Life As I Know It

2012-01-20T19:43:00.003-06:00

On days like today I love living in TX. I think it got to the 80s and it was beautiful. We had a picnic lunch at the park and then headed to the lake this afternoon. Looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend.

2012-01-12T13:58:00.002-06:00

The other night as Brian and I were getting ready to head to bed we found a little surprise and note from our sweet kids... it was pretty cute and I am impressed that I did not hear them plotting anything?!

2012-01-12T13:39:00.010-06:00

I know it is almost the middle of January, but I feel like we are just wrapping up the Christmas season and getting back into the swing of things. This week has been our first full week back in school and my Christmas decorations are still up tree and all (they will be coming down today - despite my children begging me to leave them all up...) We had a great couple of weeks in KS over break. We got to see a lot of family, good friends, have a date, play at a water park (thanks Grandma and Papa), and just hang out. I did not take to many pictures, and my camera battery was dead for the Lehmann Christmas, but here are a few pictures at least.

2011-12-21T13:39:00.006-06:00

We had our 'Christmas Eve' and 'Christmas' this past weekend. We do stockings and one gift on Christmas Eve along with the Christmas story and the kids are always so excited. Eli was ready with the bible in hand when Daddy got home from work Friday so we could get the show on the road. They decided that they wanted to have pizza, breakfast burritos, chicken noodle soup, apple crisp, and meatballs with bowtie pasta. I was excited about the easy choices and we had a lot of fun.

I felt a little old this Christmas especially as I shopped for Eli. He got a bow which he loves and I got him and Brian a couple of games that they both enjoy - I mean big kid stuff...

The kids were very excited about the gifts that they bought for each other this year - Eli got Kiley a hello kitty gum ball machine and Kiley got Eli a couple of NFL players. (the library got a new series about each NFL team and now Eli is very interested in the NFL)

We had a great little family Christmas and I feel immensely blessed.

2011-12-12T13:29:00.005-06:00

On Friday we went to main street Bethlehem. It was a little over an hour away and we stood in line for a little over an hour, but it was so worth it. The kids loved it. There is an actual little town set up as it would have been when Jesus was born. They had the market with people selling things, animals, rope makers, cloth makers, bakers, people just in their homes eating or making butter, black smiths, the jail, the well, the tavern, the inn, and the 'stable' where Jesus was born. Roman soldiers were walking around and everyone was in character. The kids loved it. As we were walking out Kiley asked if we could please just get back in line and see it all again or just go home and sleep and them come back in the morning time. The kids both thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

2011-12-10T21:56:00.003-06:00

So today was a big day in the Lehmann household...

Eli has, much to his father's delight, discovered the game Risk and he loves it. Today Brian and Eli finished their first game (it was started on Thursday night...) and Eli was victorious. Now he is hooked. How anyone can enjoy a game that takes that long is beyond me...

Thursday night Mr. Eric stopped by and quickly became Eli's military advisor...

Horrible picture of Brian this morning, but I guess he was just morning his defeat?!

2011-12-10T21:53:00.000-06:00

2011-12-01T21:53:00.006-06:00

December is here... We started our Jesse Tree and advent activities today and the kids were very excited. This is our second year to do the Jesse Tree it is a daily devotional that takes you through the bible hitting on some of the main characters and stories up to the birth of Jesus. We have a tree that we put an ordament the represents each story on.

We also have a little house with numbered doors on it and each day the kids open a door and it has some little treat in it. Tonight they got a tootsie roll and they were very excited...

2011-11-30T14:14:00.003-06:00

Brian got the kids an early Christmas present and couldn't wait until then to put it up so... the kids have been thoughtly enjoying their trampoline. The morning after he put it up they were out at about 7:15?!

2011-11-30T13:58:00.005-06:00

Well it has been awhile...
I am amazed that November is already gone. Our time was filled with school and just enjoying our time together. We spent Thanksgiving with great friends here and had a wonderful time. The Thankful wreath is down now and the Christmas decorations up. We have a countdown chain counting down our time until we get to head back to KS for the holidays (I got tiered of Kiley asking every day many times a day when we were going, she is very excited...)

Last weekend we headed to Austin for a Christmas parade. The kids enjoyed themselves even though it was actually raining right before and a little chilly (we will defiantly not complain about rain b/c we desperately need it). It was a great parade and they had floats in the parade that would stop and you could load with gifts for needy children or those in the hospital at Christmas time. It was right beside the capital building which Eli of course loved. They loved all the huge balloons and Eli thought it was great the spiderman actually sprayed web on everyone.

