Paige has done it again!!!!

This weekend Paige had the opportunity to paint downtown McKinney in front of a popular restaurant....SPOONS! This weekend was "Artwalk" in McKinney where artists display their artwork. Paige was working on a project and in a sense - had her art class downtown and outside. It was fun for her because so many people would stop and watch her paint. She said the most popular questions she was asked were, "how old are you" and "did you do that whole painting yourself?" People would stop and just watch her paint. One person even asked if she was going to sell her painting. It was fun as her mom to sit and listen to everyone stop and make a comment. The painting she was working on was another picture my sister sent of her daughter. If you remember the painting Paige did a few months ago of a little girl hugging a snowman, this is that same little girl smelling flowers. We like to call it #2 of the collection of Rylie! Paige isn't quite ready to do front facial shots, so she likes the side view or back view. I thought Paige did a fabulous job! This is the picture that inspired the painting...



And here is the masterpiece!!!!!



Sorry Kristen, Paige says this is another keeper! In fact Jordan loves it so much she is trying to convince Paige that it looks exactly like her and she should have it to hang in her room!
Another great job Paige - can't wait to see what is next. (Kristen keep sending in those photos - some of Paige's best work is of Rylie. What will #3 in the collection be????)

It Is Coming To An End....

May has come and is quickly going. It seems every May I get WAY behind on pretty much everything. Housework, laundry, organization, blogging...you get the point. There seems to be so many activities in preparation for the end of school - life seems to FLY by. Like every other May, this one is no different. Lots of school projects and Lots of activities for the kids. As 8th grade comes to an end for Jordan she has been involved in many fun and great things. Since she was an officer this year in National Junior Honor Society she had the opportunity to give a speech at the ceremony. (her most favorite thing to do :) She did great! She has also been


involved in the top choir class this year. They had a great final concert this year with a farewell to 8th grade slide show. Yes, I did get a bit emotional and still do (sniff, sniff) to see my baby grow up. They showed pictures of the kids when they were babies and pictures now....what a tear jerker! She was also announced as the most dedicated choir member of her class. Who knew??? :) I'm so proud of the accomplishments and person Jordan has become! Great job this year babe! The little kids were excited when field day was rescheduled. Their favorite games????? Yup - the water games! They all got completely soaked - and LOVED IT! This was Cody's first field day. He has been drug to them every year and finally it was his turn to participate. It was so much fun watching him! Chase and Paige are old pro's at the games, but they never get tired of them. McKinney also was able to hold Arbor Day. This was also postponed due to rain. Paige's drawing was chosen out of 300 entries. Each school had one honorable mention winner, but Paige was the GRAND PRIZE Winner! She was recognized with her drawing printed on the official Arbor Day T-Shirt, certificates, and other goodies! Great job Paige!!! It was a little crazy seeing complete strangers walking around wearing Paige's drawing. But very cool!!! I was able to travel to the Nature and Science Museum with Cody's Kindergarten class. This too was rescheduled due to the swine flu outbreak. Cody was so heartbroken....only because he really wanted to ride a bus! So when they rescheduled, he was SO happy. Riding on a bus of Kindergartners to Dallas actually wasn't too bad. The kids did a great job! They enjoyed seeing the dinosaur bones, digging for fossils, and I think their favorite part was the "play" area. WOW!!! It was awesome - a huge playroom and they didn't have to clean it up. As a parent my favorite part was the lady explaining wild animals to the kids and her telling them, "squirrels are wild animals. You don't want to go near them. They can hurt you or scratch you. And if they bite you - you could get diseases and have to get shots in your stomach - and have to go to the hospital. And you could DIE!" Yes - it's true, this was said. The poor kids eyes were as big as silver dollars. The mom's standing in the back were shocked.....And yes - Cody had nightmares that night and has since been scared of the many squirrels that run around our house. THANKS SCIENCE LADY!! Last for our crazy month was Jordans 8th grade BASH or field day. To see all the 8th graders together and hear the teachers talk to the kids - again got me a little choked up. Off to high school they go! They had a great day...it was a "survival of high school" theme.


Jordan looked so cute in her lime green shirt, navy bandana, and the added touch of some sparkly lime green eye shadow!!! I enjoyed the day helping with the dodgeball station and walking around taking pictures of Jordan and her friends. What a great group of 8th graders. They are awesome - they were great sports and truely enjoyed themselves. Jordan has been fortunate to have some great friends. I was talking to my mom last night and she mentioned how fun it was for her to see us having fun as kids. How fun it was to see her children succeed and do well. I totally know what she means. I love being there for the kids - watching them grow, being able to be a part of the success and even disappointments. I am very fortunate! Yesterday was a great day for me as a mom to take part. Even though my reward was this.........I lecture my kids about this all the time!!!! Great example...huh????? The day ended with Jordan having a great softball game! I think she was trying to intimidate the other team with her bandana and green eye shadow! She had a great bunt, hit, awesome slides, and was a super base runner! The month was busy, but at our house it doesn't slow down much! I will say - I enjoy the busyness, but CANT WAIT for school to be out and have some down time, just enjoying the kids doing WHATEVER WE WANT TO DO!!!

