New Curtains

I have been wanting to put curtains in our house since we moved in last spring. On Saturday, we went to JCP and took the plunge. April and Jackie picked out some curtains for the informal dining area. After two trips to the store, this is the final product......

I really like them. Now I can't wait to get curtains put in the rest of the house!

Christmas at Bass Pro

Tonight we headed to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa. The kids had a great time! Addison told Santa that she wanted those winter boots that she is dying to get. Brock, of course, asked for the Diego house. Afterwards, they made reindeer antlers, played with the reindeer and colored a winter picture. We received coupons for free kids meals at the restaurant inside Bass Pro Shop after their picture. So we decided to give it a try. It was a very good meal....tasted even better knowing the kids were eating free.Brock is way too serious about this game. He is getting so good shooting his bow that I dread the day he asks for a gun.
Addison absolutely loves crafts.....I despise them! She is in her element here.

If only they were real......

Hanging with Daddy beside the train.

The big event! Their official Santa picture was really good. I will try to scan it and post it another day.

I shopped all day long. Only a few more gifts to go. Ten more days of school.....Life is good!

Thankful

I am thankful for.....

• Addison ~ our beautiful daughter. She has been blessed with a heart of gold. She is kind to every one she meets. She may not talk to them, but she shows them kindness in so many other ways. She makes friends with everyone at school. She always has something positive to say. She loves her Daddy! She talks to him on the phone when he is at the fire station with a twinkle in her eye. They are building a beautiful bond that will last for years. She loves her brother! Even when Brock has a moment, she tries to teach him the right choice to make. They are the best of friends. They love playing and just being together. She loves her Momma! She writes me notes when we get to school and leaves them all over my room. I find them throughout the day. Most of them say, "I love you, Momma!" I am thankful I have been blessed with such a precious gift!
• Brock ~ our beautiful son. He has been blessed with a heart for adventure. He is a child that will live life to the fullest, without looking back. He has a heart for animals. Whether it is hunting them or wanting to help an animal in need, he always has animals on his mind. He has a wonderful imagination. He enjoys telling great stories and watching to see how far he can really go with the story before you start to question him. He is a loyal friend. He loves his best buddy. They are already planning a trip to Africa to be with the animals, of course. He loves his Daddy! He idolized his dad. Every day he wants to go on nature walks, shoot his bow or work in the yard with his daddy. He enjoys that one on one time with him. He loves his sister! He knows what buttons to push and he likes to push and push. Right before she is ready to scream, he smiles and tells her he is sorry. I feel sorry for the first boy that breaks her heart because her brother is her biggest fan and protector. He loves his Momma! He gives me the best hugs. He is my snuggle bunny and my bed buddy on the nights Daddy is at the fire station. I am thankful I have been blessed with such a precious gift!
• Michael ~ my wonderful husband. Addison gets her heart of gold straight from her Daddy. Michael gives and gives and never asks for anything in return. He works day and night to make sure that everyone is taken care of, our family and others. He strives to make himself a better person, personally and professionally. He can tell when I need adult conversation. He listens to my issues and always finds something positive in every situation. He is an outstanding daddy. Addison is his little princess. She runs to greet him when he walks in from the station. Brock follows him around like a puppy when he is doing outside things. He thinks that if Daddy can do it, so can he. Michael takes time to bathe the kids, read bedtime stories, help Addison ride her bike without training wheels, teach Brock to shoot a bow and he does it all on a few hours of sleep. We couldn't ask for a more dedicated husband and father. He is truly a gift from God!

We are looking forward to having a quiet, peaceful day of giving thanks. We have many reasons to thank God for his many blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!

Look out deer!

Brock has been working on his bow hunting skills with his Daddy. On the way home today he asked me if he could shoot his bow. As soon as we pulled in, he got out of the car, went to the target and started shooting. The only problem was it rained more than two inches this morning at our house. The yard was a bit muddy. Needless to say, Brock's shoes are in the washer right now. But that didn't stop him. He went inside, put on his boots, tucked his jeans inside and went back to work. He was out there for over an hour. The deer better look out in a few years!

Addison was in the house color coordinating her "play clothes". She came out dressed in pink from head to toe....imagine that!

Funny!

I received this picture on e-mail this week. I have no idea who these kids are, but this is the funniest thing I have seen in a while. Now it is up to Oklahoma State to get the job done.

Go Pokes!!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

We did it....Our family survived two straight nights of Halloween fun. After a fun filled day at school, we joined Brock's best friend, Ethan, and his family for some yummy food and trick-or-treating. The kids had so much fun!