2011-11-11T20:29:00.003-06:00

Love these kiddos!

2011-11-05T14:07:00.005-05:00

Some of our friends came over this morning to give the kids some 'glasses' that they had made. They had fun playing and decided to make a band. Eric decided they should be called the Spectacles. It was defiantly entertaining.

2011-11-05T13:54:00.004-05:00

The kids always have fun picking out pumpkins each year. This year Kiley picked one from the pumpkin patch and Eli wanted to wait and look at a different patch b/c he did not see one that he really liked!? Last year Eli bought the big pumpkin and he ended up not getting one at all this year. He could not find one that was just right after his huge success last year.

Kiley however wanted to make a face on hers. We spent Halloween at home and carved a pumpkin, played in the back yard, and watched a movie before heading to bed. It was a great family night. The kids had fun gutting the pumpkin and then eating the roasted seeds.

2011-11-01T12:50:00.003-05:00

Kiley was very proud of herself and her letters yesterday. She asked me to take a picture and, of course, had to show Eli. It is OK if mom says good job but oh so much better when her brother is proud of her.

2011-11-01T12:42:00.003-05:00

Eli has been keeping busy with school and soccer. Last week he did find some time to make an addition to the tree house. He thought that it could use another way up and down (even though it had two already) so he built this ladder and daddy helped him with the drill. He was very proud of himself.

Last week Eli had a dress up day. They were to dress like a character from literature. He, of course, went with history and wanted to be Davy Crockett.

2011-10-22T13:05:00.004-05:00

The kids and I headed to a birthday party this morning. It was at a little ranch and the kids had a lot of fun. They rode horses, dressed up horses, and lassoed goats.

Kiley loved doing the little horse and donkey's hair and Eli's favorite was the goat roping. Kiley was not a fan herself she would run after them and when she got close stop when they told her to throw it she said, "No thanks I do not want to hurt the goat."

2011-10-18T16:21:00.003-05:00

We got to enjoy a pumpkin patch with some friends and the kids had a lot of fun. The maze with the biggest hit. The kids loved searching for the bell and then running all around playing hide and seek. They had a great day and were exhausted by the end.

2011-10-12T08:22:00.003-05:00

Brian and Eli enjoyed doing a little target practice with Eli's Red Rider. He was pretty proud of himself when he hit the jug and the water started straying out...

On a side note - we are truly enjoying school this year. Eli has been extra tired this week and I love the fact that he can still be sleeping at 8:30. We may still be doing school when daddy gets home, but that is ok because he is getting his rest!!

2011-10-09T13:23:00.003-05:00

Praise the Lord we got rain!!!! It was actually enough to make a little mud too. The kids had a blast playing in it...

2011-10-06T12:28:00.002-05:00

Yeah - it got into the upper 80s today! The kids have been enjoying being outside more. Eli has started soccer and scored his first goal of the season Tuesday. Kiley is enjoying watching but is ready to start playing herself. I do not have any great pictures of soccer yet but will keep trying...

Last night they were playing in the yard and I looked outside to check on them and see Kiley bent over something in the yard, concerned that it may be ant I asked her what she was doing. "Just helping cut the grass she said." She had a pair of scissors and was cutting the grass blade by blade...

2011-09-29T22:19:00.003-05:00

We had a couple of days when it was a little cooler but we are back up in the hundreds again. So the kids have been enjoying playing in some water (remember we are in a drought thus the little pools and not much water). Today they decided to paint themselves in sand as well!?

2011-09-26T21:41:00.005-05:00

Fun family photo shot after baths...

Some of the many faces of Kiley...

2011-09-26T21:22:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday (one day late) to my beautiful little girl. It is hard to believe that she is 4. We had a party for her at the local gymnastics gym and had a whole lot of fun. She is into Hello Kitty right now so I went with it and we all had so much fun. We are very blessed to have some great families as friends. Here are a few fun pictures from the night...

2011-09-15T13:23:00.002-05:00

2011-09-15T12:55:00.010-05:00

It has been awhile. Between school and my parents visiting we have been a little busy. We are getting into the routine of school. Eli is loving history. We are studying the middle ages and any free time we have he is asking to read his history book. My parents came down for a long weekend and the kids loved having them around. Brian and Dad finished up the tree house. We made a trip to Topsey's (the drive through animal place) and just hung out around the house. I did not get to many good pictures at Topsy's because I was driving but I think that camel was the favorite this time he had no problem getting his entire head and most of his neck into the truck! The kids spent a lot of time with the goats too. Eli found a nice little one that he was comfortable with and of course Kiley had no problem with any of them.

