life with these boys . . .

2011-10-04T16:59:00.002-05:00

Daniel and I at our 20 year class reunion! Sanger High 1991...what a fun weekend!

My best friend since 5th grade! I love you Sheila

Fall Temps=Fun Fishing Times

2011-10-04T16:51:00.002-05:00

First Days

2011-10-04T16:44:00.004-05:00

First days are fun and both of my boys are going to have a great year! Carson 3rd grade

Cameron Pre-K

Panama City Beach August 2011

2011-08-17T14:32:00.002-05:00

Can you believe it? This is not even the best picture. My friend, Laura did such an amazing job and is working on getting me the rest that she took of our photo shoot. We had so much on vacation. The boys loved the beach and we can't wait to go again. There WILL be a beach picture for Christmas cards. I have always wanted a family beach picture and I finally got one!

Happy Anniversary

2011-05-17T12:37:00.008-05:00

Daniel and I got to take a wonderful trip for our 15th wedding anniversary. We left the boys with my parents here at the house and we took off to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico to an all-inclusive resort called The Royal. It was the perfect trip and a fabulous resort. We really enjoyed our 5 days of just us. We relaxed, did some shopping, went to the spa and did some parasailing. It was a great time away and we came back refreshed. Thank you to my mom and dad for keeping the boys on their schedules and taking such good care of them while we are away. We will be going back, so anyone who wants to go with us next time let us know!
I love you Daniel Cooper and I look forward to many more years as your bride. Thank you for making the trip possible and for always keeping "us" a priority!

Happy Easter from The Coopers

2011-04-26T11:34:00.005-05:00

We had a great day with a wonderful service at church and family later that day.

HE IS RISEN!

We are so blessed

He is growing up

2010-11-17T10:30:00.005-06:00

I can't even begin to explain the love I have for this child. He was our miracle after such a great loss. He has been a constant joy in our lives. He loves his family and friends. He has a huge heart for God and has come to a place in his short little life that he understands the power of knowing a real God, who is with us every day. He understands His grace and acceptance of us just like we are. We are so proud that at the age of 7, almost 8, Carson has asked Jesus into his heart and wants to have him as his best friend. Wow! What a great best friend Jesus is! He is an amazing kid and we are looking forward to watching him grow into the teenager and man we know God wants him to be. He will be making his decision public on January 9th, the day after he turns 8, and will be baptized at our church. Thank you God for blessing us with such a great gift!

Just because

2010-11-17T10:28:00.000-06:00

A Hill Country Wedding

2010-11-01T11:07:00.010-05:00

Well my only cousin on my dads side of the family got married in October in the Hill Country and it was so beautiful! All my family was there and I got some great sister time with 2 of my favorite women in the world! Congrats to Britt and Crystal!

Me and my sweet and handsome husband all dressed up!

My wonderful family! I am such a blessed girl to get to share my life with these boys!

A Busy Fall

2010-11-01T10:43:00.008-05:00

We always go to the same pumpkin patch every year because there is so much for the boys to do. They keep adding to it each year and makes it so much fun for the boys and us! The biggest pumpkin out there and they thought they could pick it up!

On the pumpkin express train ride

The pumpkin patch is always fun family time!

First weekend in October we took a couples trip to a very nice cabin in Broken Bow, OK at Beavers Bend. It was a very relaxing and fun weekend away with great friends. Thanks for the memories Kleins and Sparks! Its on the calendar for next year!

Chocolate Chip Brownies

2010-09-28T11:03:00.002-05:00

If you know us very well our family has changed our eating habits, not that we ate horrible before but for us this has been a big change. We have switched to mostly organics and taken a lot of the processed foods out of our diet. Clean eating is whats on our menus lately! We still do the occasional eating out, sweets and snacks but when having easy grab snacks we try and stick with the organics or all natural. We no longer buy sodas unless its a special occasion and when we have to use sugar(like for our sweet tea) which we won't give up anytime soon, we buy organic also. This recipe is for brownies and they are amazing. My friend(Laura) who has been eating this way for longer than me had this recipe and shared it with me. I use everything natural or organic that I have for the ingredients. This now takes the place of my boxed processed brownie mix that my family can't do without from time to time! Try it and you will be hooked!

3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix first 4 ingredients with blender. Combine next 4 in a seperate bowl and mix well. Add dry to wet and stir until completely blended with wooden spoon. Stir in chocolate chips and pour in 8x8 pan. Cook 40-45 minutes

A lot of relaxin' and playin'

2010-07-26T12:30:00.008-05:00

Well every time we go to San Antonio we stay at the same hotel. We love the Hyatt Hill Country Resort and Spa. They have tons of activities throughout the day for kids and they have a lazy river and a beach that the boys love! They roast marshmellows at the fire pit every night and make smores. You never have to leave the hotel if you don't want to so we didn't much and we stayed 5 days. The boys could have stayed in the sand and on the river all day! We would go early and get great seats right on the river off the beach and stay most of the day. They loved having lunch at the pool and on the beach.

Daddy and Cameron being lazy on the river!

What a great time we had. We also went to SeaWorld one day but my pics are not downloaded yet because I had to buy a throw away camera. My camera and phone got wet in my bag when we were crossing the river to get out for the day. So I still have to get those developed and downloaded later. So SeaWorld pics to come later.
If you have never stayed at this hotel we say give it a try. It is a fun place!

San Antonio June 2010

2010-07-26T11:27:00.009-05:00

We love San Antonio and we can't go there without eating at our favorite mexican food place on the riverwalk, Casa Rio!

We remembered too....

Summer vacation

2010-07-26T10:58:00.006-05:00

Our first getaway vacation this summer was to one of our favorite places....San Antonio! On our way to San Antonio we had to stop by the Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg. I love that place so the boys agreed it would be ok to stop and shop for a little bit!

We can't ever be that close to Kerrville and not stop and visit the special places and people in Daniels life growing up. One is the beautiful cemetary where Daniels dad and grandparents are buried. Kerrville is where Daniel spent every summer with them up until they passsed when he was in high school. What great memories he has and he got to show the boys where he spent his summers as a kid.

Here is the Guadalupe river where he spent a lot of his time fishing with his dad and swimming. The boys loved skipping rocks and hearing stories from daddy!

Blackberry Pickin'

2010-07-26T10:15:00.006-05:00

One of the first things we did this summer was go to a blackberry farm and pick blackberries! The boys had so much fun. We ate some right off the vines and they were so sweet. We came home and made a cobbler for daddy and we froze the rest and have been eating on them ever since! We plan to make this an every summer event thanks to some old friends in Sanger! Thanks Charles, Marilyn and Christy! Visit their website for info for next year! www.duckcreekblackberries.com

Carson took all the fruit pictures just like a pro photographer. I think he took 100 pics that morning.

