Spring Break 08!!!!!!!

Finally posting!! Mind you that I had a good 500+ pictures to mull thru and try to use the best to capture the excitement of our trip. But still, I feel the pictures just don't do 1/2 of it any justice.

We spent our first night in Amarillo..uneventful. Then woke up and drove to Santa Fe. We spent the afternoon in downtown browsing shops, art galleries, and street vendors. Nat was in hog heaven in the art galleries. And all the "Arties" were just in love with her and her love of art! She was sooo in her element!! Matt had a good time chasing birds in the courtyard and picking what ring he HAD to have...that is now no where to be found now??!?!? :) Brayden just took it easy in the stroller.

The next day Bradyden wasn't feeling to hot so he and I stayed at the motel. Jim and the big kids went to Bandelier National Park (http://www.nps.gov/band/photosmultimedia/index.htm). The kids had a great time hiking up to and into the cliff dwellings. And checking out the petroglyh's on the rocks.



The next day we did a LOT of driving. But it was beautiful...even when we were driving thru a BLIZZARD!! ..really!

Welcome to Colorado :)


It's just flipping gorgeous!!


Brayden still didn't feel to great. So this is his shot with the Colorado snow :) (sorry..picture came out kinda dark).


Welcome to UT! (Told you we did a LOT of driving...well Jim drove, we rode :))


The first town we came to was Monticello, UT and it had this beautiful backdrop! It's not much of a town, but the scenery sure makes up for it! This picture doesn't do it justice...but it may look even better if you click on it and enlarge it. You'll see that the clouds are creeping over the top of the mountain. So beautiful!


The first arch we came to was just outside of Moab, UT. It was called Wilson's Arch( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson's_Arch ).It was on the side of the road so Jim and the kids hopped out and up the side of the hill they went!


Brayden and I hung back so I could take pictures. Brayden (still not found of having his picture taken) was making me feel as if I were his paparazzi! :)



We stayed in Moab 3 wonderful nights. The first day we headed out to the Arches National Park (http://www.nps.gov/arch). This all day adventure was fantastic! We saw the 3 Gossips, Big horn sheep (rock not animal), and this rock below...Balanced Rock...all in the first section of the park.


I call this "Balanced Brayden" :)


Since he was feeling better, he decided to test his strength and move this rock... bummer, it didn't budge :)


As we progressed into the park the arches got bigger and bigger...and the hikes longer and longer. Here you see that Brayden is still bound and determined to move rocks...and size wasn't going to stop him!! This is at the Double Arch, which I didn't find a good picture of...must be in Nat's 300+ pictures...that I have yet to go thru.


I can't remember the name of this arch, but it was just to the left of the Double Arches. You see me taking a breather on a rock down below and in the upper right corner there's Matt in a grey jacket and Nat in a pink.


That afternoon we came back into town and had another fun time of browsing, shopping, and check out more art galleries. Then we got up the next day and headed to Canyonlands (http://www.nps.gov/cany/photosmultimedia/photogallery.htm)


Why is it called Canyonlands you might ask :)? Well THIS is why!! Once again, the picture JUST doesn't do it justice. It's the beauty as far as you can see. And the picture just doesn't allow you to see the depth, colors, and distance. It's just breath taking!


At this section of the park I was a bit nervous. There are NO railing just a path that they tell you stay on with one side...dirt...other side cliff and a LONG way down! Yowza! The kids had fun...but I was on pin and needles barking for them to STAY BACK!


The kids haven't gotten along this well in ages. We will definately be doing this again :)



After our fun time in Moab, we headed back to Colorado to go to Mesa Verde (http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm). If yo know the areas that we have been going you might wonder why we were backtracking to go to Mesa Verde...when just 3 days prior we'd driven right by it. Well, remember me mentioning that we'd driven thru a blizzard?!? That was while we were passing the Mesa Verde entrance! We could see more than a few feet in front of us at that time and if you have ever been to Mesa Verde you'd know that the drive up to the park can be treturous (sp?) even on a bight shiny summer day!! Plus, it was closed off due to the weather. There was still a considerable amount of snow on the ground, but the roads were cleared and they had to of the cliff dwelling areas opened for us to go see.




