's house and we did not even get a call to come get him in the middle of the night or anything! Levi loves his sleep and I was a little afraid that he would want to come home to his own bed so that he could sleep all night easily. He said he had an awesome time.

I am starting to feel really old! Hayden will be 13 years old this month. Yes, we will have a teenager in the house! It really has snuck up on us quickly!

2009-04-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

Over spring break we decided to take a short "staycation" and take the kids to a nearby lake to go fishing. Levi, a clone of his father, enjoyed the fishing and had a blast stearing the boat and putting bait on the hooks. Here is a picture of Levi and his fish.

Soccer has once again started up. I love this time of year and have a great time watching the games but the weather can be so unpredictable right now. We are supposed to get a freeze tonight but should be in the mid 70's tomorrow afternoon. Crazy huh?

Here is a picture of Levi at a recent soccer game. He takes this pretty seriously and gets frustrated with himself if he goofs up during the game.

The weather here has been nuts this season. We got a pretty big hail storm last week. Fortunately the only visible damage that we have is on one of our cars. We were able to get the new car in the garage so it did not get dinged up. The hail was pretty big for what we normally get here. The kids thought it was really cool!

2009-04-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this whole "blogging thing" hasn't worked out for me so well! I SWORE that I would be consistent about posting updates etc but frankly I just cant seem to find the spare time. Now that I have gone back to work, I cant hardly seem to keep up with the laundry, dishes, housecleaning and everything else that I used to do duing the day. I cant believe that I used to get bored just staying at home during the day. I swear that I could stay up all night long every day of the week just doing chores and all!

Anyway, Hayden has started playing baseball with his school. The games are lots of fun but very long. They play for one hour and fifty minutes and quite often have three games a week. By the time we get home we are in a mad rush to do homework, baths, and oh yeah, I have to squeeze in dinner somewhere.

Here is a picture at one of his recent games:

soccer

2008-10-31T11:25:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Levi had a soccer game. (Tara's was rescheduled for some reason). He is really enjoying soccer. He tries hard and seems to really understand what he is supposed to do. Although they don't technically keep score, I believe that the two teams actually tied. Some of his very good friends are on his team and his best friend's dad is his coach. It has been a really fun season. I hope Levi wants to play again in the spring.

Tara loves to play. She is a great athlete. However, she is simply thrilled that she is on the pink team this year. Her team name is the "Divas". Suits her perfect, huh!

Neighborhood party

2008-10-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend our neigborhood homeowners association hosted a small Halloween party for the kids. They wore their costumes and painted faces, decorated pumpkins, bounce house etc. Tara and Levi both participated in the costume contest. Tara won (2nd I think) for her little red devil costume. Hayden's age group made me laugh because none of them wore costumes. One kid was brave enough to wear a silly hat but that was it! I guess 12 is just too old for dressing up these days!

2008-10-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today at school the kids were to dress like a "storybook character". Tara is Fancy Nancy and Levi is Lucas from the Ant Bully book. This was not considered Halloween dress up at school but they still had a parade and class parties etc. They had to bring a book to prove that their costume really was from a book and not just any fun costume that they could come up with. The kids liked the idea that they got to wear a different costume at night than during the day.

gonna be a great day

2008-10-22T10:38:00.001-07:00

Okay, I have wanted to do this for a while now but simply have not found the time. However, on my quest for a current picture of my children to send to childhood friend, I realized that I had stopped taking frequent pictures of my children a year or so ago. I am hoping that by doing this blog, I will have more motivation to snap lots of pictures of my kiddos. Pam, I am thinking about you right now! I told you LONG ago that I would do this. Thanks for the inspiration! Really though, I have no idea what I am supposed to do. I guess I will learn by trial and error.

Halloween is coming up and Tara is having a pumpkin decorating contest at school next week. She stayed home with a slight fever today so we decided that today was as good as any to start decorating. She picked out such a fun & fat pumpkin. It is slightly mushed on one side. She decided (on her own) that she wanted to turn it into a creepy spider. I let her do the painting and the big googly-eyes and the mouth. I stuck the legs on for her as that was a little tricky.