They also had apricot trees and Charles let the boys each have one!

New Look

2010-07-24T08:47:00.002-05:00

I have a lot of updating to do but first we had to give the blog a facelift and when I say WE I really mean my sis, Mel! Doesn't it look great? Thanks Mel again for helping me get it current and fresh!! I love you!

I love this BIG kid!

2010-04-13T09:44:00.004-05:00

Easter

2010-04-08T10:26:00.001-05:00

Just because...

Over 1 Foot of snow in TX=CRAZY Fun!!

2010-02-24T11:24:00.007-06:00

We had a blast with the crazy snow that came this month and here are my favorite pictures from the big blast we got! The last day the boys got to sled down the neighbors driveway and had the best time ever!

Carson turns 7

2010-02-24T10:56:00.008-06:00

Carson turned 7 on January 8th! Where did the years go? I love this kid. He makes me smile every time I look at him. He is funny, a great big brother, a kind hearted friend, a helper, loves all sports, very well-mannered and respectful, life of the party, cute, and other adults love to be around him too! The last is a very big deal to us because we love that others like being around our kids as much as we do. I think that mostly sums up my oldest. He has the best of his dad and I and we are very proud to call him our son! We had a family party with just the 4 of us on his birthday and then Daniel and I took him and 2 buddies to Medieval Times on the Saturday after his birthday. He is growing up way too fast!

Just Because

2010-02-24T10:52:00.002-06:00

I love this picture! If you know me then you know I just love this woman! I think this is my favorite picture of Meme and I! What an incredible woman and I am blessed to call her my grandmother!

December Fun

2010-02-24T10:38:00.010-06:00

Christmas Eve service at Cross Timbers

They just woke up and ready to see what Santa brought!

They loved their new plasma cars!

This was our first snow! The boys had fun making a snowman and playing in it for the day.

We went to Six Flags Holiday in the Park. It was a fun day!

Catch up-Dec to current

2010-02-24T10:20:00.009-06:00

Our neighborhood had a fun Chirstmas party and Santa came. As you can see Cameron really never took his eyes off Santa! He loved him and talked to him for a long time. He was mesmerized and couldn't believe he was there. Everyone standing with us thought it was so cute and were laughing because he sat so still and told him what he wanted for Christmas!

Meme-Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-09T10:20:00.005-06:00

Here is my grandmother and all her great-grandkids together. She loved having them all this Thanksgiving. If you know me very well you have heard me talk about my Meme. She has always been such an inspiration to me and I have always had such love for her. She has loved a lot and lost a lot but especially had it rough the last few years. I grew up wanting to be like her in a lot of ways. She was a Godly dedicated wife, a content stay at home mother, a wonderful grandmother and a very happy great-grandmother.

She has always loved me deeply and unconditionally. She was one of the best teachers in that and I feel today she is a big part in how I love others. We have always had this special bond and she is one of the favorite pieces of my heart. I love you Meme!

Maybe a Christmas card?

2009-12-09T10:12:00.005-06:00

Well we had a great Thanksgiving and much to be thankful for this year once again. We have added 2 more grandkids to my parents Christmas card. Here are a few they have to choose from! (Actually mine don't make the cut-there were others that were way better) But here is a few I took that I thought were more funny than usual. In the first one the big kids are saying "are we done yet?" and the parents are saying "no fake smiles please". And in the second, my personal favorite, is my youngest with his finger in his nose(his new obsession)! Don't think either of these made the cut but they were too funny not to share!

Bike Day

2009-12-09T09:16:00.012-06:00

Well the boys found a new favorite thing to do before it got really cold. Carson has loved riding his bike for a long time. We were at Daniels' work one day and Carson saw him ride off on a bike and he said the most funny thing. He said, "Hey mom, look there goes daddy on a bike! I didn't know he could ride a bike!" So for Daniels birthday we got him a bike he had been looking at for a long time. Every night they were going on bike rides and staying gone for long periods of time and Carson would come back and tell me they had gone on an adventure and it was so much fun! He loves that daddy has a bike now! After Daniel got really comfortable riding his bike he decided it was time to add another 30+ lbs to the bike.....

so here is the new addition.... is he not the cutest 2 1/2 year old or what?

Cameron loves to ride with the boys and now it is really hard to leave for that adventure without him!

Happy 40th Julie!

2009-11-08T11:56:00.003-06:00

We had a great time at the Glass Cactus for my very good friends 40th birthday! We have been friends with them for over 10 years. What a treasure to find so many years ago and be able to watch each others kids grow up. Thanks for the friendship, Sparks! You guys are so much fun to be around. Here is too many more birthdays together too!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-08T11:49:00.004-06:00

Indiana Jones

and my little cowboy! Enough said!!

Fall Baseball 2009

2009-11-08T11:45:00.003-06:00

Well we finished our first season of coach pitch baseball and what a difference it is from tee-ball! What a fun season we had except for all the rain and having to make up games. Carson learned a lot and has turned into a great little ball player. I did not get many good pics from the season but here are a couple. This was him playing catcher at the last game!

Something New

2009-10-16T09:05:00.004-05:00

Well another neice is here and she is just as pretty as the first two! Check out my younger sisters blog here and see for yourself. I am so blessed to have a family who has a heart for God and always continues to listen to Him and follow where He leads. Adoption is a wonderful gift. I am so glad my sisters have been called and chosen by God to have their families this way. Check out my baby sisters blog here and catch up with them and as you will see they are very busy too! I love you Mandy and Melodie and I am so proud of the moms you have become and the heart you have for adoption.

Carsons Fun Run

2009-10-13T16:35:00.003-05:00

The school fundraiser this year was a fun run and they ended up having to do it inside because of all the rain. Carson thought it was a lot of fun and ran over 35 laps which was his goal. Thank you to all who supported him and helped raise money for our school. Here he is with his best little friend and neighbor, Taylor. They are not in the same class this year, but they caught up for a picture together. They are just the cutest!!

Cameron is growing fast

2009-10-13T16:30:00.001-05:00

Cameron is helping daddy take his baby bed down.

He loved it! He has been in his big boy bed since the end of august and loves it. He goes and gets in it at night and stays until morning. What a big boy he is!

First Day of 1st Grade

2009-10-13T10:48:00.004-05:00

Here is my big 1st grader! I can't believe my baby Carson is old enough to be in first grade. He is such a sweet, talented, funny, easy to love kid, with a big heart and loves his family very much. He is a great big brother to Cameron and of course Cameron thinks his big brother is pretty special too. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Carson, but atleast I know who holds it! Jer 29:11

Carson and his teacher, Mrs. Jonas

After school having a snack together. Cameron really missed his bubba!