After leaving Mesa Verde we had our longest segment of driving yet. That night we stayed in Socorro, NM. Again, uneventful...except for the mass of people walking along the interstate for Pilgrimage. And this was at around midnight that night. And when we got going the next morning...they were still walking! We headed out to White Sands (http://www.nps.gov/whsa/photosmultimedia/index.htm) and got there a little after lunch. Never in my wild dreams would I think that the kids would enjoy this soooo much!


By far one of Jim and I's favorite pictures!


The kids came across a young couple who were leaving the park and gave them their "sand" disk. They were stoked!


Matt was first to try it...of course. And he HAD to find the steepest drop off!


After watching Nat and Matt sled...it was little guys turn.


They did this for at least a good hour!


White Sands was such a hit! Not so much for me after wards...cause there was no where to wash all the sand off...and I'm such a freak when it comes to having cleanliness! :) We then headed back into town and headed up the mountain to go to Cloudcroft. I love this little town. We hit a few shops before everyone started closing up for the day. Then hoped back into the Suburban to make the nice long haul to Carlsbad. The first 1/2 of this trip is beautiful! So scenic. Then when you get about 60 or miles from Artiesa...the not so beautiful sets in. Man, what a change :(

The last day of out of state travel landed us at Carlsbad Caverns (http://www.nps.gov/cave/photosmultimedia/index.htm). This is the only picture that really came out since all the interior pictures have to be taken without a flash. Not everyone abided by that rule...but we did :) Jim took a picture of us after exiting the cave...but we were (well I was) pretty mangled looking :)


After finishing up in Carlsbad we headed back to TX! The following day was Easter to we drove to my parent house to meet up with our family and have a wonderful Easter! It was so great to see everyone again and to share the stories of our super fun vacation!

I left out a lot of stories and pictures, but I just could get that into a blog! Anytime any of you come to the house, we can share more pictures and stories with you one on one. And maybe let the kids fill you in on their take of it all :)

Now, if you enjoyed this blog...please be a sweetie and give me some love by commenting :) Have a great week

...bear with me....

We had a wonderful time on Spring Break and I really can't wait to share the pics with you, but afer being gone for 11 wonderful days...I'm still trying to get caught up on everything workwise. Plus we are now into Softball Season and our sweet baby boy got seriously sick last Friday. He's much better now, but it was very scary for the first 48 hours!!! Here's a pic that just might make you say "Poor Baby"...I know we said it like 50 million times...and I think we all shed tears over it.


He can actully open his eyes in this picture, but when I got him that morning he was completely swillen shut. And not with goop or tears, just the swelling was so severe. But he is A-OK now and no long term damage has occured. He still has bumps on the whites of his eyes, but the dr. says they will continue to go down.

Everyone is doing good, but just busy schedules. Matt's the only that's no got us running all over...he's just been along for the ride :)

So bear with me....I'll do my very best to get a Spring Break post up next week. And if you could...please :)....post a comment once you read it. It always helps us bloggers stay motivated :)

...till next week........

Tree People, Snow Beasts, and 36 years of marriage!

Like that title??? It's a lot like my life...all over the place :)...and I love it!

Starting off with the Tree People. These pictures took place at my parents weekend before last. Nat started the tree climbing, and Matt couldn't be sized up...so...he HAD to climb! Plus, as you'll see, Brayden was armed with a weapon...so the tree was really the only safe place for them :)








Speaking of my parents....HAPPY 36th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats and THANK YOU! THANK YOU for loving each other as much as you do and for giving us kids such a great picture of what marriage should be!

Now onto the snow beasts! Surely by now you've read my freaked out ramblings about the snow storm...if not, see the post below.

Here are some shots of the kids playing in the snow:

This was taken while it was still snowing. And that baby was having a time trudging thru that deep snow...but he was loving it!