Tonight we made our usual Halloween rounds....Aunt Sallee's & Uncle Blaine's, The Karimi's, Grumps & Grandmommy, Papa & Mema Kay. All of these families love our kids like they are their own. We are so blessed to have all of these people in our lives. We love all of you! Batman loves the Pumpkin Princess

We are on candy overload! Grandmommy took the cake.....Both kids received Lil' Webkinz, in addition to candy. They will be added to their collection. They love them!

HSM 3

Addison is on top of the world! On Saturday, we had a mommy date so that we could go see High School Musical 3 ~ Senior Year. She was so excited. When we arrived at the theater, she practically ran down the hall. The usher had a hard time guessing what we were there to see.....ha ha! Along, with the other hyper little girls (and teenagers!) we took our seats, enjoyed our popcorn and watched until our hearts were content. It was a great movie for her. On the way home, she said that she couldn't wait until HSM 4. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this was it. Hopefully, Hollywood will change their minds and make one more movie. It could be the next Rocky. If you want to hear any of the songs from HSM 1, 2 or 3, just call Addison. She knows them by heart (and so do the rest of us who ride in the car with her every morning and afternoon, including Brock).

The rest of the weekend was spent getting winter clothes for the kids and working at school. I'm glad we bought new coats this weekend because we are expected to hit 30 degrees tonight. Brrrr!

Pumpkin Patch

Before I get started, I will say these pictures are all mixed up. I would usually try to rearrange them, but I am too tired to worry about it tonight. I may even doze off during this post.....zzzzzzzzz

We headed to the pumpkin patch in Canton on Sunday. We had a great (much needed) family day. After enjoying some time in the patch, we headed to the famous Dairy Palace where they serve old fashioned hamburgers and Blue Bell ice cream by the scoop. The kids enjoyed cotton candy ice cream on the way home.

Brock posing with his pumpkin he painted.

Addison striking a pose.

This picture should be last.....

Brock's school requires them to take a LONG nap. Since he is not tired at bed time, he plays in his bed for at least two hours. Last night when I went to tuck him in, I found his headboard like the picutre shows. It usually has a few toys, neatly organized, but nothing like this. That's our boy!

Painting pumpkins

The Pumpkin Launcher

I'm headed to bed!

The Birthday Express

We have been taking a ride on the birthday express. Just in the last two Saturdays, we have attended five birthday parties. Two last week and three today. The kids have had fun, but we are tired and broke! Tonight, Addison attended a costume birthday party. She was able to try out her pumpkin princess outfit. She looked beautiful! We will have to take a picture on Halloween to show her skirt lighting up. Since Michael was at the station, Brock and I had a date night. It was all good for Brock....he got a buffalo webkinz named Buffy. But he will tell you that he only got it because Mommy had a coupon ;)
Brock was tring really hard to be mad, but he just couldn't do it. A few seconds after the picture was taken, he was rolling around on the floor laughing.
Room Mom....when I taught in my previous district, we did not have room moms. So when I changed districts, I was amazed that a mother actually planned parties. For the past four years, my room moms have gotten better and better. This year, I didn't even take applications, I just kept the same mom I had last year (since I went back to kinder, I got to have her last child). She is one of the most amazing women I have ever met. I will go into more detail about that later. But she came into my room on Friday with a bundle of flowers. We had our fall carnival on Friday night and she knew I would be at school from 7 in the morning until dark. She takes care of me, treats me like a queen. This is what it feels like when parents respect and admire the fact that you pour your heart out for their kids. It's nice to be appreciated! Thanks, Mandie!!
Just to clarify....planning parties is not all she does for us. I will dedicate an entire post to her when I get a picture to go with it. All I have to say is my next room mom better starting taking notes now. She will have big shoes to fill!

The State Fair of Texas

Today was our fair day holiday. This is the first time, in twelve years of teaching, that I actually went to the fair on the holiday. We saw so many people that we knew. We even met up with Ethan, Brock's best buddy, from preschool. The boys are not in the same class this year and they miss each other so much. When they get together, there is alot of dreaming about animal adventures to foreign lands. These boys are tight! Ethan, Brock & Addison on the canoe ride
Addison, race car driver
Walking into the Midway
Brock and Ethan in front of Big Tex Brock, Addison & Daddy with Big Tex


More rides.....
Making Daddy proud on the fire truck ride ;)
Addison ~ future firefighter
This bear and one other ride spun so much that Addison got a little sick at her stomach. We had to take a rest time while Daddy and Brock played games. Brock even won a horse for Addison while she was resting.
Brock won a prize throwing darts. He hit two little stars. He got a medium size tiger....impressive!