Kiley also got to celebrate her birthday a little early with Grandma and Papa. Grandma made her a purse cake and got her some jewelry and a jewelry box. Thank you Grandma and Papa!

2011-09-06T21:43:00.003-05:00

So as we continue to get further into drought we continue to look for ways to cool off in the triple digit heat. The lake which we have thoroughly enjoyed since moving down here is nearly gone at this point and most of the streams have dried up. However, we did find a creek in the nearby town still flowing and enjoyed playing with friends over the Labor Day weekend.

2011-09-06T21:37:00.002-05:00

Aunt Gina sent Kiley a little package in the mail a few days ago and the kids both had a lot of fun playing w/the 'fish eggs' as Eli called them. Thank you Gina!

2011-09-06T21:24:00.004-05:00

It is in the double digits today! And yes that is defiantly news worthy! I think we have had 80 some days over 100 and this morning was so refreshing it was in the 80s... Anyway, we have been keeping busy with school and getting into our new routine. So far I am truly enjoying the university model. Eli is enjoying it as well. Tonight after baths Eli and Kiley were both in Eli's room and came out, very proud of themselves, dressed as 'Providence school boys' as Eli put it...

They had fun and 'played' school for a few minutes before bed.

2011-08-27T12:23:00.005-05:00

This morning we got to go to a friend of a friends little farm and enjoy riding horses, feeding animals, and watching her husband fly on the dirt bike. Kiley and Eli both had a lot of fun. Our first horse rides... Eli liked the horses but when he saw the dirt bike flying over the ramps he was loving it and really wanting to ride it...he at least got to sit on it for a picture. I was pretty impressed myself...

2011-08-23T12:05:00.003-05:00

Today was Eli's first day of Providence. I did not get any great pictures but at least I have a couple. It is about 20 min from our house so he had already eaten his oatmeal but wanted to have toast for the drive too.

2011-08-16T13:28:00.006-05:00

Brian has had a project going for the last couple weeks. He has been working on a tree house for the kids. Stage one is complete and we are planning to work on stage two when my parents come down in a couple of weeks.

Even in the heat (I know we are in the 60s for #of consecutive days over 100) the kids have began to enjoy the tree house.

2011-08-16T13:13:00.002-05:00

There was a house fire down the street just before lunch today, which had everyone a little on edge b/c we are SO dry here. Anyway, the smell is horrible and as we are sitting down to eat Kiley says, "When I am old I am going to inbent(invent) a nose cast so I do not have to hold my hand on my nose all of the time." I thought is was pretty creative Eli, however, after a couple of seconds say, "Kiley you probably should rethink that a little. If you really have a cast over your nose how are you going to breath? Did you think of that?" This was followed a couple of seconds later (quietly, almost to himself) "Well, I guess you do still have your mouth so it really wouldn't matter..."

2011-08-11T15:04:00.000-05:00

The doctor is in...

2011-08-11T14:59:00.003-05:00

Dinner is served...

This is what you get when you give full freedom in the kitchen to a six year old.

2011-08-04T20:11:00.002-05:00

Kiley came out of her room today very proud of herself - dressing in a baby gown that her and her brother both used as babies - she had it on with her cowboy boots but by the time I got the camera the boots were off...

2011-08-04T19:55:00.004-05:00

Eli has read his way through the magic tree house series this summer and has really enjoyed them. It often sparks his interest in the topic or time in history and he wants to learn more about it which is great. He also loves to use his imagination and act out the stories or just make up something similar. Kiley is usually always a willing follower and they have spent hours 'visiting' places this summer as we spend hours indoors avoid the 107 degree days outside...
Yesterday they were passengers on the Titanic but when it sank there was only a couple of kayaks for the passengers to get to safety on so he and Kiley went up and down the hall for probably an hour rescuing other passengers and taking them to safety...

2011-08-03T13:14:00.002-05:00

It is hard to believe that it is already August. August always means back to school. Eli had a great year last year in Kindergarten with a wonderful teacher. However, he did get very tired and with him in bed so early (often by 6:30) I did not feel that we really got to have any family time. So, after praying and thinking through things, this, along with many other things, lead us to decide that for this coming year we are going to do something different. Eli will be going to a classical christian university model school for the coming year. This means that he will be at school on Tuesday and Thursday for a full school day and that Monday, Wednesday, Friday will be a full home school day. The school is on a university calendar and he has 10 kids in his class and will be able to move as fast as he needs through the curriculum which will be nice. I am both nervous and excited about this year and this new adventure. So we are enjoying our last couple of weeks of summer and I am attempting to get my things in order for the school year. I just got one of my big boxes in from Amazon w/more curriculum so while the kids are resting (or in their rooms at least) I am going to go through my treasures...

