Good Ol' Fun

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At the beginning of March, Matt's parents came into town for a 3 week visit. It worked out perfectly because the kids had Spring Break during one of those weeks! It was so nice to have them here. They were a huge help with the kids and I was able to get some things done!! Matt took off a couple of days and he and his father were able to get in several rounds of golf. We were also able to go do some fun things like going bowling and going to the zoo. We did learn our lesson, though. NEVER go to the zoo during Spring Break!

Cheer Power

For the past 8 1/2 months Madeline has been cheering with Texas Cheer Academy. She has come such a long way from where she started. I enrolled her in tumbling first and she excelled quickly. Last summer I enrolled her in a cheer class. And...once again she excelled quickly and fell in love with the sport! I was approached by her coaches several times asking if I wanted to place her on a competitive team. I said no thinking she was too young...she was only 7! Needless to say, after a few months of me saying no (and Madeline's relentless begging) I finally gave in. It was a commitment not only on our behalf...but on hers. We teach our children that when you start something...you need to finish it. Well, it ended up being a good decision! She has flourished and LOVES being in the spot light...imagine that!! The fact that she loves to perform in front of 100's of people blows my mind! She is a "flyer!" She cannot get enough. Meanwhile, I sit there and hold my breath!! We are looking forward to a little break during the summer....and then starting back up again in the Fall! We cannot wait to see what all she will be doing next!

Happy Birthday Pappy!

Ryan is working very hard on his masterpiece!! Notice his tongue hanging out! Pretty much every picture I have of Ryan...his tongue is out!
Ryan is going through a phase where he does NOT want his picture taken. This is as close as it gets. I will say, that Ryan does adore my Dad. He loves his Pappy time! I hope these two remain this close forever.
Pappy's favorite cake: chocolate on chocolate! Easy enough!! I only had 4 candles...!
Kollman also adores his Pappy!
Silly! Silly! Madeline made Pappy a birthday hat to wear on her digital art studio! (We were out of colored ink so he got stuck w/ black and white...Madeline said it matched his hair nicely!) As soon as Pappy walked through the door Madeline gave him strict instructions that he HAD to wear it his hat. Needless to say, he was a good sport and put it on....even though it was on the "snug" side! I made Daddy his favorite dinner....roast beef, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots and rolls.
Thank you Daddy for all you do for me to help me out! I know 3 little people that adore you!

Cake Bosses

Have any of you watched the show Cake Boss on TLC? My children LOVE that show! It is amazing what cake can be transformed into! And...they make it look so easy! I do not have that talent...but wished I did! It would save me a fortune on birthday cakes!!
Anyway...one day Madeline and Kollman got the play dough out and this is their "Cake Boss" creations! Kollman's is the birthday cake...complete with sprinkles and candle! Madeline's is a bit more "elaborate."Hers is actually hollow in the middle. She puts a lot of thought into everything she does! It was quite funny...the whole time they were creating their cakes they kept saying "I'm the Boss!"

Happy 8th Birthday Madeline

Madeline and 3 of her BFF's! Madeline's theme this year was disco! We transformed the playroom into a "retro" room....complete with disco music, disco decorations, and a strobe light!!! The girls had a blast dancing and singing! Of course, what party/sleepover would be complete w/out a makeover?!

Madeline, Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you. You are such a sweet girl with a tender and loving heart. We look forward to many more fun times with you this next year!

Holidays 2009

We enjoyed many celebrations over the holidays! One of my fondest memories of Christmas 2009 was when I took the older 2 kids Christmas caroling with other members of our church. We visited the nursing home where my Grandmother resides and the Veterans home followed by some shut ins and one very special lady at the end stages of ALS. Kollman and Madeline walked up to each individual and shook their hand and said "Merry Christmas." For those individuals who were no longer in "their right mind" they would just touch their shoulder very gently and would whisper "Merry Christmas." It was such a joy to witness the smiles on their faces. My Grandmother cried tears of joy as we worshiped in song the birthday of the Christ child. Our last stop of the evening was the most touching. The lady we went to visit was at the end stages of ALS. I was not sure how my children were going to react. When we arrived her sweet husband turned her head so that she could see all of us as we each took turns speaking to her. When it was Kollmans turn he touched her shoulder ever so gently and again whispered "Merry Christmas." As he did this their eyes met and hers filled with tears. I must admit...so did mine. I was reminded ...again... of his sweet, tender heart. A heart filled with the love of Jesus. After all, isn't that why we celebrate Christmas?

Home Sweet Home

We have been living in our house now for 13 months! Wow! Where did time go?! We were blessed enough to have bought a brand new home that was already gorgeous! (If you go to LRM Homes.com and click on gallery and then Abrego Lake you can see what is looked like before we moved in.) When we first moved in I have to admit that I felt a bit overwhelmed! We made a major move from NC t TX with 3 children ages 6, 4 and 1...lived out of suitcases for 6 weeks ... and then worried about all of our belongings literally in storage...praying that EVERYTHING made it! This is a picture of our half bath! Even it is decorated for Christmas!!
This is a picture of our dining room....complete w/ Christmas decorations, too! My china cabinet contains some wonderful, meaningful treasures...including my Grandmother's china! This week-end we will be adding her buffet to the mix. I'll post pictures when we get it in the dining room and decorated! The window in the dining room faces the front of the house/street. It has a huge flowerbed that contains a shrimp plant from my Grandmother Herndon's house in San Antonio and also a bird bath that was hers. This Spring we intend to put a lof of effort into the yard....our focus has been the inside for starters! I am also on the hunt for material for drapes and also recovering the dining room chairs. Even though we have only been here 13 months, we've served many a wonderful meals with many wonderful family and friends!
The above picture is of the kids shower curtain in their bathroom. I actually found it in NC b/f we moved. I needed something that would work for boys and girls. It also could not be too childish since there is a difference in ages. This one worked perfectly since all 3 of our kids LOVE the beach! It also has great colors! It is just fun and works well!

Ha! Another bathroom decorated for Christmas! And yes, it is the kids bath hence the huge Santa! He does truly watch everything! LOL! Their bathroom has 2 sinks...Madeline is thrilled that she has her own sink, own medicine cabinet, and her own set of drawers and cabinets! The boys..well, they could care less! It is so nice to have so much storage as our old house did not! When you have 3 kids...you need all the storage you can get!!

This is Madeline's room! It has changed some since I took this picture. The little table and chairs has been replaced by a desk and chair. This little table held lots of tea parties and we made many crafts, too! We are thrilled we were able to pass it on to another little girl that will treasure it as much as Madeline did! Madeline's room has a "beach" theme to it. The walls are painted sky blue and it is very calm and relaxing! She loves the beach and would live there if she could! I still have a few pieces to add....but are holding out to find just the right ones!

That's all the pictures I have for now. I'll have to take more of the rest of the house and post them. We are planning to really focus on the outside by adding even more sod, making a stone patio w/ firepit and planting more trees and adding more to our flowerbeds! It's just so fun making a house a home! Thanks for stopping by!