My Strippling Warriors

This is what I came home to the other night! It was hilarious!! I walked in the door and first it was just Rick and Cody fighting. Cody was all decked out with his gear on and Rick "tried" to have his shield on him. They were running all over the house trying to get each other. Once they got stabbed they had to count to ten before they could get back up. Rick added a little "drama" to it when he got stabbed. Falling to his knees, moaning and finally hitting the ground. Paige and Chase grabbed their swords and sheilds and got into the action as fast as they could. Yes, I was scared to death of someone getting hurt (mainly me - dodging the swords) or something getting broken. BUT - they were having a blast! It's amazing what simple things entertain my children. I need to remember that! Thanks Rick - for being a great dad and for being willing to get a little crazy and silly!

The Joys of Motherhood!

Do you ever find yourself trying to squeeze in a "teaching" opportunity whenever you can?? As my children get older and I realize my time with them gets shorter day by day, the feeling of "have I taught them what they need to know?" creeps into my mind. Have I taught them the everyday life lessons? Have I taught them what they need to know to stay strong and battle this crazy world we live in? Sadly, as a mom I think I will always feel I could have done better, or could have taught more. BUT - for now I am coming to the conclusion that if I take advantage of opportunities that present themselves and I am doing my best - that is all I can do. Last weekend was Mothers Day and over the past few days I have really thought about what it means to be a mom. I became a mom at the early age of 19. As I look back I can honestly say I have never regretted it for a second. Now with that being said, would I recommend it at 19??? NO! But for me I loved being a mom from day 1! Have I made mistakes?? Absolutely. Would I have done some things differently? YUP!!! But, as I look at my children - I realize how lucky I am. I have great kids. That doesn't mean they aren't crazy and have their own momentary lapse in judgement, but overall - WOW - I lucked out! I look at all the things I have done in my life - from being a dancer to softball player - being a student to teacher, and while I have many "loves" my true accomplishment is that of being a MOM! If I accomplish only one thing in my life or if I am remembered for one thing I would want it to be that I was a good mom! Looking over this past week, it has been the simple things that I love! The tight hugs from Chase, My "love note" from Cody, my discussions with Jordan, Paige and her funny comments, staying up late on a school night with the kids drinking blueberry shakes and dancing and laughing! Being asked those "tough" questions from Cody like....what is a male and female??? Having a discussion with the kids about things they hear at school and why we need to be good examples. These are the things I LOVE! This past weekend we had the opportunity to travel to Lubbock to watch my nephew graduate from Texas Tech! What a great accomplishment! We had a great time spending time with family, but what was a highlight was watching the kids do something simple like swim in the hotel pool! What is it about those hotel pools? You would have thought we were at the best water park ever! It was fun to watch the kids play with each other and with Rick and have so much fun! In this time that we live in it is not easy to be a parent or mom! I am so blessed to have a partner that helps me in so many ways. I am able to enjoy motherhood because I know Rick supports me 100%. Rick and I have the perfect balance. He makes my job easier. I couldn't ask for a better husband or father my children. Thank you for your support! There have also been many "moms" in my life that I have watched and learned from. Friends, neighbors, family members, my mother-in-law, and of course my own mother. My mom is an example to me in so many ways. Sometimes I have to take "notes" from her and hope I can remember in those tough times to say the right things. The things she would say in a certain situation to "make it all better". Mom, thank you for your example! So eventhough Mothers Day has come and gone I want to say thank you to those who have helped me be the mom I am today.

Pinewood Derby SUCCESS!!!

Chase had his very first Pinewood Derby race last week. Let me just say - I had NO IDEA how much time these cars took to get ready! Rick and Chase started about a month ago and 5 paint jobs later the car was finished. Yes, they painted, sanded, repainted, sanded, repainted, sanded - changed color, and started the whole cycle over again! The car was origianlly red and the final car ended up being black.








With this being Chase's very first race we weren't quite sure what to expect. BUT - Chase was certain he was going to win. That is when I had to pull him aside and let him know there would be a lot of cars and with this being his very first time he shouldn't count on winning. I was able to get some great decorations from some friends (thank you!) and we had an awesome track that would tell us how fast the car was and what place the car came in.
Now what is a pinewood derby race without twinkie cars????? I made each boy their own "car". Cody was pretty excited about those! The race was so exciting - the boys loved it. Each race had the boys attention. Some of them were so close, if we didn't have the times - we wouldn't have been able to tell who won. It was amazing how into the races the boys were - and even more so - THE PARENTS!There were so many good lookin cars, and FAST! Chase's car held his own though....winning first place in each of his first 3 races. He made it to the semi-finals, and believe it or not to the finals. Three cars raced - they were all fast, and with each race they were just "miliseconds" (according to Chase) apart from each other. When all was said and done, Chase's car took third. He was so excited! His very first time racing and winning third place. BUT - he figured out that the boys who won were older, and he was going to WIN next year! Chase is NOT my competitive child, but for the first time I saw him getting pretty into this! He already knows what shape his car will be for next year, the color, and has a strategy of what he needs to do to win! GO CHASE!! Rick and Chase did great on the car! I think even my non-competetive husband got a bit excited to see Chase's car winning! You both did great! Can't wait to see what you put together next year!

