Happy Easter!!

Well, once Cooper recovered from his post-traumatic stress-syndrome from seeing the Easter Bunny, he actually had a wonderful holiday. We had both sets of grandparents at our houses, plus my brother-in-law.






Lexi and Grandma Cissy made our traditional bunny cake.



























Cooper ran around the house with "Little Mermaid" shoes. Clarence said he liked them because they were loud, but I honestly think he likes the sparkles!!






















The Easter Bunny brought Cooper a sandbox.... that's an adventure!!! He also got lots and lots of Thomas the Train stuff. "Choo-Choo"!










Lexi was surprised in the morning!! Here she is with an "Easter Barbie" that Grandma Cissy and Big Daddy brought.
























Opening Easter baskets with Granny and Grandaddy.

















Playing with balls with Grandma Cissy
and Big Daddy.

Bike Rodeo

Through Lexi's Cubbie class, they had a "Bike Rodeo". Each child was in charge of decorating their own bike (with the help of their parents), and they got to ride it around in the parking lot and stopped at different stations to play games. We were all excited. Lexi won last year for "best decorated bike", so we were all excited. After weeks of planning, we came up with the idea of "Super Jesus"....(well, with the help of Ashley M.). So I made a cape for her with 1 Timothy 1:15 on the back.... "Jesus came into the world to save the sinners...." Herman, Clarence, Lexi, and I stayed up SUPER late, decorating and making the bike look like it belonged to a super hero!! That day, we spent most of it, looking for things for Lexi to wear,.... we found some awesome socks that Kelley had crocheted, tights (every super hero needs them!!!), and my old drill team silver sequinced wrist and ankle things! SUPER CUTE!!! Well, Lexi had fun,.... however she did not win the contest. The ironic thing is, the kid that did win, had decorated his bike very closely to how Lexi's was decorated last year!! Hmmmm..... Lesson learned to Lexi: "You can't win 'em all!!!"..... Good to know!!

Easter Bunny

So,.... we were ALL excited!... Even Cooper. We got dressed in our nice clothes and headed to our local mall, to visit the one and only... Easter Bunny!!

As we neared the corner, Cooper spyed a big fuzzy "thing" surrounded by fake flowers. The closer we got, Cooper grabbed tighter and tighter to my clothes. Luckily, there wasn't a line.... because once we got within 50 yards, Cooper was at a full fledge cry!! Lexi walked up to the bunny and preceded to tell him, "I am sorry that my little brother is crying,... but he just doesn't know if he likes you or not."

I tried inching my way closer and closer, until I did.... finally& successfully make it within the bunny's "yard". The good and bad news was that the photographers had not showed up for work that morning. It's good, because I wasn't going to have to shell out $25 for one picture, but it was bad, because not only was i going to have to pry my screaming kid off of me, I was going to have to take the picture.

I finally told the rabbit that I was going to sit Cooper in his lap, and just to hold on to him.... VERY tightly!! (almost like he was kidnapping him) and I would take the picture.

As you can see,... Cooper screamed and fought! Lexi tried to do some consoling, but we were WAY past that!! One day it will be REAL funny and hopefully the therapy won't be too costly!!

Our Trip to the Choo-Choo

Cooper has come to really LOVE trains! Lexi too. We have discovered a really cool train near-by. So, on one of the prettiest days ever, we took a road-trip!

Cooper was VERY nervous at first, but once we got started, he LOVED it!! Lexi had SO much fun too!!

There was a dark tunnel... Lexi laughed and made "ghost noises". Cooper was scared, but never really cried... just apprehensive.

His real fear came out after the 15 minute train-ride. I tried to get the kids' picture in front of the engine. It made fake train noises. Cooper would not take his eyes off of the engine. Even though Lexi was there, reassuring him that it was OK.

Overall,... GREAT trip for the first time! We will DEFINETELY be going back. Added bonus: they sell snow-cones there!!

Shoes & Ducks

Lexi had the great idea to raise money by making magnets to help raise money for "shoes for orphan souls". This was ALL her!! It was a project that was presented to her through her Awana Cubbies class at Church. Through the help of our wonderful friends and fabulous family, she was able to raise $110!!! Her class raised a total of $181!! She is still getting requests to make more magnets, so since the deadline has come and gone, she will make a donation on-line at a later date!! She had so much fun making them!!