This is the next day and he was ready to hit SOMETHING with a snowball. So...my truck took a beating :)


Matt was undecided on "...make a snowman, or pelt someone with a snowball??" We ALL know what choice the boy made :)


The next day we made REAL snowcones. That I must say my pickle snowcone was GR8! Matt choose a gatorade one.


She's a beauty alright!


This was Nat's proud creation! Brayden helped :)

We will be gone starting Friday thru Monday the 24th on Spring Break. Plus my computer's going to the doctor while we are out. So, you won't hear from us for a while. Get ready for a post FULL of pictures from our trip when we get back. Hope you all have a great Spring Break!

SNOW!!!!!!

It's is now 12:45pm and NO JOKE...1 hour ago there was NOTHING on the ground! Now we have 2.5" inches of snow. And what's crazy... I took this picture (below) came in the house, uploaded it, opened blogger anouther 1/2" has fallen. It's NUTZ!




This is one excited little guy!!! He's hollering SNOW!


He's having a hard time focusing on lunch. This is quite a show outside.
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UPDATE: Just since writing this blog we are at 3.5" and it's NOT letting up. I gotta go get kids from school. This is crazeeeee!

1:50pm UPDATE: There's now 5" on the ground. I can't get out of the subdivision!!! ..and I can't get to my kids. THANK GOD for Jim :) THANK GOD!! there is seriously 15 cars piled into each other on one hill...that I thankfully was about to back away form and not get stuck. And 5 car's piled into each other at the other entrance. So I AM freaking right now...and not just cause I'm a woman and can't drive. This is bad crap. Jim's at a stand still on 380 and can't even get to the kids. .............and it's STILL not letting up. Please pray that my family gets home ok.

3:10pm UPDATE: We now are at 7.5" of snow..........and it's still going!! but it does appear to be lighting up. Just talked to Nat and they are close to the turn in to our subdivision. Tehy are in the home stretch. Thank you GOD!

3:51pm Update: They are home. Roads are now slushy and in much better shape. Here's some newer pics with the 8" of snow!







***OH, and see below for the post I did yesterday..........

Matt's B-ball pics...FINALLY

Well...as always, I'm running a bit behind on posting. But here they are finally....some pics from Matt's last b-ball game. They had a GREAT season. They only lost twice out of 7-8 games. And the losses were not from lack of hustle or effort! These boys hustled!!! Matt did an awesome job this year. He did awesome at defense and was much more aggressive. And made some baskets along the way :) We are very proud of him!!







Yes, Brayden made it into the b-ball pics cause on THIS particular day he wanted his picture taken. And if you've read any previous blogs...you know that this DOES NOT happen often!! :)

I have some more pictures to share either later today or tomorrow...so be on the look out :) Have a great day!

...more funnies...

Brayden's had a few more funny sayings that I thought I'd share....

His asthma got fired up again and he's just been coughing his poor little baby head off. Day before yesterday he'd been coughing so hard on the way to get Matt that he had tears in his eyes. When Matt got in the truck he said, "Mafew...I got coffee!" (translation: Matthew, I've been coughing) :)

Brayden also has another term for his coughing...hiccups!

I told him yesterday that we were going to the doctor and he says "the train doesn't have worms anymore?" ........this one took a while to figure out....like probably an hour later of him saying this....then I figured it out. When I took Nat in for her yearly checkup, I told the boys not to play with the train set at the doctor's office because it was in the "sick kid" waiting area and had germs on it. So, Brayden was asking me if the train doesn't have GERMS (not worms) anymore :) When we got there the train was just calling his sweet little name! So I gave in since there were no other kids there (odd, but great for me!). And he examined all the choo-choo's and then he ran over to me and said "..nope, there's no worms anymore...can't see em" :)

Ducks and Penquins!

Our littlest man of the house keeps us laughing. Sometimes he's trying to be funny, other times he's serious. For instance...

On Saturday we are heading to Matt's game (which they won..and YES...I forgot the dadgum camera AGAIN). We are at the end of the subdivision where a house has a pond in the back. This is where the deer and turkey frequently congregate. And this morning there were 27+ turkey out in the field. Jim tells the kids "Hey guys...Look..." And Brayden hollers out "........DUCKS......" :) We all fell out laughing.