2011-07-31T14:07:00.002-05:00

Summer fun in the heat - The kids played outside for a few minutes with Daddy this weekend - we had to have snow cones and water to make it bearable...

2011-07-25T10:34:00.002-05:00

Bubble Painting fun...

2011-07-14T14:41:00.000-05:00

2011-07-14T14:30:00.007-05:00

Today we headed to the zoo for the morning - next year we will wait until November or December so we do not melt but we still had fun.

2011-07-12T13:58:00.003-05:00

The kids have been enjoying the water lately because if you are outside here you need to be in water - triple digits do that for you.

Yesterday we had a birthday party at a water park and today we enjoyed another new splash pad and shaded playground.

2011-07-12T13:52:00.003-05:00

Kiley discovered Eli's old cowboy boots yesterday and they are her size and she loves them...
Today she came out ready to go to the splash pad with the suit and boots on...

2011-07-08T14:26:00.009-05:00

Fun on the farm...

Eli is not missing teeth right now they were just enjoying the wild berries.
Kiley and Papa checking out the wood they were going to use on the new fishing dock.

Kiley was very excited when she saw the baby kittens and she played with them every chance she had...

2011-07-08T13:56:00.007-05:00

We just got back from a trip to KS to see the family and friends. I ran a 5k with a couple of my best friends from forever and then got to spend some fun time with family. Eli and Kiley had a lot of fun swimming at the country club with family, playing tag on the hay bails, riding go-carts at Aunt Betty and Papa John's house, playing with the kittens that Papa and Grandma got just for them, fishing, and just enjoying family and the country.

2011-06-28T19:38:00.003-05:00

I think that it is fair to say that we are settled in and enjoying the summer. The new house has a 'tree house' of sorts in the back yard and both the kids enjoy it especially Kiley. Brian and Eli have big plans for it so we will see what it looks like in a few weeks. (I am not talking Jasper tree house style just normal tree house :) Eli has been reading through the Magic Tree House books this summer and he loves them - I think that is also why the tree house is such a draw right now.

2011-06-25T11:34:00.004-05:00

The local library sponsored a 5K and 1K kids run this morning so the kids and I both participated in our first 'race'. I left while everyone was sleeping and did the 5K then Brian got the kids up and came. As I was leaving I did have a thought that maybe I should set out the kids clothes, but did not...

Anyway they both did great and had fun. They received a metal and a book at the finish line and are ready for another 'race' next weekend.

2011-06-24T14:44:00.003-05:00

The kids and I spent the morning with friends taking a little hike, playing in the water, and enjoying a picnic lunch. It is a nice little area w/a waterfall and a lot of shade which is wonderful. Somehow I did not get a picture of the actual waterfall but they had fun in the little spout as they called it...

2011-06-23T15:07:00.003-05:00

The kids just finished up a week of swimming lessons and they both seemed to enjoy it. They take lessons from a lady at her home and she also has horses, rabbits, a couple of dogs, and two very large play structures so the kids have a lot of fun in and out of the water.

We also tried out a little splash park in town for the first time - it was a little small but the kids had fun for a while.

2011-06-17T21:41:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures of summer fun we have had with the kids so far...

2011-06-17T21:33:00.002-05:00

This week Brian and I had our 10 year anniversary. It has been a great ten years filled with many ups and downs but has never lacked adventure. As we complete our 9th move in our ten years of marriage we feel very blessed and grateful for all God has given us. I love you Brian, thank you for all you do for me and our family.

2011-06-17T20:49:00.003-05:00

It has been awhile but we have been kind of busy. We have managed to finish out school, move to a new house, settle in and are getting ready for swimming lessons and then a trip to KS. We are all enjoying the new house (#9). Though we do miss some of the space we do not miss the bugs and issues of the house so goodbye house... (Eli thought that I needed to take a picture of the house so he would remember)

2011-05-31T12:41:00.005-05:00

As we are wrapping up a blessed weekend as a family and beginning yet another busy week I wanted to stop just a moment and thank all the men and woman, families, and friends of our service. I am continually amazed at the selfless lives that you chose to live so that we can enjoy the freedom that we do. Thank you for allowing my family the joy of freedom.