Cooper is CRAZY!! He is obsessed with animals (but only on TV)... not too fond of them in real life. He has adopted this duck towel from his big sis'... and he LOVES it!! He puts it on and runs around the house quacking and flapping his wings!! It is such a sight to see!! He was hard to catch for a photo opp... as you can see in the second picture, he is running while violently quacking!! OH SO CUTE!!

OK... Let's talk American Idol...

For those of you living in a black hole (or who have lives and don't dvr it)... here is who went home...

on the boy's side we had Will Maker and Gideon.

On the girl's side... there was Kinnik and Basketball Girl...

OK,... so I don't know all of there names and really not the spellings, but SERIOUSLY!!

Sad to see Will gone,... he was out Texas vote, but it was his time! Gideon totally gavr me the heeby-geebies but Lexi liked him... she still has her heart on Buckey... as for me... i LOVE Chris!! How come Kevin is still around?

Kinnik was fun because everytime she was on I got to sing "Hullaballoo Kinnik Kinnik". I'm sure the spelling isn't right, but it made for good times. Very talented, but we all knew she was gone.

Basketball girl... I thought she was OK,... Lexi didn't have an opinion about her, but Clarence really liked her... Just as long as Paris and Lisa aren't gone!! Also like the Brunette, but can't ever remember her name...

So,... until next week... As Ryan says.... "OUT!"..... yes, I know that was cheesy!

Our trip to S-town

To get a break from our suburban life, we headed to the country and went back to my home town for a quick visit. On Saturday, my mom got a fun idea and all 10 of us loaded into 2 cars, and went to Froburg's. It is a fruit and vegetable stand. The kids LOVED it!! We got to walk around the grounds and see orange trees and strawberry patches.





Grandma Cissy took some time from chasing the boys to stand by the orange trees with the girls.












Big Daddy found a sausage stand, and as you can see the
men were very interested!












Here is Clarence with Cooper and Jon with Cylas. I'm not sure who was having more fun... the dads or the boys?











We did a lot of playing outside. Here are the boys taking a break from basketball!!

The girls got the idea to be pirates...??? Not too sure where that came from!! But, they played with almost no fighting and they made "treasure maps". Here, Grandma Cissy holds the secret map while the girls give their best "Aarrgghhh!"

Clarence fired some chicken-fried-venison that was absolutely fabulous!! He also made some fried green tomatoes... the kids were fighting the adults for that last bite!! Big Daddy grilled shrimp... oh-so-delicious!! Grandma Cissy made her famous beef stroganoff... that didn't last long!! Jon grilled anything he could get his hands on! Needless to say,..

all weekend long, we ate and ate and ate and ate!!!

Luckily, we "exercised" by playing croquet. Here is Big Daddy giving lessons to Cortheye!

We got a visit from the ice cream truck and I learned that I am a half-decent poker player!! Probably because I was a lot riskier with

match sticks than actual money! Got to see Baby Ally!! Very beautiful!!

It was a GREAT weekend... we all got to relax and we had a very good visit!!

Silly Kids

My kiddos have so much fun playing around here and with each other. Things will drastically change next year, when Lexi attends Kinder. But, for now,... we shall enjoy these days, because they won't last forever!!

Lexi and Coop were fascinated (only this day and only this moment) with me tucking them in REAL tight... you know, "Snug as a Bug, in a Rug". They took turns doing it to each other,... and every single time they would crack up. And, in case you're wondering,... Lexi thought it would be cool to put a band-aid on her face... she said, "i like the way it looks!" So, after I convinced her that her "Nelly" moment was faux pas, she REALLY understood when she had to rip it off!!









Today,... they thought it was fun AND funny to sit on these two cars of Cooper's. Lexi got on the police car and Coop on the fire engine. They pretended to drive (even with siren noises) as they

scooted up and down the hall. They laughed and laughed!!

American Idol - the boys

ok... so here goes our vote for the boys. before i continue,... i just realized that i start almost every blog entry with "ok"... pretty funny... so it's just me.... kinda like all the typos!!
so,... overall we thought the guys were good... some were ok, and others "wowed" us:

5704 - from: the Woodlands, tx: name:will maker....
very cute!!! good voice... he was up on my list

5706 - chris daughtry
absolutely HOT! clarence even said he was "my type". sang a bon jovi song wonderfully! thought of my mom. he might be one to go on.

5708 - gedeon mckinney - this was ALL lexi... clarence and i thought he was a little creepy! i thought he belonged on the movie "stripes" with bill murray. very out of place.

5711 - Ace Young.... ok... we ALL loved him... such a cutie and wowed us with "father figure" by george michael... we are interested to see if he can sing anything else, because he NAILED this!!

