All in 48 hours...

Game night....Trin and I won!!!


Trin and her American Girl Doll, Isabella...hanging at the mall
don't they look alike...even their chicklet teeth!!


Kansas aka party-girl with her good friend, Riley...
Riley's dad performed Gene's hip surgery..cool huh

What a bunch of crazy girls...ready to surprise Lauris

on her birthday!

It is now Sunday afternoon and Gene and I are getting ready to attend a reception at work. Just one of the many things on our weekend agenda. Kansas spent Friday and Saturday as a party girl....she had one at Sweet and Sassy and on Saturday she had one at her good friend, Lauris' house. Since she was gone, Gene and I were no longer outnumbered. Woohoo!! So on Saturday Gene went to his basketball tournament and I went to my volleyball tournament...kids in tow. Trinity and I got to spend some "mommy & me" time together after volleyball and guess where we ended up....yep, the mall! We stopped at Barnes and Nobles and had a tai chi at the starbucks and picked out a book to purchase. We then went to a couple of other stores and she helped me pick out some cute tops. Gene and Logan met us at home and we had some chips and salsa and had a little family "game night". Operation SpongeBob Squarepants was the game of the night. Trin and I were on the same team and we whipped up on the boys!! Gene even tried to cheat and we still won.

After the game, it was back to chores for me...dishes, mopping, laundry (typical saturday night right?) so I thought to myself....I wonder what it's like to not have to clean and have someone do your laundry for you....then I thought, silly...if you really want to know that, just ask your husband! DUH!! No, Gene has helped me clean.....once, I remember it very well. Actually he surprises me every now and then with folding clothes and even dishes sometimes. No big deal..I'm a neat freak anyways and would just go behind him cause he wouldn't do a good enough job....sorry honey, it's the truth. :) I will say though...as I type he is cleaning out his closet!! FIRE UP!! I did mine last night and maybe the "spring cleaning fever" is rubbing off on him. It's about time! :)

Storms

So I have shown you beautiful sunsets and clear blue skys over our campus. Today is much different. The spring clouds have come through and we are experiencing storms with hail. As we all know, in our daily lives,not every day is clear and sunny. We all go through some rough patches that aren't fun to handle. Just like the storms in the sky come and go, so do those that affect us in our walk here on earth. Stellan, the little boy in the picture is in the hospital struggling with a severe heart condition. Please pray for him that his storms will pass quickly and he can return home with his family.

Watch Out...Here Come the Pirates

Ok..so these guys aren't that intimidating...cause they are too darn cute!

The Pirates had their season opener this weekend and they came out with a last minute victory against the Astros in game one. The Astros have always been my favorite team....growing up I always watched them but NOW I love me some Pirates!! It is Logan's first time to play this sport but his coach has taught him all the basics...

You got to get to the plate and be ready to hit the ball....

Focus and swing....hit that ball!

Get to base and grab your... uhh...not sure he taught him that

Run like your MOM is after you......

and score a run....SAFE! After you win you....

!

Give your momma lots of hugs...(my favorite part)

I have to thank my hubby for being the photographer today. I got to keep the books so the camera was left in his hands. I must say, he showed me up big time. Way to go honey. I will leave y'all with one of my favorite shots....Logan has his daddy's jersey # and his mom's athletic ability...hehe

Spring Break at the Lake 2009

This Spring Break we headed out towards San Antonio to meet up with my sister and her family. We rented a cabin by Medina Lake and we shared some great family time. The kids got to swim in the lake which despite being low due to the lack of rain, it was the prettiest and clearest water ever. Gene got to fish while Jess and I got our suntan working...ok so we totally burned but it will get tan eventually! :) Tim played el capitan and took everyone out on the boat. He also made us breakfast every morning. Gene and I stayed disciplined and ran each day before the house woke up. It was the "hill country" and my legs weren't liking that one bit. Of course we had to head in to town one day to do some shopping on the River Walk. Aunt Jessie bought all the kiddos souvenirs and Aunt Amanda bought chocolate for all....(and herself)...big surprise! We had a blast and look forward to the next time....for now, back to reality so back to sports. Logan has a t-ball tournament in the morning....GO PIRATES!!

