Wowzers...these past couple of weeks have been so busy, I don't even know where to begin. I really don't even have time to write this post (especially since blogger has already eaten one of my posts!!!!), however, I really do not want to have to play catch up later. I already have enough catch up and guilt in my personal journal writing. How about a cliff note people update?

My kids have spent most of their days in the car (as seen in photos) sleeping. Caden is crawling of course, and learning how fun it is to pull himself up onto his feet. He loves to "practice" walking with anyone willing to help him out. His "object to mouth" top speed is around .33 seconds! There is no object that is not worth his tasting. Let's just say I found him in the bathroom (Gavin's nonetheless) having a taste test...'nough said! With that same mouth, we love to get super wet, dripping with love "kisses" from our little man! Caden's mellow personality is the perfect yen to my spaz out yang and he never misses a meal!! He is one of my three favorite kids! Special thanks to Hudson (shout out for ya my hot little nephew!) for keeping Caden on the top of his game and looking like the hot stud he is!

We have been able to take a few breaks for fun. "Chuck E. Cheese" (what else is new right?) is a favorite past time with friends. Yes, my kids rock with collecting all the tickets from games! Could it be in how they play 'em? You decide (see pictures). :0)

We have also had Zoo dates with cousins.

Have had play dates...

and we even did a garage sale... (we really need a whole post dedicated to this event...it was such a fun, awesome family treat for us to do! Sunburn and all!) with a concessions table in which we helped raise some SERIOUS money for our friend Connie that is participating in the MS 150 (google it) to raise money for find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis! GO CONNIE!!

Christopher is training for his next race and I'm just hangin' with my mini-crazies! A new kind of feeling has come over me lately. I was just telling Christopher the other day that I actually LIKE hanging out with my kids! We have a lot of fun and I look forward to all the fun things we get to do each day. Yes, some days I want to lock myself (or them) in a room or grow wings like a bird and fly far, far away...but, for the most part, I'm really thankful to be able to stay home with them right now while they are young. Could it be that I'm finally finding the "joy" of motherhood? Not sure, but I am finding the beauty in my children's personalities and really liking the little people they are becoming!

On a different note, I'm in the busy baby blanket making season, and have a question. Suppose you were having a baby girl, which fabric swatches (of these two) would you rather see on your blanket? (And your style is retro, urban, hip like...)

OR...

Or should I just keep looking? Thanks!

Irving Playtri Sprint Triathlon

Well, yesterday we were up in Irving for Christopher's second triathlon, the Playtri Sprint Triathlon. The kids and I had a fun time as usual. We really enjoy watching Christopher doing things he loves and this is something we get to be a part of while he is doing it. I am always amazed at his athletic abilities after watching him compete. He just started this year wanting to participate in triathlons and does so well. It is very inspiring for myself and the kids to want to keep fit and stay moving!
***Warning...Shameless brag ahead***
Training for this race was sparse, as he had some injuries (and work, etc) he had to nurse, so he felt a little unprepared. He doesn't even have a pool to train in, yet he still kicked butt. Ok, so this race had a 500 meter swim instead of the traditional 300 meter AND it was in a lake vs. a pool. He might have been a little intimidated, however, he still rocked! He placed 3rd for his age group and 31st of 288 that FINISHED from like around 400! He was up against athletes that had just finished running the Boston Marathon last week and Hawaiian Ironman participants! I had to say, we are super proud of his efforts! Looks like Olympic Triathlon and the eventual Ironman are just around the corner!
Next race, June 9th in Oklahoma City, OK!! Check out the video!

Click To Play

Reese and the Fire Ants

It goes without saying, Reese and the Texas Fire Ants inevitably find each other while outside... anywhere. And it is never fun.

Today was no different than any other day. Only today, while Reese was meeting up with her venom biting friends, she was bit ONCE, instead of multiple times. Here's a picture of how she reacts to those bites. It is just on the other side of having an anaphylaxtic reaction to the little buggers. I don't want to see what would ever happen if she was stung by a bee!

Her foot is swollen and really sensitive to the touch. Everywhere red that you see is nice and hard. So what does our little rumble n' tumble girl do right after her friendly exchange with the ants....she goes right back outside to play. This time with a water gun to shoot 'em up! Gotta love her tenacity!

Julia, this last picture is for you. Remember your trip to Greece and you brought back these shoes for Gavin? Well, they resurfaced while getting out old clothes for Caden to use...and Reese saw these and instantly fell in love with them. She wears them all the time and calls them her.....Tinker Bell Shoes! It's the cutest thing ever! I kind of see the resemblance! Unfortunately, these were the shoes she was wearing in the latest ant attack! Doesn't mean she won't sleep with them still!

All Hail Doppler...!!!

A Texas thunder storm is a common occurrence during Spring. Thunder, lightning and even hail, the total storm works, are given come Spring. Texas is considered part of "Tornado Alley" and there are always a few of those as well, but usually in the rural areas; therefore we never gave mind to a possible tornado drill. Since moving to Texas 2 years ago we eagerly await the Spring storms with wonderment and awe. It has always been a sight to see and some cheap entertainment. The kids never were afraid of all the noise and an occasional power outage....that was until this past Friday...the 13th...