We had a long weekend with Brian off Friday for Eli's 'graduation' and off Monday for Memorial Day. We spent time at a parade, hanging out at the lake, working in the yard, and playing with friends...

2011-05-27T20:20:00.005-05:00

Today was Eli's big graduation day. They had a big thing - the kids all had caps and gowns, a big ceremony, songs, cake and punch, and a shortened school day. Brian took the day off and we asked Eli what he wanted to do. So after school we headed to Barns and Noble were he, not surprisingly, picked out a couple of history books, then we headed to Which Which for lunch, home for a movie, nap, baseball practice, dinner and to bed. Eli enjoyed his day, school is actually not done until the 2nd but we are getting close. Eli has had a great year, but we are ready for summer.

2011-05-24T08:16:00.002-05:00

So this is what Kiley came down stairs dressed in yesterday morning...

2011-05-24T07:54:00.005-05:00

Last night as I was driving home from my run I notice something starting to cross the road ahead of me as I got closer I thought it looked like a spider... I ended up turning the car around to look b/c I wanted to see for sure what it was b/c I was pretty sure it could not be a spider (you are not supposed to be able to see a spider crossing the road when you are driving 55mph). Needless to say I saw my first tarantula (besides the zoo) and hope it is the last.

2011-05-23T12:19:00.004-05:00

We had fun at the lake over the weekend. There was a little breeze and a storm was coming in which made the water a little rough and the kids loved 'riding the waves' and playing w/the twins...

2011-05-23T07:27:00.002-05:00

One evening this past week I was folding laundry in the bedroom and commented that I needed to go start dinner. Eli ran out of the room and I hear him rummaging around the kitchen. I finished folding the clothes and then headed to the kitchen only to be told that I was not wanted. He actually said, "Don't you have a book that you need to read or something like that not in the kitchen?" I did not really have a plan for dinner so I got my book and headed to the porch. I was really pleasantly surprised - Eli with a little assistance from Kiley had dinner on the table for everyone...

2011-05-21T07:33:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was field day for Eli, a MUCH anticipated day and I will have to say I was impressed with the production the kids had stuff going from 8-2. Lots of water activities, games, and they also had a couple of army helicopters fly in while the kids watched and allowed them to 'play' on them. Brian took off work and spent the morning with him and then I went in late morning and spent the rest of the day. Eli was scheduled for a baseball game last night at 7 which is really late for us, I told him he needed to rest after school if he wanted to go to his game. He went right to sleep and didn't wake up until 5:30. Need less to say he was worn out! (His game ended up being rained out so we played a few games and read and he was still in bed by 8:30.)

2011-05-19T12:54:00.003-05:00

So for mother's day this year (I know if has been awhile) Brian and the kids picked out a plant for me and came home with some paint to decorate the pot with. Brian was gracious enough to allow me to do the writing after the handprints were done :). It turned out cute and the kids love looking at it.

Yesterday Brian also surprised me with a garmin (a really cool running toy) so now my excuses are dwindling :) Thanks for thinking of me hon - your the best - love you!

2011-05-15T15:47:00.002-05:00

Brian and Kiley love to tell stories together. They always take turns and Kiley's usually involve a princess of some sort. A couple of night ago we are at the table and Kiley goes to say the prayer - she starts, "Once upon a time...no that is not right what is it mommy?" I tell her dear God and she says, " Oh yeah, I know dear God...the end, oh I mean amen"

2011-05-14T09:25:00.002-05:00

The kids love to dress up in our clothes and 'work out' or 'run' it is pretty amusing...

2011-05-14T09:04:00.009-05:00

Sorry it has been awhile...

Eli has been enjoying his baseball games. He has gotten one hit off the machine but usually he hits off the tee. He has also gotten a home run which he was very excited about. Kiley is enjoying the games too - she does not do much watching but plays on the toy blanket w/all the other siblings. She was very excited when she found out the triplets from her Sunday School class had a brother on Eli's team too. They enjoy playing w/polly pockets dolls and any other toys available.

2011-05-03T07:56:00.002-05:00

Eli had his first baseball game over the weekend and had fun. He got a hit off of the machine so daddy took us all out for ice cream afterward. He said that he always got to go to DQ if he got a hit when he first started playing so he wanted to take Eli. My camera battery died when we arrived at the fields but we have many more games to get pictures at...