5712 - taylor hicks - someone older than me on american idol? makes me re-think my age,.... i thought he was ok, but clarence really liked him since he sang an elton john song. he was pretty good.

so,... there you go... our choices for the boys... guess we will see tomorrow.

and... made me think... "requim for a dream" is on tv... for those who have not seen it and are ok with indies... such a great movie.... stars: ellen burstyn, jared leto, and jennifer connelly... good movie about drug useage... so, you must be ok with that...

until tomorrow... or the next...

Tantrums and Idol

OK... so apparently cooper is not your average 2 year-old. yes,... i know he's not two yet, but the attitude has come early. instead of throwing a "normal" 2-year old tantrum,... you know... arching their back, throwing themselves on the ground, kicking and screaming... cooper looks at you with this sad pitiful look (like you just shot his brand new puppy), covers his eyes with his hands, and fake cries!! ok,... this is one of THE funniest things i have ever seen. at least for now. i thought lexi was dramatic, but maybe he proved to be more powerful than her! quite an accomplishment!!!

one of lexi's favorite t.v. shows is american idol. one of lexi's favorite things is to see what i have written on our blog. soooo.... it only makes since that i will tell everyone who we vote for every week. this week: lexi voted for 5701 (i think because she really liked her shirt), clarence voted for 5712 (she was hot and had a sultry voice), and i voted for 5705 (she's just so darn cute). as time goes on i promise to learn their names. anyways,... lexi is so cute,... as we watch, she makes a list that is divided between all of us and who "wows" us and who we "kind of like". VERY organized... cannot imagine where she gets that from. ha ha

i guess we'll do it again tomorrow night with the guys.

See you Later...

On Saturday, february 11th, i received a phone call from my mom telling me that one of my brother's friend's life had been tragically cut short. since my brother is 5 years younger than me, i was one of the "big sisters" of the group. i had grown to love these boys!! i spent 3 days back in my home town being with my brother and his friends and hearing story after story of how brian had touched everyone he had come in contact with. i would like to share some of those stories with you:

brian was a big boy.... always had been. but, he was never a "bully", but had come to help out the "underdogs", and was there for anyone!! even after i had graduated high school and considered an "adult", if anyone ever got out of hand with me, brian stepped up to set them straight. THAT is who he was!!

he lived with my family for a while. he was working at a country club and even helped out around my parents house. one morning, my mom woke up and could smell something strange. she sat up and went to go investigate. as she neared my brother's door, the strange smell became horrible, and when she opened the door, her hair literally stood on end. brian was laying in bed with only his underware on, and she started yelling at him, "boy, you're stinking up this house!! get up right now and take a shower!!" she was pulling his covers off and trying to get him into the bathroom. once she stopped yelling, brian explained to her that while at work, he had been sprayed with.... a SKUNK!! his clothes were in the garage and he had already taken a shower,... which obviously had not helped! mom called her brothers and they told her that he should bathe in tomatoe juice. so, my brother went up to the tiny grocery store (the only one) in town, and got as much tomatoe sauce, juice, v8,... whatever he could get a hold of... remember brian is a BIG guy!! they filled up the tub and brian got in, and with the help of my brother scrubbed cleaned. what a scene that was!!

another time, a horrible storm cam through (faye??). the neighbor boys, who at the time was probably jr. high and elementary, were home alone. my brother and brian went over there to stay with them. after the power went out, they got supplied with flashlights and glow sticks. my brother was back in forth between our house and theirs. brian sat on the couch with an arm around each boy as the wind whipped around outside and the lightening flashed. one of the boys, sadly looked up at brian in the late hours, and said, "are you going to leave us?" brian replied with, "no way... y'all go to sleep and i'll be right here." THAT is who he was!!

the stories go on and on... i feel truely blessed to have met such a genuine person and have in my life. we are all lucky to have met him and even luckier that we will see him again!

We love you...

Lexi's Dance Competition

WHAT A DAY!!!

Shining Stars - Silver competed at a dance competition at Leander High School on January 21st, 2006. Her team won 3rd in Jazz, "Rockin' Robin", second in Pom, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and a 1st division trophy in pom (their scores were 90 or higher). It was a long and stressful day (and we didn't even have to get there until 2pm,... I can't imagine the moms and kids that had to be there at 8am!!). It was only stressful because to make sure all of the girls had all of their costumes on and make-up done right. Plus,... we did NOT have A/C in our theatre room. When we asked about it, they brought us 2 box fans. Imagine 100 girls (gold and elite were in there too), plus a mom for each one... eeewwww!