Yesterday I went to the car wash while Nat was at piano lessons. No mud on the truck...WOO HOO...just regular ole road grime from the wonderful 1.5" of rain we got on Saturday. I go to the drive thru automatic car wash. The lady tells me to select my wash...and I do. Then she tells me "please enter a payment". Brayden says with a heavy question in his tone..."enter a penquin?" ......Matt and I were in tears.....

Hope this provided you with a good laugh for the day :)

The Party - The Flu - Basketball - The Perfect Picture

Ok, going in order of the title...The Party

Brayden and Natalie's B-day party was at the Little Gym. It was a scaled down gy to meet the needs of the little guys...though only a few little guys got to come. And my little guy almost didn't get to go due to the Flu. They had a great time and it was so great to see everyone! Here are some pictures that Lindsey was so kind to take for for me (since I pulled the bone head move of the year and left the camera and video camera at home!).









Thank you to those who were able to make it. We love having you all!

The Flu...

The flu entered our home thru the most unlikely host...Matthew. He honestly just never gets sick. I've said it a jillion times, he's my rock! But my rock got hit hard with the flu at 4am Wed. before last. Plus the poor guy got a sinus infection. we got him all better with this wonderful medicine for the Flu called Tamiflu. That stuff rocks!! And little did I know that I was going to be getting a prescription filled for the other 2 kiddos within the days to come. So next year...yes, we'll get the flu shot!! All is well now and everyone's healthy again...woo hoo :)

Basketball...

Matt had 2 game back to back last Saturday and he really shined! He made 3 baskets in one game and hustled big time in both games. The first game was kinda a blow out, but the second one was a nail biter. There was bad calls by the refs, fighting amongst the teams, swapping turns ever basket with who'd be in the lead. But at the end of the game the other team won and that gave us our first (possibly our only) loss of the season. Matt and all the boys did great! As for b-ball pictures...look for those next week.

The perfect picture...

As I've mumbled and grumbled in the past...I just can not get a good picture of Brayden. He is just not a ham for the camera like the other kids were (are :)). So it was a total shocker to me that when I went to grab my camera to take pictures of the kids outside playing....that I was about to get my perfect picture that I've been wanting for so long!!!

Nat had a sleepover last Friday and these are her friends Shelby and Summer. They were having "archery practice".


Matt was doing his scooter tricks and really needed me to take some pictures of how awesome he is :)


He's pretty awesome alright!!!



Brayden tackled Matt and I had no clue that this was gonna be such a GREAT picture. This one will be going on the wall!


Here's Matt at what he does better...clowning!


He called the electric scooter his Harley. Both he and Nat love to ride them this way. I think it makes them look like little apes :)


And here it is...my perfect Brayden picture...it's already on the mantle :)


...and here's what I typically get when I take pictures of him....


It's bad...BAD I tell ya :)


Hope you all have a great Valentines Day!

OMG...she's like 13!

Yep...I have a teenager in the house now. Laugh away :) Her birthday was last Wednesday and I know I'm late on the posting...forgive me Nat :( It's just been a whirlwind around here. But hey, when is it not!?!?!

She "only" got 2 gifts this year, but when you see what gift #2 is...you'll probably know right away why...

She got her ...boots with the fur... (but she DID NOT get the apple bottoms jeans...for those of you who know the song I'm referring too :))




Gift #2...the one that brought a tear to her eye, and Mom and Dad got a hug that felt like a tackle (something that we've become accustomed to from Matt...not Nat :))....drum roll please...it's the Wii!!!!!!!!!!!! In case you didn't already know, you CAN NOT get these in stores. Some might be able to, but they are either extremely lucky to have gotten the 1 and only one and it just came off the delivery truck...or they are one of those that waits in line for the store to open and hope that they are at least 4-5th in line!! I could have paid an excessive amount at Ebay and a few other sites like that, but I said no way. Regular price was more than I cared to pay! But thanks to my brother Billy's suggestion, I tried Craigslist.com. There were several overpriced ones there too. And they were ussually gone in an hour or 2 after they posted. I lucked out and found a guy in McKinney that was selling his for the price he paid (even provided the reciept)!! And this picture shows that it was all worth it!