Gracefully Clumsy????!!!

When volleyball ended, Jordan had some time off from sports. It was a nice break for her. Time to relax, hang out with friends, actually have time to get homework done, and well - just be a kid! (or teenager should I say.) Her break didn't last long, but she is actually really happy to be back in the swing of things again. School track started, and while Jordan was excited she wasn't too thrilled about all the running. I personally think it is great for her!! Keeps her in shape :) Last year she ran the 400 and for some strange reason this year they have her doing the hurdles. Jordan was excited about the hurdles, she had wanted to do them last year and didn't have the chance, so she took them on with a big smile this year. Now - I need to preface the remainder of this entry....Jordan is my "not so graceful athlete." Daily, Jordan comes home with a story of how she fell up the stairs at school and books went flying! Or tripping over nothing.....Or running into a wall...or a few weeks ago both her and her laundry came tumbling down the stairs...you get the idea. Last Wednesday, she walked into the house threw her bags on the floor and started walking in the kitchen. I asked her if she had a bad day. Slowly and with a tear in her eye she turned and looked at me.
Her chin was all scratched up, her shoulder was scratched, both hands were bandaged up and her knee was wrapped. Her shirt she was wearing that had a logo on it also had huge "skid" marks on it. "Did you fall in track today?" I asked her. Well, basically she was jumping over the hurdles, her knee hit one of them and her face and body had a one on one with the track. I felt so bad for her! Atleast you didn't hit your teeth! Was all I could think of. I was worried for her because she had a meet Friday....she bounced back like all great athletes do - jumped over those hurdles with great confidence and did great! Her battle scars are also improving nicely, with an excpetion of her badly bruised knee. She actually thinks it is cool - and just tells everyone she got in a fight.
Jordan also decided to start playing softball again..she loves it. (and so do I!!) She hasn't probably picked up a ball in two years and is doing great.
She does have some rusty spots to work on, but it is fun to watch her play. Her very first game and first time up to bat, she hit a homerun...how is that for a confidence booster??? Along with sports, Jordan still finds time to fit in some community service. Every year our community puts together "Relay For Life." This is in honor of those who have had or are currently fighting cancer. Jordan joined a team with school and stayed out at the event all night. (I picked her up at about 6:30 am) Her team raised money and walk around a track in support of the event. Jordans time to walk was from 2:00 to 3:00 am...(and she actually chose that time.) I was able to stay out there until about 11:00 and be a part of the festivites. What an awesome thing to be a part of. Jordan has an awesome teacher, Mr. Flemmons that organized a group of students to have a team. What an awesome experience for these kids. I will definately take the whole family next year, so we can all experience how awesome it is. Jordan - we are very proud of you for taking your studies, sports, and service activities seriously. What a great all-around girl you are!

Men At Work!

Is there anything cuter than little boys working with their dad??? I would say, NO! For over a year now our tree in the front yard has been quite a sad site. As hard as it tries - leaves just won't grow! We had an estimate to see what it would be to cut it down, and of course I thought they were crazy! I thought for sure we could just do it ourselves and save money. (Now when I say "we", you know I really mean - Rick :)
So Monday night Rick decided to try and dig it up hoping to losen it enough to pull out. As soon as Rick grabbed his shovel, he had two little shadows right behind him. Oh my gosh - I stood there watching these two little boys working so hard and taking it so seriously. Chase piled the dirt on his shovel and used every muscle he had to hoist it up to the garbage can. Cody wanted to follow his big brother, but found once he had so much dirt on his shovel he couldn't even lift it. Rick or Chase would help him lift it high enough that he could tip the shovel over and the dirt would fall into the trash. They worked until they had that trash can completely full of dirt.Of course the tree was being difficult and would hardly budge. Rick worked so hard chopping away at the roots and finally pulled it out with a chain and the car! Rick filled the dirt back in, so the tree is gone and we have a great looking pile of dirt bordered with rock.:) We are not sure what to do next - take out the rock and put in grass or have it be a nice planters box for flowers...decisions, decisions!!I am so lucky to have a husband who works so hard and teaches our boys the importance of work! Even better - I am grateful the boys are willing to work. Hopefully it will carry on with them as they get older.