Here is Lexi with her friend Madeline. Looking SO cute!!






Coop got to wear his "Lexi supporter t-shirt". VERY cute!! He actually did better than we all expected... he danced on the side-lines with all of the teams!! Didn't make it to the awards ceremony, but it also was past his bed-time.




Here we all are after competition at our house. Lexi had only one crying melt-down (did not understand why she did not get to take home a trophy) and not too sure why Coop was still awake! We were all exhausted!!

I would like to thank everyone who came to watch Lexi: Aunt Suzie, Grandma Cissy & Big Daddy, and Granny & Grandaddy. I would also like to thank everyone that wishes they had been there, but weren't able to make it. You know who you all are!! We are blessed to have so many wonderful friends!

All I have to say is,... THANK GOODNESS Lexi only has one competition a year!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

I just celebrated my 28th birthday over the course of 4 days, which is a much shorter celebration than normal. Friday night Suzie came over and Clarence cooked flat bread pizzas. Lexi made a brownie with peanut better (it was DELICIOUS!) and I got to open presents... the highlights were... Aggie fuzzy alippers that look like flip-flops, Elton John's greatest hits (i was a little leary about this one, but I really do love it), Hard Candy make-up, and a "Magic 8 Ball" pez dispenser. VERY FUN stuff!!

Saturday night, Suzie took me for a night on the town. We started out at Cuba Libra. It is a cuban restaurant in the Warehouse district. When you walk into the door, all you can first see is a closd curtain. We were thrown off by this,... "were they closed?" ... not too sure. Then, the curtain quickly flew open, revealing the restaurant inside. I only wish that there was a picture of our faces, because it HAD to be funny! Later, we also laughed at the "newbies" and their shock! Maybe, I could earn some extra $$ by selling the photos to the customers?? Anyways... this place is SO cool, for a split second, I even thought that maybe I wasn't cool enough to be there, but then I remembered how cool I really am!! So,... props to Cuba Libra, the unsuspectiong customers, and the bartender who could make some kick @ss martinis!!

Next, off to a concert at the Paramount starring Jason Mraz and Bob Schneider. It was FABULOUS!! I will pay to see them again and again!! I wanted to go out and buy all of their cd's, concert t-shirts, and join the fan club!! Maybe I am becoming one of the oldest groupies! Wonder how Clarence will take that? Probably good, because he loves Bob almost as much as I do! Lexi was upset she wasn't there. She has seen Bob before as an opener to Sheryl Crow, and she also loves him, but has learned from Suzie to call him "Uncle Bob". The downfall, was some BORING guy asked us if we could keep it down! I promise we were NOT being loud, obnoxious, anything... and,.... hello,... thought we were at a concert? I will blame this on his young age and his lack of knowledge of what seeing Bob and Jason, listening to them pour out their soul, and breathing the same air as them, REALLY means!! Seriously!!

Later we went down to 6th,... and not too much to say about that. It was fun, in a different type of way. As a younger twenty-something, it was all about getting dressed up, having fun with your girls, but also looking for a boy! It was kind of more fun now, because I didn't have to worry about what I was wearing or not acting like a total goof ball! We were just absolutely silly and did not care about anyone else... it was,... MY birthday!!

We followed the night at Katz's... also new to me. Didn't understand the whole "kosher" thing and the fact that their bacon was not from a pig. That's not bacon!! But, I got schooled and so now I know... had a cheesesteak sandwich that was GREAT!! I thought a little pricey, but it is one of the best places to go to at 3am. ie: College Station's Taco Cabana, San Marcos' Denny's, and "the castle" between Austin and San Marcos.

The next day I was SO tired... that also comes with old age,.... you just can't hang like you used to!

Monday, my actual birthday, was also great! Terri came and surprised me with a big ladybug balloon and some candy!! VERY sweet! Laura and Cole came over with pizza. We played and laughed! I ran to Starbucks and when I came back, they had decorated the house. VERY cute!!

I received many phone calls from all of my sweet friends and family all day. I REALLY am blessed!