Brock and his tiger
Brock with the baby tiger he got for participation...he gave this one to Ethan.
Addison venturing out to the water after she got to feeling better
I was afraid she was going to fall in the water while trying to touch a lily pad
I love the flag of Texas....I think Michael should do this in front of our house next year!

Fall photos.....

After Addison recovered, she was ready to pop some balloons. She did a great job. We decided that we need this game at our next birthday party!

We met up with Ethan one last time for cotton candy at the end of the day.

It was a great day! I am trying not to think about how much money we spent and focus on the fact that our kids had a great day! Now it is time to start saving up for next year's fair.

One more thing.....we got to peek down the tunnel to the football field where the beating will take place next weekend. My kids proudly wore their OU things to the TEXAS state fair! Boomer Sooner!

Piano Lessons

Addison started piano lessons last week. This was the song she learned after one lesson. We are so proud of her and she is pretty proud of herself.

Brock had a stomach virus last Thursday. It all erupted 10 minutes before we left for school. So, poor little Brock had to ride to school with us until Daddy could get home from the fire station. He did o.k. in the car, but he got sick in the parking lot once we got there. Since I got sick there last spring, it is becoming a family tradition to vomit in the school parking lot. YUCK!! His little virus has lingered through the weekend, but he seems to be almost 100% today.

Tomorrow is our fair day holiday. We are headed to the State Fair of Texas in the morning. We hope to meet up with Brock's buddy, Ethan. I hope to get some good pictures. But before all of that fun........we are sleeping in......YEAH! Simple pleasures :))))))

Born in Texas, but.....

On Friday, we had college day at school. I proudly wore my Southeastern Oklahoma t-shirt, but Addison had to wear her OU cheer suit. Eventhough Brock doesn't go to our school, he joined in with the theme. The director at his preschool is a huge OU fan, so he was the favorite kid for the day. Addison was a hit, as well. I know she proudly held up #1 as they played Boomer Sooner over the speakers. Oddly enough, they played five school songs, but they didn't play the Texas fight song :) (They did play Tech and A&M.)

Brock has decided that he wants to wear his hair spiked. I usually don't put that much effort into his hair on school days, but he had a good week so I tried. I am so thankful that I only have to run a comb through his hair on normal days. I don't think I could get three heads of hair ready before school.

So my kids were born in Texas, but as you can see, their hearts are in Oklahoma (or Norman!)

All of the pictures look dark because we were doing this about 6:45 in the morning.

My favorite picture....






We are spending the day hanging out with IKE. He is bringing us very strong winds and pounding rain. We don't have a rain gauge, but I am guess that we are already over several inches. We have had sheets of rain for over 3 hours now and it is still spinning over us. I love storms! Michael, on the other hand, is spending extra time at the fire station. Since he is a certified swift water rescue man, he gets the joy of waiting on people to get into high water. He thought he might get to come home tonight, but we still haven't heard from him. Hopefully we will get to see him a little bit before we head back to school on Monday....

We Survived Week One

We survived week one of school. The kids handled it better than I did. I love sleeping until I wake up in the morning....without an alarm clock. Say goodbye to those days!! I will see them again come Christmas break. Anyway, Addison is in Mrs. Henderson's class. I have taught with Mrs. Henderson for four years. I knew she would be Addison's first grade teacher the moment I met her. We have been anxiously awaiting first grade. Addison's wonderful teacher from last year is next door to her, so she will be well taken care of again this year.

Brock started back this week as well. This was the first year that I have not walked the kids to their class. Since I am back in kindergarten, I didn't think the 5 year olds could handle their teacher being out the first morning. So, Michael walked Addison to her class (one hall over from me!) and then took Brock to his school. Brock's best buddy is not with him this year, so it has been a bit harder for him. It was hard on me too when I took him on Tuesday morning. He will have a good year, but I am ready to have him at school with me (and not pay for private PK!!)

My class is great! I wish I show their little faces to you. I have some diverse personalities this year. It will be interesting.

On Friday, Michael took Brock to Tom's to go fishing. They were also working some deer, so Brock got to get up close to the deer. He loved every minute of it. He took his deer Webkinz to show "Little Stuff" his family. We should have some pictures of Brock with the deer soon. For now, just pics of deer.

This morning, I heard Brock's video game being played. I assumed that he was laying on his bed playing it, although it did seem to be very loud. When I walked into the kitchen, I saw Brock (picture at the bottom).....say goodbye to the old fashioned magazine!

I am so thankful for this three day weekend! I am taking a nap tomorrow...it will be a great day!