We had a b-day party for my 2 Jan. b-day kids this past Saturday. That'll be another post. So I'll leave you with this cute picture of the 2 of them. Please note that he's looking at the camera AND smiling! That is a major feat! So...please just try to over look the fact that he has crustys all around his mouth :)

Brayden is 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's unreal....but my little baby that I just brought home from the hospital is 3! I thought staying home with this child would make time go slower..NOPE! It's been great though. It'll make you nutz at times, but it's been pretty great overall :)

This past Friday was his birthday. We are having his party this coming Saturday...along with Big Sis. I had not planned on doing much on his actually b-day besides letting him open presents. I wanted to save all the fun stuff and CAKE for this coming weekend. But that sweet little baby had other ideas :) He woke up on his b-day and I said "Happy Birthday"!! And he draws in a big breath and says "my birthday? I get CAKE! My balloons??" Well, it might have not been in my plans for the day, but it was now :) I wasn't gonna let that baby down. After I got the big kids from school I went to the store and got the "fixins" for rice crispy squares (aka "the cake") and a Dora/Diego arragment of balloons....that are now floating along the top of the dining room ceiling :)

As soon and Pop-pop, Grandma, and Daddy got to the house that evening...the fun was on. It was finally present time!!! Here are some pics of Brayden tearing into the gifts. Please note that he doesn't look at the camera for more than 1/2 a second (literally) so it is near impossible to get a shot of that sweet face. He does say "smile"...but it's while he's looking away. Rotten little toot :)

This is his birthday loot :)

He LOVES to plays with Bobby and Chanda's girl's cash register..so we HAD to get him one of his own!

Many years ago Kim and Gary had gotten Matt a Home Depot set of play tools. Brayden had been playing with the small remainders of thst once large set. So when we saw this play Black and Decker set at Lowes...for $4.00...we HAD to get it! And he LOVES it. He's currently standing beside me with his hard hat and tool belt on...but no, I can't get a picture cause as I continue to write this he's already at the other end of the house ;)

This is a car road/train track table. And it is a HIT! And I love it cause it keeps the mess out of the floor...Woo Hoo. It's a Win-Win!


He had a great b-day and we are so blessed to have this guy in our lives. Love you baby boy :)

**Side note - Just in case you weren't thining of commenting...please note that it sure does encourage us bloggers to continue to blog when we get comments. Even if all you write is "Hi"...we at least knew you read our blog. And by "our" I mean me and Jim's :) Now being tacky ;) Just need encouragement from time to time :)

A Funny from Natalie

Natalie just sent this one to me....

old lady & cops

An older lady gets pulled over for speeding...
OLD LADY: Is there a problem officer?
OFFICER: Ma'am, you were speeding
OLD LADY: Oh, I see
OFFICER:Can I please see your license?
OLD LADY: I would give it to but I don't have one
OFFICER: Don't have one?
OLD LADY: Lost it, 4 years ago for drunk driving
OFFICER: I see... Can I see your vehicle registration papers then?
OLD LADY: I can't do that
OFFICER: Why not?
OLD LADY: I stole this car
OFFICER: Stole it?!?!
OLD LADY: Yes, and I killes and hacked up the owner
OFFICER: YOU WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!
OLD LADY: His body parts are in plastic bags in the trunk if you want to see
the officer looks at the woman and slowly backs away to his car to call for backup. within minutes 5 police cars circle the car. a senior officer slowly approaches the car, one hand on his gun holster.
OFFICER 2: Ma'am, step out of your vehicle please!
the woman does as told.
OLD LADY: Is there a problem officer?
OFFICER 2: My deputy has informed me that you don't have a driver's license, stole this car, and murdered the owner.
OLD LADY: Is that so?
OFFICER 2: Would you open your trunk please?!
woman opens her trunk to reveal nothing.
OFFICER 2: Ma'am, is this your car?
OLD LADY: Yes, here are the registration papers
the officer is stunned!
OFFICER 2: I assume you have a driver's license then?
the woman digs into her handbag and pulls out a clutch purse and hands it to the officer. the officer exams it and then sighs.
OFFICER 2: Ma'am I apoligize, it's just that my deputy told me you didn't have a license, stole this car, and killed the owner.
OLD LADY: Bet the liar told you I was speedin' too.
don't mess w/ old ladies!