Fredericksburg

So,... we were supposed to lay floors on Saturday,... but Clarence had arranged with his parents to take me to Fredericksburg. We DEFINETELY needed the break from everything! We ate at the "Brewing Co." (props to them for some AWESOME food!!). We went to all of the neat little shops! I did buy a t-shirt that says "Rock, Paper, Scissors World Champion"... pretty funny stuff! There is a new store there called "Funky Monkey" that is hilarious!! I LOVED it! Could have spent many $$$ there! It was a GREAT day and surprise!! (even though we didn't get to work on the floors... )

Go Longhorns

OK,... so here it goes... way to go longhorns! OK,... I said it... I hope that every single one of y'all are proud of me.... even Barry and Paul!! For that, I think the jokes should stop for,... at least a month! So,... Friday after the intense game between USC and UT, we went to see the UT tower lit up,... what other than,... burnt orange! yes,... i am swallowing back that little bit of vomit taste that hit the back of my throat! It was very cool and to see the Austinites actually participate in some sort of tradition was a breath of fresh air. I AM very happy that, not only a Big 12 team won, but that a TEXAS team won!! So,... my props to tu,... WAY TO GO HORNS!!! It was something that I will only see once in my lifetime and I hope that you all enjoy the pics! I WILL live to see the day that the good ole' Ags will be there... yes I still have hope! Everyone has their ups and downs, and I remember VERY well when I was a student at A&M and we won Big 12 champion. We will reign again! Whether it is with Franchionne (sp) or not,... you'll see!

OK,... here are some cute pics of my baby boy! He figured out how to turn the screw on the car with the screwdriver and was SOOOOO happy! Funny what we take for granted! He is so funny and full of personality. Coop keeps me on my toes and there is never a dull moment... he has learned to climb on the dining room table... there went the salt and pepper... all over the floor!! He now will bring one of his chairs into the kitchen and climb on it to get whatever he wants to off of the counter. So far, it's been scissors, paper, sharpie marker (on the linoleum... thank goodness we're getting new floors!). ok,... so he's ALL boy! however, he IS SOOOOOOOOO affectionate! He will love on us all day!! So the wildness comes with tons of hugs and kisses!!
XXOO

The Notebook

OK... so I know I am a little behind on watching movies.... I just saw "The Notebook" for the first time,... and Holy Cow!!!! ok,... for all the ladies that haven't seen it, I just want you to know, that I did NOT cry during the entire movie.... I sobbed!! It is excellent. I would also recommend the guys watching it alone, because I think it will reach deep down inside you! I was truely impressed and will definetely DVR it next time it's on! It's a KEEPER!!

As Lexi says, "Peace out like a snake bite"!

Happy 2006!!

Our New Year's Eve started out having no plans what so ever. At the last minute, we had our friends, the McGowan family, Paul, Kelley, Ashley, & Madeline,

over. We had a great time! We ate a TON of food and had lots of laughs! We played Mad Gab (if you don't have this game, you NEED to get it!!). Cooper pooped out about 8pm, and Madeline at 11:59pm. The rest of us stayed up and had champagne and apple cider on the back deck. I can't believe Lexi was awake, but she felt like such a "big girl".

The next day, however, all of us were dragging except for Cooper! I apologize for not having pics of him! I'll make up for it later!

I wish everyone a great New Year, and hope it's even better than 2005!!!

Love~

The Magic Christmas Tree

I am not too sure of who all had these growing up. Every Christmas, my brother & I got these "Magic" Christmas trees. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about,... let me explain...

In the package, you receive a plain, paper tree. There are cross notches that you can put inside each other to make it 3-D. Now, this tree HAS come a long way from when I was little, but it's pretty darn close.

Next, you pour this non-toxic liquid that comes in the package in the provided dish that the tree sits in. Within 6 hours the tree has blossomed these crystal-type leaves that have lasted, so far, for 4 days.

Our new one came with glitter, a red beaded garland, and a "gold" star tree-topper. We found the beaded garland a little too heavy and knocked off some of the leaves. Overall,... pretty freakin' awesome!! Lexi LOVED it and we've gotten a few "ooohhs and aaahhs." I'm sure Santa will bring another one next year!!

Lexi's sleepover

Lexi had one of her firends, Brie, stay overnight. Now, this is not Lexi's first friend to stay over for the night, but it's been a long time since we've seen Brie. The girls played dress up and took turns playing the guitar and singing. Pretty darn cute!! Lexi had gotten a Smores maker machine for Christmas, so,... of course we had to try it out!! It was actually pretty cool! If you have storage room, it is DEFINETELY a MUST-HAVE! They had a lot of fun and didn't stay up too late! The next day there were a few tiffs, but I think that's to be expected. Lexi is ready for her to come back!!