Summer Vacation 2009

2009-09-15T08:08:00.030-05:00

Sorry this post is so overdue. We had a wonderful vacation this summer and wanted to share some of the pictures. Sorry but this will be picture overload because we were gone over a week and did some amazing things while we were gone.
We first made a stop in Hot Springs!

We played putt-putt....

and rode on the duck boats! Been there, done that and probably won't do it again. Too slow the boys said!

On to Tennessee...where we had a blast and all decided we love this state.

We had a great room at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel where the boys enjoyed some breakfast in bed!

We decided to go one night to the Grand Ole Opry. This was a dream of mine for a long time. We had so much fun and listened to some great music.

Sorry bad pic but this is my favorite nashville star winner...Chris Young! After he played we found out it was ok to walk up to the stage and take pictures. Ugh! We had great seats. Front row stage left, right where the acts were coming in and off the stage.

Restless Heart...wow they were awesome and took us back to high school!!

And of course the night would not have ended right if we had not gotten to see Little Jimmy Dickens. He loves the cameras flashing and taking his picture and posed in the middle of the songs. Sooo cute and oh so funny!!

This was us at the old grand ole opry. Great building with great history!

We took the General Jackson steamboat for a lunch cruise and the boys loved it!

This was the last morning at the hotel before we were headed to North Carolina to meet our friends from Florida!

We are in race country now!!

We met our really good friends Chris and Leslie and their 4 kids in Ashville, NC on the last leg of our trip. We had so much fun hanging out and getting to spend some quality time with them and the kids. We went go-kart racing, swimming at the hotel and even did some shopping.
We met up there so the guys could go to the Bristol Nascar race. Daniel and Chris took 3 of the little race fans with them on Friday night and they had a blast.

Then Saturday was their day! They could not stop talking about the experience and still can't believe they were actually there in the pits with all the race teams. Here are some shots they took of each other hanging with the stars of their favorite sport.

Daniel, Jason Sehorn, and Chris

Jason and his wife Angie Harmon are big fans of NASCAR! Angie was there too and they got to say hi and get her autograph too!

Look how close he is! They are interviewing Jeff Gordan and Daniel is almost leaning on the front of his car.

Chris got to have a quick word and a hand shake from Carl Edwards before the race!

Again, look how close they are! Dale Jr. and his owner, Hendricks.

Yes that is Richard Petty aka NASCAR legend!!

Well that about sums it up! We had a great time and will visit again soon I hope!

Updates!

2009-08-15T00:22:00.002-05:00

Whew!! I am done finally after some uninterrupted time working on the blog! Everyone has been in bed for hours and I have been working hard. I told myself I was not leaving for vacation until I was caught up. Make sure you scroll down and then hit older post because I was so far behind there are more posts on previous pages. I had not updated since Easter!! That is awful. I promise to do better in the fall. Enjoy!

Cameron turns 2

2009-08-14T23:47:00.014-05:00

Monkey see monkey do!!

Guess he was still thirsty!

He figured out the slip and slide real fast!

Guess it was time for a nap!

He loves music and loves to play Bubbas guitar so Nana and Papa J got him his own!

Eating cake and once again never still for a picture of his cute birthday shirt. My friend Shannon makes them and sells them. Ck out her website www.funkymonkeybowtique.com
Thanks Shannon!

Cousin Holden came the furthest from OKC just for the party! He decided to help Uncle Dan with the mowing.

Uncle Dan and Holden taking a break after the party and a family dinner at Babe's!! Yummy! What a way to end the day! I can't believe my baby is 2! Mommy and Daddy love you Cameron. You are our precious!!

Summertime Memories

2009-08-14T23:21:00.008-05:00

We made a lot of great memories in East Texas this summer. We got to spend some time with my grandparents and the boys great-grandparents. We love getting away and spending time with them and are blessed to have them in our lives. I can remember spending time with my great-grandparents and what wonderful stories I have and I hope we are making for the boys! Cameron was showing Dada just how much he loves watermelon. Dada thought he was the funniest thing and they stood at the bar together for who knows how long eating watermelon together. At one point I think I told Dada that Cameron had enough or he might be sick! Dada could not stop laughing at him! (Sorry the picture is fuzzy! Someone changed the setting on the camera without me knowing it! I wonder who that was?)

He insisted on eating it like Dada right off the rind!

When we first got to Jacksonville Dada needed some help from Carson hanging his flags! Of course Carson was ready to help!

This is how Meme and Cameron bonded! He just loves this shape sorter from tupperware and Meme loved helping him do it!

Here are the boys in Tyler at my other grandmothers. They love playing on this organ and singing!

Here is Cameron again with my other Meme and the famous shape sorter!
She always loves having us there. She still misses my grandfather and so anytime she has company in the house she is so happy and can't stop smiling!

The Project

2009-08-14T23:07:00.005-05:00

Here it was close to being done! This picture was not set up. Sorry it is a little fuzzy. He was so into helping with the power tools. Hope he turns out to be as handy as his daddy is!

All 3 working on the project together. Carson will always remember this week! Lots of hard work, but fun getting to do it with daddy(who has the patience of Job)

The boys were working together!

Carson and his hair

2009-08-14T22:38:00.002-05:00

Carson decided at the end of school to start letting his hair grow out! Daddy decided to play with it one night. Remember this pose because I am sure this won't be last time you see it!

2009-08-14T22:35:00.001-05:00

He would not sit still for this picture! Don't you love the shirt. A friend made it! Check out her website and you can have one too! www.funkymonkeybowtique.com

Thanks Shannon!

Field Day 2009

2009-08-14T22:33:00.001-05:00

This was after Field Day at school. The theme was rock-n-roll 50's. Recognize this pose? I have no idea but he thinks its cool!

My Star Student

2009-08-14T22:29:00.003-05:00

Carson got to perform for Kindergarten round up this year for the incoming kinders! He was so excited. He was chosen because he was one of the top four readers in his class. We were so proud of him!

Mothers Day 2009

2009-08-14T22:15:00.002-05:00

God has blessed me with a wonderful husband who gave me these precious sons! Thank you God for choosing me to be their mother. I love you Carson and Cameron!

Cousins

2009-08-14T22:10:00.004-05:00

Aunt Mel and Holden came to stay with us on their way to Nana and Papa J's! Fun times with a cousin. They are almost a year apart and so cute together playing! Carson was at school.

Silly Boys!!

2009-08-14T22:04:00.003-05:00

This is one of the many things the boys like to do together. Only when the youngest isn't in trouble and sitting on that stool behing them in the picture. Seems to be quite often these days!

Does this face look familiar. Yep this seems to be the shot I get anytime I get the camera out these days! Cheezer!!

Las Vegas April 2009

2009-08-14T21:10:00.016-05:00

Wow! We are finally here! Viva Las Vegas! Daniel and Shane treated us with our first and won't be the last limo ride to the hotel.