Our Roomies...the "O" Family

Can you feel the love?

Don't ask...

Having fun with the cousins....

Cody and Logan....goof balls

Logan's new cousin, Bullet

My goofy hubby caught dinner


Hangin on the patio

Birthday Girl

The young birthday girl with her older man :)

So excited to be going out!

My birthday sign made by Kansas

The cake Trinity made me

Our wonderful dinner

Well I celebrated a birthday this weekend and turning 25 isn't so bad! I bet some of y'all are wondering if I made a typo...shame on you! :) I woke up with Trinity in my face screaming "Happy Birthday Mommy!" and when I made it to the kitchen after I got my hearing back, I saw a sign made by Kansas wishing me the same (just a little quieter than the 1st wish). The girls went to their basketball practice with Gene and I stayed back to clean. Logan's birthday gift was he actually cleaned his room...I couldn't believe it...almost brought me to tears. He was scurrying around as I cleaned the kitchen so I asked him "Watcha doin bud" he spurt out without hesitation, "helpin you mommy." FANTASTIC! Gene and the girls returned and brought me a cake from the "Cheesecake Factory", yummy! I immediately tried to cut a piece when I was shot down...."you have to wait for it to thaw". Thanks for teasing me! Gene had a babysitter arranged (another thing that almost brought me to tears) and so we got dressed up and headed to try out another jazz club. It is called Ovations and it is in Fort Worth. We had a lot of fun! There were 3 other people celebrating their birthdays also so we all got called up on stage and they sang to us as we all danced. We enjoyed a nice dinner and then returned home to find Trinity had made me another cake...that's my future chef! They all jumped in bed with us and we all snuggled and watched some tv (our usual Saturday ritual). Logan quickly fell asleep in my arms since it was so late and we eventually had to kick the girls out...Thanks for a great birthday!

Now That's Talent

We all know that Logan is somewhat athletic....but I bet you didn't know he could sing!! Check out his video...I'll be sending it to American Idol tomorrow. He always learns the cutest songs at his preschool. Pay attention to the names of the Disciples...I'm pretty sure he says "Barfallofyou" (Bartholomew) and "Fattiest" (Thadeus). Too funny... I guess he needs to stick to sports.
(don't forget to pause my playlist down on the right hand side before you play the video)

Texas Weather

I love living in Texas but sometimes (ok almost all the time) I wished we had California weather!! Today it was low 40's and raining and just a couple days ago, I got fried sitting at Logan's t-ball practice. It didn't feel very good to put layers on my sunburn this morning...ouch! Thinking about the drastic change of weather made me realize that I forgot to post pictures from Logan's team party and "awards ceremony"... :) What a beautiful, warm Texas day it was...sniff sniff. His coaches (a father and son duo) hosted the team party and we sat outside and enjoyed some yummy burgers from off the grill....did I mention that today was 40 and rainy...oh yeah I did..back to the nice day...the boys had a blast playing and enjoyed some cake and ice cream. The cake even had their picture on it! Hopefully that weather will be back soon...it's t-ball season, spring break is next week and my spoiled bulldog doesn't like to go potty in the rain...such a princess.

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Logan with his trophy

The Stars....

.

When I Grow Up...

Kansas' Spanish Homework...she had to write in Spanish what she wants to be when she grows up. She even has my Dad's brand on her horse...too cute!
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My kids always talk about what they want to be when they grow up. For the most part, it has stayed consistent with all 3 of them. Now let me remind you, none of them are above the age of 10. Logan had a little stint where he thought he might want to be a race car driver but he quickly went back to playing for either the Cowboys or the Rangers. My sweet Trinity wants to be a Chef. One day she proudly exclaimed "Mommy, I want to be a Chef....at Chillis". I said, "Baby, I think they only have cooks there". Is there a difference? :) Now Logan has already claimed he is going to All Saints' then to TCU and then to the Cowboys...or Rangers like I said before. He has got it all mapped out! Hopefully my good friend's hubby will still be coaching the Frogs Football team in 13 years!! Tell Justin to stay put Jenny!! Then there is Kansas, my country girl. She loves horses and any type of animal. She wants to major in Ranch Management and own her own ranch. We will see if she changes her mind once she helps her Papa out this summer...I'll keep you all posted. I will keep praying for them that they will continue to grow healthy and strong (and not drive me crazy as teenagers...had to throw that one in) and stay out of trouble and work hard to achieve all their goals and dreams.

