Coloring Eggs, and, well, laying eggs

It's strange how they only need me to buy the egg coloring stuff now, and boil the eggs for them.

They can do the rest themselves.

But, they do still need me to buy the stuff, did I mention that?

Connor, Tanner and Allison had some fun laying some eggs, too, in the cubbies in the family room......the things they think up sometimes ;)

Ruffles and Light Sabers

That's our girl.....

What a tender mercy that little girl is to me, and how much I LOVE getting to do the girly things. I like how tough and strong she is, along with all her ribbons and curls.

And I know you already know, but I'm rather crazy about our three sons, too!

Louisiana

Well, I guess I'm starting at the end of the trip....

The last thing we got to do with Edd and Anne and

family was to go to Church with them.

It's no fun to say good-bye to cousins!

(It snowed on the drive home, so that was a good distraction for the sadness.)

I made Edd take a pic of our family before we headed home.

Edd and Anne always serve the best food.

Edd had a crawfish boil for us.

So, the light hit Connor's ears just right---too funny!

This is where we ate some fantastic po' boys.

We also had beignets one evening. The trip also included a trip to Lake Pontchartrain and some blow-up mattress playing.

I will end this post where the trip began: an amazing swamp tour!

We enjoyed the boat ride and I couldn't believe some of the things we saw.

We still miss them...

We still miss our neighbors, Wade and Loren.

The kids have spent hours playing with them. They always left their socks at our place.

They moved away this past summer.

Tanner still talks about Wade.... I still miss my good friends who have moved away, too, Tanner.

MLK sports center

We spend LOTS of time at the Martin Luther King Park and Ballfields.

This past spring, Tanner played on the Phillies and Quinn played for the Astros.....while Allison and Connor played on the playground ;)

Connor 5th grade reading celebration

This is the day the 5th grade celebrated their book reading.

The theme was centered around the Olympics...thus, the red, white and blue attire.

I served cake at the celebration.

Tanner's Artwork

Tanner had his artwork chosen and displayed at the AISD main building. He is here with his art teacher, Melissa Black. His artwork is inbetween him and his teacher---the alligator looking piece of art. This is still backtracking....notice his teacher's coat. It's about February 2010.

Back up: January-ish 2010

Tanner got to go to the Elks Hoop Shoot Contest. He didn't win, but he did just fine! I think Scott and Quinn ran in the Mark Evans fun run while we were at the hoop shoot contest. Connor and Allison were good sports.

Sophie turned 2, and I couldn't resist getting matching dresses for her and Allison. And I still can't resist---they have another set of matching jumpers from this summer....can't wait to see what I find next!

The last photo is of Allison with her Kindergarten friend, Sydney. I love having a new friend, too: Sydney's mom! Sydney's mom, Karrie, isn't a member of our Church, but she went to Church girls' camp with a friend when she was a youth! Pretty neat!

You will appreciate me not posting a photo of another event that happened around this time (and I do have pics of it). Tanner had his pinewood derby cub scouts race. That went just fine. Quinn made a car, and was drilling whilst holding the car, and, well, the drill drilled right through the car and started drilling into his hand. Kind of put a damper on the event.... Tanner will have one last pinewood derby next year, and Quinn IS NOT allowed to make a car!

Backup: Earlier in 2010

A few random photos of earlier this year (as I try to catch up)....I took the kids to Austin to see mom and dad and grandma. Eldon and Stephanie came, too. We went to the livestock show and saw pigs race. I loved the shot of Sophie with my dad. He's so sweet to the grandkids. Gotta love Allison with her spunk and Connor in his stripes and plaid (he did good, it's all the same color family with orangish-brownish-white)!

Sara, that's why we don't have a garden---just kidding, we just can't plan and do it! I think we have more fun playing in the mud than picking weeds! We had a FHE and got the bed all cleaned out for a garden this spring, but it never happened. Is it too late for a fall garden? We'd have to have another FHE to pull all the weeds again....

And that amazing snow day....WOW! It was the coolest thing how the snow just fell, and fell and kept coming some more! The kids had a blast in the way back field. Some friends invited us over to their big backyard to sled/tube/4-wheel. What a neat couple of days that snow gave us!

And the bottom photo is Connor playing ball in the backyard....one day you're out playing in the backyard, and the next you're building snowmen! Speaking of snow, I'm really ready for some cooler temps around here. Really ready. Really ready.