This was the first action we saw walking down the strip waiting on our rooms to be ready. Lesson #1 for the weekend: Don't ride a tour bus, just take a cab!

Las Vegas finest finally on the scene! Seemed like forever!

Our hotel, The Venetian! All Liz and I could say was WOW!!

Our rooms were beautiful! All the rooms there are suites so they are huge!

This was the view from our room. One of the many pool areas!

LeReve at the Wynn! The best show in town all in the water! And yes that is a bed.

After the show the first night. At the bridge at our hotel!

Night 2 at Bobby Flays Mesa Grill. Did I mention I researched where to eat and we had some great food!

Liz and Shane at the Mirage!

Liz and I after dinner at Mesa Grill! Yummy!
I love this girl! God knew what he was doing over 5 years ago when putting us together!

Our last meal for lunch at Wolfgangs Spago! Wonderful food once again!

Wow! What an amazing trip we had. Thank you to my man for 13 wonderful years of marriage and letting me plan this great trip. Thank you Liz and Shane for taking the trip with us celebrating your new marriage and making so many great and funny memories! We love you guys and can't wait to go again.

Easter 2009

2009-04-22T13:48:00.004-05:00

We had a great Easter! The boys hunted eggs with some friends on Saturday night because the weather was not going to be good on Sunday. Then on Sunday we got back out late that afternoon and did it again when the weather cleared up. It did not take long for Cameron to figure it out and he loved the candy inside too.

Presentations already?!

2009-04-22T13:43:00.002-05:00

Carson had a science presentation on ducks at school last week. He was not nervous a bit. Hope that continues because I never liked getting up in front of the class.

Boo Boo

2009-03-24T12:13:00.002-05:00

Well here we are again with another injury! Boys will be boys!

For all those who wanted to see it...here it is! It was a pretty deep little cute. But Dr. daddy steri-stripped it right up. Thanks daddy!! Looks good today actually along with a fresh haircut.

Botanical Gardens

2009-03-24T12:04:00.008-05:00

We went to the Botanical Gardens in Ft. Worth one of our days of spring break. SaSa went with us and we took a picnic and walked around the gardens and fed the fish in one of the gardens. It was a beautiful day!

The boys loved the train at Trinity Park too!

Spring Break 09

2009-03-24T11:51:00.008-05:00

We had a good spring break this year with Carson out of school and home most of the week. He spent the first of his spring break with nana and papa j. One of his favorite places to go without his younger brother, of course. Everyone knows why, right? Yes he gets all the attention. After he was spoiled there he came home and we had planned out the rest of the week. Here are some pics of the boys at the Gainesville zoo with their favorite big cousin, Victoria. Victoria and her family have moved back to our area from Michigan and we love having them close. She babysits for us all the time and the boys love her. Thanks for going with us V!!

We were on the way home and Victoria looked back to see that Cameron had unzipped Carson's lunch box and gotten into the last homemade chocolate chip cookie with no one knowing. That sneaky little boy!! We all laughed and took this pic when we got home. I take it he like it!

The Fork

2009-03-03T12:11:00.003-06:00

My little man loves his fork and has mastered it well! He loves to use his fork unlike his older brother sometimes. He uses it on everything. Even the most difficult things you could think of to fork, he does it and does it with a smile. Please don't try and take it from him to help either because he is 19 months and can do it by himself. I just love this little man!!

See! He is so proud after every bite.

The Table

2009-03-03T11:21:00.003-06:00

My mom brought my grandparents for a visit last week to see our new house and my grandfather wanted to refinish my breakfast room table. So of course, I let him. He is so handy that way! It turned out beautiful and we had fun with them here.

The Before....
The After...

Thanks, Dada!

My not so baby anymore

2009-02-19T11:18:00.011-06:00

I love this little man so much! He makes me laugh all day and is getting way too big too fast!

Here comes his sneaky look! I see this look quite often.

He loves his boots he got for Christmas and would wear them every day! Actually he just loves shoes of any kind.

Here he is with Daddy sporting his new big boy haircut. I am still trying to decide if I like it. It makes him look way too big! He is a precious boy and I love spending my days with him! I love you my little man!!

Old and New

2009-02-19T11:05:00.006-06:00

Wow! We had lots of great memories in this house. Daniel and I built this one ourselves seven years ago and have loved this house and land. It was so right for us at the time. We brought both of our kids home to this house and had many parties here. Everyone loved our July 4th parties and New Years Eve parties. It was a great house and we are going to miss it.

Here is the new one. We love this house and all the great space and rooms we have. Not really that much bigger, but arranged so perfectly for us at this stage of our lives. The kids have a playroom/gameroom upstairs and a media room everyone loves. This is going to be a great house and neighborhood to raise these boys in. We have met some great people and super kids. The schools are great and we could not be more happy! Come and see us!

Carson turns 6 on January 8th

2009-02-19T11:00:00.006-06:00

Wow, I love this kid to death! He is my sweet and tender-hearted kindergartener who brightens my day with his humor and wisdom. He is fun to be around and always says the funniest things. I love you my big man!! You are my precious(as I always tell him)!

We are big Texas fans and my dad ordered him this special jersey. I think it was his favorite gift he got. Thanks, Papa J!

Movies and more movies...if anyone knows Carson they know he loves movies!

Happy Birthday, my big man!

Well in all the craziness we did find time to celebrate Carson's birthday! We moved out of the old house on the day of Carson's party. It was crazy, but we had fun!

New Years Weekend

2009-02-19T10:21:00.013-06:00

We had one of the best New Years ever because we got to spend it with some best friends from Florida. We met them at Leslie's parents in Arkansas for the holiday weekend. It was a blast and a big thanks to Dave and Becky for hosting. Chris and Daniel are worse than girls when it comes to planning a weekend together. There were hours of phone calls and excitement building up to the big weekend and we packed as much stuff as we could in those days. Every time we get together with the Evans there is a tradition now of finding some place to race cars. No not really for the kids but for our men. We really did have a great time and wanted to share just a few pictures from the trip. The kids love each other and get along so well. Carson calls them his cousins and can't wait to see them again. We love these kids like they are family and love that they pick up right where they left off the last time they were together.

Addison, Faith holding Cameron, Aubrey, Carson and Garrett

Oh this was Daniel and Chris acting 12. This was right before Chris fell off the pogo stick and landed on his butt and we think bruised his tailbone and Daniel fell of a ripstick and thought he broke his toe. Dr. at home diagnosed it as "turf toe"! We laughed so hard!! These two are really kids at heart.

Here are the girls and Daniel. They wanted him to hold all three of them. They attach themselves to him as soon as they see him. You can always here Les in the background saying "leave Uncle Dan alone for awhile". He loves it and they are so adorable!