2011-04-27T13:24:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I made my first purchase off of craigslist and after about a bottle of lysol and container of clorox wipes Kiley and I have enjoyed it. Well she has at least. I have been attempting to run so I can do a 5k with one of my best friends since Kindergarten. Enjoy for me would not be the choice of words:) but the jogging stroller is nice and I no longer have to worry about tipping her like I did when I attempted to use the double jogging stroller we have. Anyway today we headed out to the lake for me to get my 20 minutes in. I love being at the lake when it is peaceful the deer are everywhere and the heat is not bad. Kiley has enjoyed listen to music as I run and then of course we had to play in the water a little.

2011-04-24T19:18:00.007-05:00

Here are the pictures from the creek we went to. Eli had never been and his quote was, "Mom we really should come here like infinite days in a row."

The last two pictures are of Eli praying. As we were playing I looked over and see him (the first picture) so I walk over and ask him if he is OK he says, "Yes, I was just praying this looked like an alter or praying rock so I though I should use it."

2011-04-24T18:56:00.006-05:00

I hope that everyone had a great Easter weekend. Ours was filled with egg hunts, Resurrection eggs, Resurrection rolls, baseball practice, church, coloring eggs, more playing with Resurrection eggs, and a trip to a great creek w/a 'waterfall' to play. The kids are in bed and we are ready to start a new week.

The kids really enjoyed the Resurrection eggs and loved the book that goes with them Benjamin's Box. I would highly recommend it to anyone with kids in the house.

2011-04-19T12:48:00.001-05:00

Last week we found a new little 'park' in a nearby town. there is a great creek that goes through it and it is nice and shallow - perfect for wadding in. There is also a playground and fun rocks to climb all over. Kiley had fun w/her friends and I am sure we will head back this summer.

2011-04-16T22:09:00.003-05:00

We have (or I should say had) Strawberries!!! Our nice little plant gave us each a strawberry to enjoy hopefully that will not be the end of them but they were delicious...

2011-04-16T22:08:00.000-05:00

2011-04-11T08:16:00.005-05:00

For those of you who do not know the state flower of Texas is the bluebonnet and apparently the thing to do this time of year is to take pictures in the blue bonnets. I mean people drive all over looking for the perfect patch to do the pictures and if there is a good patch no matter where it is even on the side of the road people just pull over and take pictures. I as you know like taking pictures so of course I jumped right on the opportunity. I have only taken a few b/c when we went Saturday we had already been to family fun day at the park and the kids had their faces all painted. They had fun running in the flowers and I got a few pictures.

2011-04-10T13:25:00.004-05:00

We are just rounding out a busy weekend. Eli started baseball this week. He made the cutoff by a day so he has to play machine pitch w/6-8 yrs olds. His coach seems great and he is playing with a bunch of kids from church so hopefully we will make it through the season ok. So between practice, hiking, family fun day, chalk ridge falls, birthday party, and church it has been a full weekend. We are enjoying exploring and finding new place to fill our summer with. Here are a few random pictures from the last week.

2011-04-10T13:19:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Brian! Brian took a weekend camping/hunting trip for his birthday, it will be interesting to see how it turned out. We celebrated(if can call a new water bottle in a paper bag and a steak dinner celebration) a little early on Thursday... Happy belated birthday - we love you!

2011-04-10T13:13:00.003-05:00

It is hard to believe that we are into April already. Eli has been enjoying working on his lego sets from his birthday and they both love playing with the finished product.

2011-03-31T19:56:00.003-05:00

From then till now...

It is hard to believe that now I have a six year old!! Eli had a great day yesterday. He requested breakfast in bed?! Mom, Dad, and Kiley got to join him at school for lunch. He was very excited to see Daddy and I enjoyed spending the morning at school with him. After school we went to yo yos Eli's favorite self serve yogurt joint. After yo yos came the highlight. We gave him a gift card to Barns and Noble (I know not your typical 6 year old gift but he LOVED it) and he got to pick out books. He ended up with several history books - George Washington, American Indians, Christopher Columbus, and Geronimo. After I convinced him to leave Barns and Noble we meet Daddy for dinner. Eli decided that he wanted to go to Boston's for dinner and after we got there we discovered that it was kids night so Eli got fun balloon creatures and special dessert. Overall a great day!

It is crazy to look back over the last six years. My little man has been through a lot in his little life and nearly always had an amazing attitude. He has an infectious personality and we love him more than words!

2011-03-27T14:21:00.003-05:00

Last night we had an early birthday party for Eli. We had a lot of fun. The kids played in the pool and ran around everywhere. Eli could not decide what kind of cake he wanted so I attempted Lightening McQueen, Tow Madder, and spiderman cupcakes...

2011-03-25T19:37:00.002-05:00

We had our first evening at the 'beach' today and of course the kids had a lot of fun...