I'm finally off to run and it's almost 10:30am. It's probably almost 90degrees (86.7) now, too ;)

Four pigs in a blanket

I haven't posted in forever (as you already know). And I have a lot of updating to do (actually, I have a lot of things to do, and so do you...;) I hope to update a little here and there, and maybe even keep up a little bit. I don't know how or when, I just know that I like to have a little place to put what happens at our place.

One of the nights during Labor Day weekend, the kids thought it would be fun to sleep outside on the trampoline. They each worked on something (scouting, reading) that evening, in order to be able to camp on the tramp. It was a huge motivator! We brought Allison in, but the boys slept out there allll night. I love their creativity!

Quinn's a Star

On Wednesday evening, Quinn was presented his Star Rank in the Boy Scouts. That boy makes me so proud! Scott's been on his back to get things done, and Quinn gets it done. When Scott was growing up, his highest rank in scouting was Star. It's neat to see Quinn keep going for his Eagle..I love it when Scott pushes him to get what Scott wishes he got when he was growing up.

That reminds me about my first day of teaching.....I couldn't believe I was standing there, in a classroom full of darling 2nd graders---a teacher! I thought about my mom and how she had wanted to teach. She sacrificed so much so that I could stand there and be a teacher that fall day up at Ivy Hall Academy. And now, it's our turn. We want to give our kids things that we know they will be so glad they have someday.

I'm also getting excited for the spring. I think it's the nice weather we've had lately. I expect that we'll have a couple more cold fronts before it's really time to start to warm up, but it's making me excited. I just got back from my run and it was gorgeous outside. (3 miles at Stovall.) And speaking of running, Scott and I had to decide which of us was going to run in the Stake Fun Run. I wanted to, and so did Scott. The thing that kept us both from going is Mr. Tanner----he won a hoop shoot contest at the school and gets to go on to the next level at Arlington High. So, we decided that Scott's going to the race with Quinn. I will take Connor and Allison with me to cheer Tanner on.

I am looking forward to watching Quinn play ball again this spring. This morning, he thought that maybe, just maybe, we could go to Arizona for the pre-season of the Rangers and see a game....they'd be cheap tickets, he reminds me (yeah, and that would balance out the travel to get us there ;). He is so excited! It made me feel good that 3 coaches wanted Quinn on their team this spring. He went with the coach who lets him play the positions he likes, and a team that doesn't clobber all the teams. Quinn says he is stretched more as a player when he works hard on the losing team.

Tanner is going to play baseball this spring, too. I can't wait to see him play, since he hasn't played since coach pitch a few years ago on a team with Connor. Connor is going to play soccer again. Connor's thinking baseball in the fall, when it's not as competitive. He is a natural at whatever he touches, but he doesn't have the confidence. How can I give him that? And speaking about Connor, he just got new glasses (it had been a year) and he will go to his Priesthood Preview this Sunday evening. Where has the time gone?
(Don't I say that in every post???)

And little Bug....she's going to be in her first gymnastics competition this spring at Will Rogers in Ft. Worth. They're performing to Cruella deVille.

I am still getting over the grief of the adoption that fell through. But, time is doing its job, thank heavens. I find that I'm happier not to think about it....it just makes me grouchy!

I don't want to end this post on that note, because I don't like that note.
So, I'm ending it on a better note---tell me some things you are looking forward to this spring!

Semester Break

Today the kids had a day off of school. We went to a park. I ran while they played on the playground and practiced baseball. When I finished my run, I pushed Allison on the swing and played some more ball with the kids.

This afternoon, we went to Putt-Putt with the kids' coupons. We had a great time being outside and together.

This evening, the kids were anxious for Scott to come home, so that he would play basketball and trampoline with them.

Now, it's back to the usual.....bath and bedtime,
with school tomorrow.

It's been a fun break!

While the brothers were gone

Last Friday night, all the boys had other things to do: Tanner and Connor were off at birthday parties and Quinn was on a scout camp out.

That left Allison.......
We played "Sorry" and "Pretty, Pretty Princess." Scott took her out to Sonic (gift cards from work) and came back with treats for all 3 of us.

What a fun little night with just Allison. When I had talked with her earlier about what she wanted to do, she just wanted to play with us
(not begging to go places,
just be home and play).

Birthday Party

Allison went a school friend's birthday party recently.
She could dress up for it.....and she did!!!
We played girly music really loud while I got her ready.
I had such a good time getting her fancy.