These three are all one year apart. Faith-7, Carson-6, and Aubrey-5 They were raking leaves for Becky!

Here are the boys "ice fishing". Really they were just breaking the ice with sticks and loosing the sticks and almost falling in the frozen pond to fetch them. Boys will be boys!

Here is my sweet and silly Cameron. He found lots of girl stuff to play with, which we don't have at home, so he took real advantage of it. For most of the time he carried one of the girls purses in each hand. Daniel just loved it!!

We had such a fun time and can't wait to see them again soon! Daniel and Chris have already planned a vacation for all us this summer right before school starts. And yes it does include a NASCAR race in TN. We love you, Evans and see you in August!

We Are Back

2009-02-15T21:22:00.002-06:00

Well sort of....
A lot has happened since my last post in December!
We had Christmas, New Years trip to Arkansas, Carson's 6th birthday, we sold and closed on our old house, we bought and closed on our new house, we moved, we unpacked, we put up a fence, my grandmother turned 90 and we had a great valentines day this weekend. WOW! I am tired just typing all that. All that to see the posts are coming. Really I mean it! Real soon!

Our precious gifts

2008-12-18T12:44:00.002-06:00

Decorating

2008-12-18T12:34:00.010-06:00

Our beautiful tree!

Carson got his own tree this year for his room. He did this all by himself and it turned out very cute. A little like the Charlie Brown tree I think.

Here is Camerons tree in his room!

The boys loved helping get everything out to decorate.

Cameron loved the beads

Always taking them off and putting them back on

Thanksgiving!

2008-12-18T12:17:00.005-06:00

These are long overdue. Here are the boys at Meme's for Thanksgiving.

Cameron helping Nana with Meme's tree!

Carson was so proud of how Meme's tree turned out with his help!

Here is Carson and one of his cousins on Thanksgiving day big rivals as you can see!

My Little Pilgrim

2008-11-21T17:15:00.005-06:00

well pilgrim minister to be exact. Carson's school had a kindergarten Thanksgiving play this morning and he was chosen to be one of the five ministers in the play. They had a few lines by themselves in which they had to say "Praise the Lord". It was the cutest play and all the kids did such a great job.

Of course, Nana and Papa J had to come and see their little actor shine.

Mom and Dad, thanks for always being at Carson's firsts, no matter how big or small.

Who says it can't happen?

2008-11-21T17:01:00.005-06:00

Sammy made a new friend and he lasted for one whole hour! Here he is. Isn't he cute? In the picture the new mouse friend was up on his back legs just like you see on TV or the movies. Our family has always been a fan of Tom and Jerry and we got to see it play out on our back porch for over an hour. Then Sammy got bored and no longer wanted him as his friend I guess. I wonder what the poor little mouse did to make him so mad!?!?! Carson and I were entertained all afternoon watching it all unfold. Carson just kept making me laugh by saying "awesome".

My Best Friends Wedding...

2008-11-21T16:28:00.005-06:00

...That was such a great movie! It is one of my favorites. Well just 4 more weeks until MY best friends wedding. Liz only has a short time now before she is no longer a single woman and even more importantly a mom raising two beautiful kids by herself. I am so excited because I have had the privilege working with her and Shane to make this day the most special day ever. They are such a great couple and have started their relationship out right for the first time, for each of them with God in the center. We could not be more proud of them and for them. Her tight group of girls could not let this moment pass by without giving her a little surprise personal shower to start the first weeks of marriage out right. We all met for dinner and had her favorite cake and gave her some sweet, sexy, but practical things. We had such a great time laughing and sharing. Thanks to all the girls for making it so special....Cathy, Wendee, Jana, Jonna, Jessica, and Beth. Our sweet Deb was there in spirit. She had to be out of town for her moms surgery and we missed her. I know Liz really enjoyed it and appreciates all you girls daily for sticking with her through everything. Sorry! We did not pull out a camera until the end and never got a picture of the whole group. We will be doing that at the wedding next month girls.

We love you, Liz and can't wait to share many more memories with you and your new complete little family!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-03T12:08:00.006-06:00

We had a fun time again this year for Halloween. Carson was Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars and Cameron was the cutest lion I think I have ever seen. Last year Cameron was only 3 months old and laying asleep in the stroller. This year he got to walk to the doors with his big brother and Carson helped him hold out his pumpkin. What a fun age my boys are at! They are so good together and just love each other so much!

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

2008-10-21T11:52:00.004-05:00

Today was the day Daniel was born 36 years ago. Not sure what time exactly, would have to dig, I think late at night or really early in the morning! But what I do know is he was a big 10lbs and very long! Poor mom (who I know he misses especially on this day)
Babe, today the boys and I celebrate you. What you mean to our family and how much we appreciate everything you do for all of us. You are the best husband and dad and we love you!
Amy, Carson and Cameron

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-21T11:03:00.012-05:00

After school yesterday we met my friend Liz and her two kids at the Pumpkin Express. The kids were excited and had a great time. The weather was beautiful!
Here is Cameron on the train ride! He was not sure what we were doing at first. Then it was choooochooo all the way!

Clapping for every picture.

Crawling through the big log.....

.....finally he made it! Clapping for himself again.

The 3 older ones acting silly!
Jordan, Carson and Shelby(poor thing always the only girl)

Difficult to get all 4 looking!

This is what Cameron did the whole time. He either pulled or pushed the wagon.

Jordan lovin' on our little guy!!

All worn out and ready for a drink and home!

Firmen Memorial

2008-10-21T10:46:00.003-05:00

Carson and I went to a special firemen memorial on Sunday afternoon. Our friend, Jerry was involved, so we went to watch. It was a great service in support of all the firemen living and those who had passed. Lots of firetrucks from all around were there and Carson and I were glad we got to be a part of it. Thanks for inviting us, Kirby's!

Girls Night

2008-10-21T10:21:00.003-05:00

I have the best friends in the world. Thanks girls for always making our time together so fun and special. What a great group we have! Sorry for the few that missed this time. We made some great pottery and will do it again soon!

Fredericksburg Trip

2008-10-17T21:21:00.010-05:00

Here is the back of the cute place we stayed. We loved where we were and think everyone needs to stay on one of these properties if you ever go to Fredericksburg. http://www.absolutecharm.com/

NOT ready, but I had to use it because this is what we did all weekend. Laugh!

Ready now! Kenneth, Daniel and Shane
The guys played golf and did some shopping for a short time with us. Too much noise from two of them, so we sent them home. I wonder if you can guess who did not complain!

Liz, Wendee and I had a great time together. Spa day at our house we stayed at, shopping, shopping, shopping, and staying up late laughing with the guys. These are two girls you want as life long friends and I am glad I have them. I love you girls!