Severe thunder showers were in the forecast..ok, not too big deal. The big deal was these storms brought tornadoes into the Metroplex. Glued to the TV, we watched Fort Worth take a small beating with baseball sized hail and funnel clouds that became tornado. The storm was making its way through Dallas at a Northeasterly path, so we just thought we might be safe. Then news hit that Forney was going to get an almost direct hit with the "C" part of the storm...or where the funnel clouds (potential tornado at any moment) were traveling. We were actually told to take cover and were under Tornado warning. We gathered the kids and our emergency wind-up radio and went into our Master bedroom closet that is connected with our bathroom.
Gavin was excited to use his flashlight but was quickly frightened this time. I think I was a little too when I heard the Emergency Sirens (tornado siren) going off. The pitch black sky, the howl of the storm and the hail pelting our roof were all eerie, however the sound of those sirens were the most eerie and of which I would rather not hear again.
During the 30 minutes we stayed in the closet, (which Reese and Caden thought was party time) I knew we would be ok. Gavin said at least 20 of the most heartfelt and earnest prayers a 4 year old could say. He thanked the Lord for "this wonderful day" and for the "rain that will make the earth happy" but to please "send down angels to my house to make it safe, and our neighbors safe, Tyler and his girlfriend safe (they were in Dallas for the Mavs vs. Jazz) and to just let us stay alive!" Oh, and my favorite...to "just let the tornado's hit the bad guys if we have to have a tornado". Every time he heard the loud noises that made him scared or heard reports of damage or trouble on the radio, he was in prayer. It was actually very spiritually moving for me and I knew regardless of what happened...if I were to die with my children that night, Gavin would have made sure we were all in Heaven!
Forney didn't sustain any damage and no life was lost. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for some in the Metroplex. I know we were blessed that night! All hail the weather Doppler for advance warnings!

Imagine Learning English

Christopher works hard everyday so I can spend his money. He's so great. But this is what he goes around selling. He's the North Texas Area Sales Manager for Imagine Learning. His company just put this little video together and we thought you would like to see what he does to help the schools teach their young non-English speaking students English. Discription: Imagine Learning English, a computer-based instructional program, teaches children English and develops their literacy skills faster and better than any other method. Students receive one-on-one instruction through hundreds of engaging activities specifically designed to meet their individual needs, so they progress quickly. Best of all, Imagine Learning English is fun for students and easy for teachers! Program Overview Imagine Learning English is the SMART solution. Each component in our SMART approach is a powerful tool that, when combined, produces real results. * Strategic first-language support Language support is customized to each student. * Measurable gains Reports are easy-to-read and document student progress. * Academic language Students learn vocabulary for success in school. * Recommended by teachers, students, parents, and administrators Program is effective, easy to manage, and incredibly fun. * Tutoring technology Instruction is individualized through automated adaptive curriculum.

Blue Bonnets in Bloom

Texas Blue Bonnet's in Bloom!

The Blue Bonnet is the Texas State Flower. Right now they are everywhere and are just a beautiful sight to see while driving down the Interstates. We decided to stop by the side of the road on our way home from the Dallas Arboretum (see pics on the left column *Flickr* picture show) and take a few pictures. This year it has been quite sad not having any bonnets in our yard (we didn't grow any this year) and we aren't allowed to pick any (state law). So, we took a few pictures to remember them. We also took over 100 pictures at the Arboretum today!! I only uploaded a few on to the Flickr b.c it just takes too long to upload pics on that site. Anyway. Enjoy! Happy Spring, y'all!!

Happy Easter!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Yeah, I didn't feel like organizing these pic's either! ;-) I'm getting to be a lazy blogger!

This past weekend (3-29/4-2) I had a little getaway. My sistaaa-in-law, Chelsea lives in St. George, Utah right now while my brother is deployed. Needless to say, she was in need of some sistaaa-ly lovin'. Aren't we all?!? So, my mother and I packed our bags and headed out to Las Vegas for a little R&R and to meet my little nephew Hudson. Oh, he was just sooo cute and fair (that was for you Chelsea! ;-)) and we had a great time bonding.

I brought Caden, being that he was only 6 months old at the time, and still too young to be left in daddy's care alone! It was actually really neat experience having him all to myself the whole trip. I don't EVER have that kind of time with just one of my children for long, being that I have 3 at home at almost any given time. Caden and I sure spoiled ourselves. Vegas had changed since the last time I was there (5 yrs.) and don't think I will go there with a child again. The funniest comment I had heard on our trip was when Chelsea with Hudson and I with Caden were outside the Bellagio waiting for the water show and some lady passed us by and says to her friend, "must be spring break, all the college kids are here with their babies!" I had to laugh so hard. What college kid brings a baby on Spring Break...and to VEGAS?!?! Besides....I'm a college graduate and my children's spring break was over a month ago!! There were a lot of children there at the time, (I'm sure it was someones spring break), but these kids were 10 or so and their parent's in their late 30's. It was pretty funny.

Anyway. Take a peak at the pictures. I had too many to post, and Christopher was going to make a video for me,...but, I got too impatient and just posted anyway. After all, I'm still waiting for Gavin's 3rd B-day video to be done and he is nearly 5 now!
Anyway. It was loads of fun and I enjoyed spending time with my hip sistaaa-in-law and my madre. I fell off the wagon with the diet while there, but I'm back on now with a total of 13.6 lbs lost in 5 weeks!! BOOOYA!!!

Egg-citing Egg Hunt!

Between all the Egg Hunts with the Library, Churches, Playgroups, and School we are eggs-hausted!! Here are a few picture from Gavin's Pre-school hunt. Reese was a lucky girl and was able to hunt as well.

I will be egg-cited to see the commercial part of Easter come to a close on Saturday and have a wonderful "real" Easter on Sunday! Happy Easter!

Oh, and I'm too lazy to organize the pictures right now! Have fun!