2011-03-25T19:33:00.003-05:00

I was working in the yard this morning and Kiley had asked if she could play in the car. I told her that was fine if she left the doors open. I went to get something from inside and this is what I saw.

She said that she was going to the store and wondered if I needed her to get anything...

2011-03-23T19:46:00.002-05:00

Spring is defiantly here and by the temp. today it feels like it may already be on the way out. We are trying to enjoy the nice weather before the extreme heat arrives. Eli loves growing things so we bought a few things for the summer. We are attempting strawberries, tomatoes, some herb, and a blueberry bush. Eli was very excited today to see sprouts on everything. We can only hope and pray that we get at least something from it all...

2011-03-21T07:49:00.004-05:00

We ended break with a trip to San Antonio Saturday. Eli has been asking to go to the Alamo and when I asked what he wanted to do for his birthday that was the request. So Brian's brother and his family came down Friday night and stayed with us and then we headed to SA in the morning. The kids had a lot of fun seeing each other. We walked through the Alamo and along the river walk, had super at Hard Rock Cafe and headed home. Thanks Bobby and Camile for the fun day.

Eli loved the Alamo and in true Uncle Bob fashion he bought Eli a Davy Crockett gun and coon skin hat. That made for one happy little man. The kids also enjoyed the boat ride through the river walk.

2011-03-21T07:35:00.002-05:00

Eli is back to school this morning and we are going to get back into our routine. Here are a few pictures of our spring break fun.

We got to hang out at daddy work. Eli loved reading all about the tanks, guns, and equipment in the open museums that are all over the fort. We, of course, hung out at the lake some and we went to Whistle Stop with friends to play on the trains, watch the real ones, and play on the amazing play ground.

2011-03-15T14:20:00.000-05:00

2011-03-15T14:16:00.002-05:00

Last night Eli comes out of his room w/a big grin on his face and says, "Mom I just found a chocolate bar in my bed." So I ask him how it got there and he very seriously tells me he really did not put it there - he convinced me(which was not to hard b/c I had already caught Kiley sneaking a bar earlier) so I asked him to bring it down stairs and get back in bed. He looked at me kind of funny and said, "It was in my bed did you really think that I was not going to eat it?"

2011-03-14T13:04:00.003-05:00

This week is spring break for mr. Eli and so far we are off to a great start. Had fun at gymnastics this morning and they are both 'resting' now. Looking forward to the week having them both home - they really do play great together most of the time...

2011-03-10T16:00:00.003-06:00

So I have been enjoying trying to make some cake pops. I have only done it a couple of time but it is fun and the kids always think that they are so cool (even if they are not eating them...). I promised to post a few pictures so here you go please keep in mind I am learning :)

2011-03-09T13:27:00.001-06:00

Eli made us a special breakfast Sunday morning...

He said that it really was the perfect balance of good and bad...

2011-03-04T19:33:00.002-06:00

Got to love my son. He loves to be right. Today as we were driving home from school we stopped at a 4 way and my son says, "Mom do you know who makes the stop signs?" I said that someone who works for the state probably did. He asks if I know how to get a hold of them? I asked why and he says, "because they made a mistake. It is not all way it should be all ways!"

2011-03-01T12:46:00.004-06:00

We have been enjoying the beautiful weather. A couple of days ago the kids and I headed to the lake to walk in the water, have a picnic, and explore. Always fun...

2011-02-28T12:08:00.002-06:00

Eli's big news from the KS trip was that he lost his first tooth. It was very loose and when Andrew and him were wrestling it came out...

He was pretty excited about it!

2011-02-26T14:09:00.005-06:00

The kids and I took off last Tuesday evening and headed to KS to surprise my father. We left Tuesday stayed w/Brian's brother near Ft Worth for the night and headed on down the road. Praise the Lord that he gave me good travelers, b/c he did not give me kiddos who sleep in the car. Eli is actually sleeping some now but Kiley is defiantly not. We got in Wed. night and stayed till Monday morning. I am so glad that we made the trip. Eli got all his homework made up before we got back, the kids had a great time, and the weather in KS was great for us. We brought the nice weather and then took it back with us :)

For anyone who does not know my dad hurt his shoulder and is having surgery. Because of this surgery and the recovery he decided that he would need to sell his beloved cows! So we headed back to milk one last time and 'help' out with wood and anything else we could. Although I am not sure how much help we were other than to maybe provide comic relief and a break from all that was going on.