Kenneth and Wendee

If anyone knows Kenneth, it is hard for him to vacation over a few days. He was so funny and we were all glad he wanted to vacation with us crazy people and of course his amazing partner for life. They are so funny together and such a great fit.

Shane and Liz

This is the newest couple if you don't know yet. We are all so excited that God brought these two together. They are their best when they are together. I have loved Lizzie for a long time now and really think I know her and her heart well. She has a heart for God and has been waiting a long time for it to be the right person and time to re-marry. Shane is the perfect fit and we already love him.

Oh my goodness, what do I say? First of all, not the greatest picture. I have loved this man for almost 15 years and it just gets better every year. I am so thankful to him for many things but providing for this family while I stay home and raise the boys is one of my greatest blessings. We are best friends and will cherish this trip and these friends for a lifetime. Thanks for the memories guys!

1st Kindergarten Field Trip

2008-10-17T21:01:00.003-05:00

We had our first Kindergarten field trip and it was to the zoo. Carson's favorite part was getting to ride the school bus. He really wishes he could ride it to school every day, but I have told him we live too far and the bus won't come out this far. The weather turned out beautiful after a short early morning rain. It was so much fun getting to go and help out. They paired us up with another boy and the boys had so much fun and did some very good work on their journals. Cameron also got to tag along and Carson thought that was cool. It was a day of fun for this new Kindergarten mom. My boy is growing so fast and I am not sure I really like it.

My Matthew

2008-10-06T19:33:00.008-05:00

You would be 8 years old today. I thought about you all day, but especially at 2:10PM. I wish I could have had the last 8 years with you here on earth, but God had other plans. The doctors told me I would never have a child naturally and so when I got pregnant for the first time with you we proved all the doctors wrong. You were our first miracle boy. From your birth and death I have learned many things. I have learned about God's grace and love for me at a time when I thought my world could just end. I have learned what it really means to trust God with everything. I have also learned that God has the ultimate plan and it is always in His time. I learned through this life changing experience what a wonderful husband God gave me. He walked beside me and never left me, never questioned, never pushed, and was strong when I was weak. He was my rock, but still my soft place to fall . After having your brothers and the lights they are in my life, I now see the whole picture that God had intended all along. I do miss you dearly, but know now that God needed you more. You are talked about and remembered often. You are our angel and we love you. You were a gift from God and we will never forget you.
I love you,
Mommy
"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD."
1 Samuel 1:27-28

A Treat

2008-10-01T09:07:00.003-05:00

This is a treat around our home. We just love those little white powder donuts. I only buy them when we have not had them in the house for some time, because they seem to go so quickly. Well Cameron got his first taste off one or two. Do you think he enjoyed them? This was snack time before lunch and boy did he want more. Two was the limit. Don't want to give him too much of such a good thing so young. Look real close because the rest of the posts will look different of Cameron.

Baby to Big Boy

2008-10-01T08:25:00.014-05:00

I hope everyone got a good look last time you saw Cameron. If not here is the last picture with his oh soooo long hair. My baby got his first real haircut, and his daddy says it was much needed. There is just something about me wanting to keep him a baby a little longer so we did as long as we could. It was really starting to bug Cameron by tickling his ears. So here are the great pictures we got yesterday. This is of course at the start of a sad afternoon for me.

I think he thought it was funny!

Then he goes to check out what is going on in the mirror.

He sat very still for a long time and then......

......it was sucker time. Keira knows all the tricks. First sucker ever for both of my boys was their first haircuts.

See it works, still sitting very still.

If you look real close you can see the drool running down his hand and arm. I am sure it was a good sucker, cause he did not stop to get all the hair off it like mommy wanted him to.

See all done and enjoyed every minute of it. See first haircuts don't have to be so bad.

That was a work out and now he was ready for his thumb and not even missing all that hair.

Still one happy boy after we got home and still not missing that hair. Just mommy is missing it, because now my baby is a big boy and it went way toooo fast!

Carson and his fish(es)

2008-09-30T10:41:00.015-05:00

Carson had a great day fishing and here are all of his first 5 catches! He caught the most fish that day. Daniel caught nothing and Randall(Daniel's cousin) caught a few. By far Carson caught the most and you can see the excitement on his face when he caught that first one. His biggest one was a 3lb bass and they all said it was big. He reeled each of them in by himself and needed little help with anything except holding the fish for the picture. Not yet ready to hold it, but maybe next time. There will be a next time soon, because they are already planning it. He may turn out to be quite the fisherman. I can not believe he even has the patience for it. I love Randall's face in the background of these, he looks so proud and happy for him. What a sweet cousin to want to take the time and let Carson tag along on all theses adventures with the guys. Did I mention he(Randall) has the patience of Job too?!

"Come, follow me," Jesus said,"and I will make you fishers of men."

Mark 1:17

Manners and more

2008-09-25T07:18:00.004-05:00

We are very big on manners at our house and after last weeks conversation in the car on the way to school it made me proud and I had to laugh. Carson is in the back of the van worshipping to his cd with his hand in the air. I look back and by the third song I say "Carson doesn't your arm get tired?" He says "no I just switch." It is the most sweetest thing to see that kind of worshipping going on in the car so early in the morning. So during a song break he says, "Mommy, I wish I could see Jesus!" I tell him "yes, me too, one day we will" and he interrupts and says "I know one day when we get to go to Heaven" and I agree. I then tell him if he wants he can close his eyes and imagine what Jesus might look like until we get to see Him one day. He in turn without missing a beat says,"No thank you!" Just priceless!

Another of Cameron's firsts

2008-09-13T13:36:00.006-05:00

Do any of these pictures really need captions? Cameron is really getting to be such a funny kid!!
We had sticky green popsicle everywhere as you can see! But boy was it good!

Grandparents Day

2008-09-13T12:00:00.003-05:00

Friday was Grandparents Day at school, so of course my parents wanted to come. They were so excited to be close enough to do it. Carson was very excited to show them around his new school and room. They had muffins and did an activity with him before having to leave. There were lots of kids with no grandparents there so the sweet people my parents are decided to adopt a couple of them at Carson's table and help them with their activity. I am so glad my parents live closer now and can do things like this. They really enjoyed getting to see where he is all day now and were really impressed with the teachers, staff and the school. It really made Carson's day too!! Thanks Nana and Papa J for making YOUR day special to him also. On a side note, it was spirit day and the kids usually wear there school t-shirt, but not Carson. In honor of grandparents day he insisted on wearing his and Papa J's favorite team shirt! Go Longhorns!!

Sammy

2008-09-13T11:52:00.003-05:00

We have a new kitten at the house. We have never really been cat people, but we really need one out here in the country for the mice. He is really Carson's new kitten and mostly his responsibility and he is doing a great job taking care of him. He named him Sammy and says that he is Sammy's daddy. Sammy follows Carson everywhere Carson goes outside only of course. As you can see he is really cute and very sweet with the kids. Thank you to my grandfather and his fertile calico cat who makes very pretty kittens.