Hope you all have a great day!

My Silly Boys

The other day Matt came up with a good joke...

What does a Spider do when it gets lost?
A "web" search

Not bad I thought :)

Day before yesterday (just me and him at home) Brayden comes into my room and stands in the corner and says "its no my fault". I ask "What's not your fault baby?". He then tells me "I cry...I hit me, I fall down, I make me cry *sniff* *sniff*". :) It's pretty bad when you just can't trust no one....not even yourself....poor guy :)


Side note: If any of you haven't already, hop over to Jim's Blog. He's put up a few new ones also.

Woah am I behind........

This may be long...I warn you...but I'm gonna try to hit highlights :)

As you all know we sold our home (in a record breaking 2 weeks..."record" for us due to the time of year and where we lived...just wasn't supposed to happen). Anyway, sold it to a great couple with 4 boys from Washington (state). We are all settled in into our new place and are really happy with it. Still have some pictures to hang and a few things to do outside, but all in all we are settled. As I write this, 6 deer are eating in the backyard. This is really neat. We don't have the view for miles like we used to, but so far I feel this is a good trade :)

I want to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you that had me in your thoughts and prayers. We FINALLY have answers. This whole roller coaster ride that started in June has come to an end. I had a diagnostic laporoscopy(sp?) 2 weeks ago to try and find the source of my pain...and they found it. And is is NOT cancer :) WOO HOO! That was the first thing my dr. told me as I was coming out of anesthesia "Merry Christmas Angie, you don't have cancer!" I have Interstitial Cystitis. This means that the protective inner lining of my bladder is "eaten" away in places. So I have "raw" nerve endings and cells. And it's all just very inf lammed and the raw nerves are what was causing the shooting pains and hot iron poker sensations....and the blood that was always present in my urine...TMI...I know! But now I'm good. I still feel occasional little pangs, but they aren't anything in comparison! I have to alter my diet to eliminate things like coffee, chocolate, acidy foods, processed meats, artificial sweeteners...theres more, but you get the gist. Plus I take a med 3x a day and that helps heal me up. So thank you everyone...thank you for thinking of me and for praying for me...I know it did the trick :)

We had a wonderful Christmas with all of our family and friends. Lots of travelling, but so,so worth it. My kids got spoiled rotten...as if that were any more possible :) But it is so fun to watch them enjoy what we got for them, along with everyone else's wonderful gifts.

Natalie will be starting up softball again in March, but for now...no sports for her. She is still doing awesome in art and piano and still loves them both! She's doing so much better with Math and has much more confidence. She's always been an all A student. So it was a real blow to her that Math in Jr. High was so much of a challenge. But she's back to a-b honor roll and we are very proud of her!

Matthew is in basketball and will have his first game on the 12th! He's pumped! Dad's not the coach this year, but Jim really likes the coach he has and is looking forward to being a spectator :) He had his UIL number sense competition right before Christmas break. So we don't know the results. But regardless, we are so proud of him for not only making the team, but sticking with it!

Brayden is....Brayden! I feel that "Brayden" should be a new entry in Webster's. Cause he's something else. He is 2...that's for sure!! His terrible twos hit very late in the 2nd year. He'd give the Tasmanian Devil on Looney Tunes a run for his money. He's like the Tasmanian Devil with Octopus arms and the screech of a holler monkey!! .......I'm NOT kidding either :) We do love that baby though. He keeps me on my toes...speaking of which...it's scary quite in the house right now...and I better go assess the damage...could be he has the Sharpie marker (again)...or he's standing on the table preparing to fly...you just NEVER know :)

Hope you have a fabulous New Year!