We had a lot of fun w/cousins and just playing around the farm. Kiley got to see her wonderful aunt Gina who spoils her without sham. The picture of them talking is when Kiley is giving G her list of things that she would like for her to bring her - all consisting of food. The picture that I did not get was of Gina and Kiley sneaking into Grandma's closet to eat a bag of cheetos...

2011-02-24T21:16:00.003-06:00

In case anyone is curious this is what a loving husband, time, and goo gone can do to the table.

I think the actual quote was, "Oh yeah - come in here, I just made the blog."

Daddy's reward for redeeming his princess!

2011-02-24T20:01:00.005-06:00

In case anyone is curious this is what hand sanitizer and a three year old can do to your table.

She discovered the small bottle (thank God that it was small...) in the inside pocket of a backpack and was, "just helping you clean mommy..."

Also, after I picked up Eli from school today he and Kiley were playing in my room while I steam mopped before homework time. After I informed them that I was done they both came out of my room and Eli says, "Can I please have the legos that are buried in your closet?" So much for the birthday surprise. I went in to see what they had discovered and rehide the gifts. As I walked into my closet however I could smell fingernail polish. I called for Kiley and asked her why I smelled it and she says, "Don't worry about it, Eli just painted my nails for me." One hand was done and I was actually surprised the nails were mostly covered and not to much of the hand was...

2011-02-24T19:58:00.002-06:00

Doug I want to thank you for your faithful reading and apologize for the lack of material lately... This post is all for you :)

2011-02-12T15:05:00.003-06:00

So the other day I came around the corner of the kitchen to find this...

We had eaten dinner already and I was helping Eli put lotion on his eczema and when I came back to clean up dinner - she had taken the pan off the stove (ptl it was not hot) and had gotten the scooper out helping herself.

I had actually forgotten that I had taken this until today. I had gone for a walk while the kids were 'napping' and when I got home about an hour later the boys said that Kiley was sleeping. I was surprised, but went about my business until I thought I heard her. I went up to her room opened the door and did not see her. Her closet door was half open and when I opened it she was sitting in the top drawer of her dresser?! When I asked her what she was doing she told me very matter of fact that she wanted something from the top shelf of her closet and could not reach it so she 'thought this would work'...

2011-02-05T11:06:00.004-06:00

Yesterday we had a snow day - Yeah for snow in TX it comes in the morning and is mostly gone by the evening. The kids had a lot of fun sledding down our hill and playing outside. Eli had been missing the snow from last year so it was nice for them to have some to play in.

2011-02-05T11:01:00.003-06:00

The week started out with great weather and Kiley and her friends enjoyed a day at the zoo before it turned cold.

2011-02-03T14:17:00.005-06:00

Last weekend Brian completed the Tough Mudder. It is a nine mile long race with 17 obstacles to complete. It is a benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project. He actually said that it was fun... I am sure that is not how I would have described it. I can not remember all the obstacles but it is safe to say that they were intense. If you went to watch you had to pay and sign a waiver?! If you complete that course you can get a free tattoo at the end - Brian did forgo the tattoo but accepted the free beer! Here are a few pictures one of the wives took. The kids had fun talking to daddy about the race. Kiley calls it Daddy's fire race b/c part of it was jumping through a window into a smoke filled house...I scrapbook or do crafts for enjoyment and he does this?! To each their own!

2011-02-03T13:59:00.004-06:00

It has been awhile, Eli was sick last week, I was sick this week - but we are both feeling much better (obviously since it is nap time and I am not crashed out on the couch:) Last week we had some gorgeous weather and we tried to soak up as much as possible b/c we knew that it was supposed to get cold(and it really is extremely cold for here - teens and twenties - they are doing rolling black outs throughout TX so the grids are not overloaded.). We are cold but praising God that we are not trapped in by the massive storm that has hit everyone...

We had a fun day at the lake. We packed up a picnic and some toys and headed out. Somehow we forgot the tee for Eli so Brian did a makeshift one...

2011-01-25T14:22:00.002-06:00

Today we were driving home from walking at the mall and Kiley had just asked for some gum. As I am driving she says, "Look Mom" I half way look and think that I see her gum in her hand and tell her to put it in her mouth and not play with it. She is quiet for a minute or two and then says, "Mom why did you tell me to put my boogies in my mouth?" GROSS

2011-01-25T14:07:00.003-06:00

This past weekend we had company. Turkey, Eli's class turtle came home with him. Both the kids loved having him here. I did have to put him up high the first night home since Kiley was determined to get him out. Eli had to journal about what he did each day and give a report to the class. He really was kind of cute...