My Little Escapee

2008-09-13T11:26:00.009-05:00

This is my sweet baby after his bath. Look at that mischievious face. Guess what is about to happen? You might have guessed it! If happens every time you start to dry him off.........

He gets up and takes off running around his room while laughing, then jets out the door and runs down the hall with the towel still on his head dragging behind him, and squealing with excitement that he has escaped. The best shot I got was right after this, but the shot was a little too revealing and didn't make the blog. Cameron would never forgive me showing everything to everyone!

Here he stopped to play the drums on his trash can!

My Family

2008-09-04T09:57:00.003-05:00

What can I say? I love our little family. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and two beautiful, healthy boys!! One woman could not ask for more. Thank you Jesus! You are the maker of ways!

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-04T09:24:00.010-05:00

Papa J and Nana with the whole crew. All 5 are 5 and under for another few months.

This picture is so funny! It looks like he has been caught and wanting to tell me that Nana made him do it!! Thats what Nana's are for, right??

Papa J and Cameron probably singing.

These two are two peas in a pod and both very strong personalities. It makes for some interesting times now and I am sure more to come.

Hope and Carson found a fun thing to do with the dominoes. Not sure about sitting on Nana's dining table!

Bella and Cameron sharing the blocks. I can't wait to see what they do Christmas. They are 6 months apart and they will probably both be saying "MINE".

And we're off

2008-08-27T08:44:00.015-05:00

....to Kindergarten that is!!

Here is Carson at his table first thing when we got there. He was so cute. He spent some time with his hands in his pockets walking around the room, just checking things out. Maybe he was rubbing that shiney new quarter Nana gave him to rub if he was feeling nervous or sad. It was to help him remember that Nana, Papa J, mommy and daddy were all thinking about him and praying for him on this special day! He didn't seem nervous or anything when we left. He seemed ready to learn!!

Mommy trying to hold back the tears realizing I am fixing to have to let go!

Carson gettting one last hug from little brother who is really going to miss him.

Nana came really for mommy, but loved getting to see Carson on his big day!
What a great help to me she was. We went shopping all day, one of our favorite things to do.

Thanks Nana! We love you!

This is day 2, this morning and still smiling!!

We were so lucky to get such a great teacher and a friend of mommy's from college. Miss Spindle is going to be a great teacher for Carson and makes mommy feel so good about leaving him. He is in such great hands. Thanks Miss Spindle for being YOU and having a heart for kids!! We are so blessed this year. We prayed and prayed to get the transfer and then we prayed some more for his teacher, whoever it was going to be. God was faithful again!

Also on the week of meet the teacher after we got the transfer we found out that Daniel's sister from Michigan and her family had just moved back to Denton that week after 20 years, and guess where his brother in law got a job teaching 2nd grade? Yes you guessed it, Pecan Creek. The Lord does work in mysterious ways. Now Carson has an uncle at the school to look after him too. When we were praying this prayer we had no idea God was going to bring family back to Texas and uncle Brian so close. WOW!! What a testimony to God's love for us and his timing.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phillipians 4:6 NIV

I love what The Message says too!

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

The Old Fire Truck

2008-08-22T14:06:00.004-05:00

These pictures are for our favorite fireman(JK)! This was an old 1970 truck donated from the Dallas FD! The boys did not want to get off.

The Old Caboose and the Tractor

2008-08-22T13:56:00.007-05:00

Carson was checking out the underneath and we talked about how Mr. Kenneth rides on lots of trains for his job. What a cool job!

This was an old tractor at the museum that the kids got to play on. These pictures were all for Mr. Kenneth.

Tyler Trip

2008-08-22T13:20:00.015-05:00

Well as most of you may know my grandmother had major surgery a few weeks ago. She is getting some rehab in the hospital and will probably be going home soon. We decided to get away one last time before Carson started school, so we headed to Tyler last weekend. We booked a hotel with a pool and planned some fun activities for the boys. We also got to spend some great time with Aunt PheePhee, my parents and meme. Meme loved getting to see the boys again. Here are some pics of the boys at the Brookshires Wildlife Museum. What a neat place it was and it had a great park too.

Cameron found some leaves and was carrying them around. It was so cute how he did not want to loose them. Every time he dropped them he would find the same ones and pick them up again. I just had a get a picture of his cute little chubby hands holding them.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

2008-08-02T22:16:00.007-05:00

Daniel got tickets to the Ranger game this week. Carson got to spend some quality time with daddy and my dad(Papa J). The seats were great and they had a fun time.

Carson and Daniel(best buds)

Carson and Papa J hanging out. These two are so funny when you get them together.

The best part of the game....the food!! Carson chose the nachos!

Getting some batting practice in before fall ball.

Cameron's favorite part(the cake)

2008-07-25T15:53:00.011-05:00

This deserved its own post. Cameron's favorite part was by far the cake. He did not care one bit that he had it everywhere. We laughed so much at him. When he had finished the piece he was eating, I took his plate away and he was not too happy. Believe me he had eaten enough!

Cameron's party

2008-07-25T15:40:00.009-05:00

We just had a small party for the birthday boy with mainly family. We had the pool and slip and slide ready for the kids. Cameron enjoyed the water, opened some presents, and as you can tell really enjoyed the cake. We had such a great time with precious people and we are so thankful they came and celebrated with us. We really can not believe our baby turned 1.

Cameron turned 1

2008-07-25T15:34:00.005-05:00

Well I am finally updating with Cameron's birthday pictures. He turned "1" on Friday, July 18th and my parents went with us to Chuck e Cheese to play for a bit and then went to a place here in town to eat afterward. Who really likes that pizza anyway?

Sad Times....not really....well maybe

2008-07-16T21:53:00.005-05:00

Well it is beginning to get a little sad around here for me this week. Carson is with my parents and coming back tomorrow night, so we have had Cameron all by himself this week. It has been fun being able to give him all our attention, but missing Carson dearly. He is such a great big brother and by the conversations on the phone with him he is missing his little brother. Not mom and dad just Cameron. The reason for my sadness is that my baby is turning "1" on Friday. It hit me really hard this week, realizing he is my last one and is not a baby much longer. I can not believe it was a year ago this week that my wonderful friend Dr. Tom was getting us ready to deliver. Time really has flown by this year. Never in a million years did we ever think we would be this blest to have another sweet boy, but God amazed us once again. Look at this personality! Never thought we would have two with such big personalities either.

We are celebrating this weekend and will post pictures soon. Happy Birthday, Cameron! We love you!

Lake Ray Roberts

2008-07-07T18:31:00.007-05:00

My little fisherman. He could really do this all day!

Cameron was enjoying the shade and loved his time in the water.

Carson was pulling Baylee(cousin)around in her boat. Carson was the only one she would let pull her.

CoCo and Baylee just floating.

To end out the July 4th weekend we met the cousins and some friends at the lake. The guys did some fishing, the girls did some floating and the kids did some playing around at the beach area. We had our own little beach area to ourselves and it was so relaxing. Thanks Buttons for the invite.

Annual July 4th party

2008-07-07T15:51:00.026-05:00

This is just a bunch of pictures from our July 4th party. We rented a giant water slide, Daniel smoked some barbecue, had lots of fireworks(thanks guys for the huge show-I think over 2hrs), and everyone had a blast. Thanks again friends and family for making it another great July 4th with some great memories.

Two of my favorite boys

Liz and Shane

Tom and Cathy

Jake Sparks with some sparklers. Such a sweet kid!

Raynee and Carson

Cameron's first July 4th. Last year if everyone can remember I was big and pregnant. Wow, time does fly!

Carson eating homemade ice cream and watching the fireworks.

Liz and Kendee(aka massage therapist in the making)

Jonna(my longest and one of my best girlfriends),Sidney and Jackson at the end of the night. All the kids were exhausted.

Kellye, EJ and Cameron watching the fireworks, of course with his thumb.

Randall(Bubba), Daniel, and Alan-Daniel's cousins

Carson and Cameron actually the day after cleaning up. Thanks to great friends the clean up was not so bad. Thanks again everyone.

Julie Sparks(dear friend for over 10 years, but don't see her enough) with her girls(Jena and Jaci)

Jimmie Sparks and Daniel(great friends for over 10 years) Can everyone say TROUBLE!

Cathy and Lizzie(two of my most special girls)

Happy Birthday, Grandma

2008-07-07T15:47:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Grandma! Glad we got to be there for your 90th birthday.

We love you and miss you dearly!

Sidney, Nebraska

2008-07-07T15:15:00.014-05:00

Grandma, Daniel and Carson having to say goodbye.

Carson and Nolan, new cousins who are the same age. They had so much fun together.

Grandma, Cameron and Carson(Grandma really wanted both in her lap)

CoCo making Cameron giggle.

Yes that is Daniel cutting and serving the cake. I really think he can do anything now if I didn't already. Grandma wanted the grandkids to serve, so of course they did.

Daniel with some of his cousins on their break from serving.

Me and Cameron with Grandma. He was checking her out, but not without his thumb. Look at the next picture. You can barely see it, but anytime we got close to Grandma he wanted to touch her hair. It was so funny!

Sorry this is so far away. This is us with Grandma. Every family got a picture taken with Grandma and so we were there to represent Daniel's mom(Mary Ann) who died in 1999. It is really a sweet picture for Daniel and I and one we will cherish forever.

Here is Grandma with all her kids.

From left to right: Uncle Don, Uncle John, Uncle Ed, Grandma, Uncle Chuck, Aunt Geraldine, Uncle Bob, and Uncle Jerry

Well part of our vacation was spent spending time with Daniel's extended family and celebrating his Grandmother Koesters' 90th birthday. We had such a great time catching up and seeing everyone we had not seen in about 4 years. Carson got to meet some of his cousins he had never met and everyone got to meet Cameron. Daniel and I got to re-connect with many of his aunts, uncles and cousins and we got to spend some great time with his sweet grandmother(mom's mom). They had a birthday party for her and then a family reunion with all her brothers and sisters. It was a great time for all of us! The weather, of course, was great and the temperature was 46 the morning we left to head back for Texas. Crazy!!

Canon City, CO

2008-06-30T22:59:00.014-05:00

We had such a great vacation. We got to spend some time in Canon City, CO with my sister, Mandy and her family. They were so great as tour guides and we did a lot of fun things in the short time we were there. Here are some pictures of the Royal Gorge at look out point, the Holy Cross Abbey Winery, in the creek at Red Canyon and at the hotel pool. The kids had a great time and the weather was beautiful. Thanks Kolmans for showing us a great time! Can't wait to come back and do some more stuff on the list.

Rascal Flatts Concert

2008-06-24T14:19:00.005-05:00

Well this picture was the best we have and it was at the end of the night. Liz and I went to the Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift concert on Saturday night and had a blast. We did not take the camera in because I had read somewhere no cameras. I should have just done it anyway because everyone else had theirs. Oh well, next time, because there will be a next time. We had so much fun and screamed and sang really loud just like everyone else there. We felt like we were in high school or college again screaming at Joe Don as he played the heck out of that guitar. Taylor Swift is such a doll and so very talented. Rascal Flatts was everything we thought they would be and even more. This was a night we will never forget and always cherish as best friends. Next time we decided we were taking the truck, some chairs, some beverages and tailgating with everyone else in the parking lot. What a fun night! Thank you Liz for being such a great friend and thank you for making it fun.

Swim Lessons

2008-06-20T11:13:00.004-05:00

Carson is taking swim lessons with his friends Sidney and Jackson. They are having fun and all doing well. Sidney and Carson are in class together and I laugh when I watch them. Sidney glides across the water like a beautiful swan and Carson swims across like a frog. I guess that is just the difference between girls and boys. Just one more week and we are done and ready to go on vacation. I will post pictures of Colorado and Nebraska when we get back. I am hoping for cooler weather.

Surgery a Success

2008-06-13T21:56:00.004-05:00

Well Holden is out of surgery and recovering. Everything went well and he is taking pedialyte by bottle now and seems to be holding it down. Back to the formula is soon. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank you for all your prayers. See the official update on Melodie's blog. www.ourgrowingfamily02.blogspot.com

Prayers for Holden

2008-06-13T11:22:00.004-05:00

For those of who don't know, my baby sister and her husband adopted a beautiful baby boy just over a month ago. What a blessed miracle he is. He has been doing great, but had what everyone was thinking might be reflux. They went in for an upper GI yesterday morning and found out it was something a little more. He was diagnosed with Pyloric Stenosis. This is a condition where the baby's pylorus(muscle in the stomach)gradually swells and thickens and interferes with food entering the intestines, thus where the projectile spitting up was coming from. They admitted him yesterday and after working on him all day and finally having to take him to surgery to get the IV in, he is now doing better and getting fluids for the dehydration. He is hungry and can't have anything to eat so is getting a little fussy. They are doing the surgery on him this afternoon and should be back to eating in the next 24 hours. So this blog today is for everyone who reads it to begin praying for Holden and the family. Pray for the Drs and nurses and everyone involved in making him better. The surgery will fix it and he should be home in a few days. He is at Childrens Hospital in OKC, so we know he is in great hands. Thank you in advance for all your prayers. You can go to Melodie's blog(Our Growing Family) from my blog to read their story.