No More Snoozin....

This is one of my new shoes....I love Sauconys..

they are great running shoes. Can you believe

I had to get a 10 1/2...yikes!

The kids playing at the playground by our house.

My 3 musketeers....

Riding their bikes on the trail while daddy and I

got our jog on... :)

The lent season is upon us and I have decided I would give up hitting the snooze button....no, really I'm serious. A couple of weeks ago I would hit it at least 3 times and then would rush around the entire morning trying to get myself ready as well as the hubby and kids...no bueno! Since giving up the snooze button...I thought I would make use of my extra time awake....so I mentioned to Gene that I would like to start running in the mornings around our cul-de-sac while the kids sleep. He thought it was a great idea and so we began our new "morning ritual". We used to run/rollerblade before we had kids....Gene would run and I would rollerblade so I could keep up with him. I mean he was a State Champ in cross country so I needed all the help I could get. I remember him running up hills as he drug me behind him. Then we had child 1,2,3 and a hip replacement and now we are finally getting back into it, together. Since I was in desperate need of some new "running" shoes, Gene took me to The Runner Store in Arlington. They hooked me up with some great Saucony shoes and I couldn't wait to try them out. Since it was the weekend, we decided to bring the kids along...they rode their bikes while we ran. We stopped at the park that is on the trail in our neighborhood....what a beautiful day. If you are trying to find something to help get your day started on a good note, there is nothing like passing on the snooze button and getting a little blood pumping with a little exercise.

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OLD SCHOOL

Logan and his new hat....he is so "Old School"

well at least that is what HE tells his dad and I.

We had to get him a new shirt for picture day

before we got my shoes and I couldn't pass on

the hat.

I know he is 5 and HEAVY and some people

may say too big to hold but he is my baby.

I want to hold him as long as I can. When he

is in a snuggle mood...I jump at the chance to

snuggle.

Unwelcome Guests

Does anyone relate to the pharmacy in my kitchen?


Trinity trying to get some rest. For those of you that know her, you won't be surprised that she asked me if we could "Go walk around the mall" as I was about to give her another dose of Motrin. That's my girl...sick or well, she wants to shop!


The flu is making its way across homes everywhere. It has shown up at my house along with it's cousin, Virus. Now I'm all about having company but Flu and Virus are just not welcome. I mean I would rather have my in-laws over...sheesh....(totally kidding mom and pops...I love y'all). Gene was sick last week and then Logan went down.....Trinity decided she felt left out and woke up with a fever yesterday. Kansas and I are praying we don't become a statistic! Gene and I are doing our best to juggle our schedules, we both are in season (track and tennis). Those of you that know us know that we never stop....always active, 90% of the time with sports. Logan is playing t-ball and Kansas and Trinity are about to start basketball so we definitely need to get our house well. I have gone through my home with Clorox wipes and Lysol and my hands are so dry from washing them every 30 seconds....ok so I'm exaggerating a little but ya get my point. I pray for everyone out there that has also encountered these unwelcome visitors....get well soon.

Raising Girls

Kansas with her straight hair


Trinity with her straight hair

I am blessed to be the mom of a handsome son and 2 beautiful girls. I love my kids and find it really interesting to see how different it is to raise them. Boys are very active and never seem to slow down. Girls are very emotional and get their feelings hurt very easily. Every night when I tuck them in, they always share with me something that went on during their day. It is our little "one on one" time for the day. I try my best to give helpful advice when needed and most of the time I just sit and listen and give them my undivided attention. Since I coach teenage girls, I have a little idea of what I am going to see when they become teenagers. Boy am I nervous!! :) My daughters are beautiful, inside and out and I pray that they are confident about who they are and realize they don't need anyone but our Heavenly Father to make them complete. I don't want them to get caught up in what the media portrays as beautiful either. For example, they have beautiful curly hair but they want their hair straight. There are so many people with board straight hair that would love to have their curls. What is the saying..."youth is wasted on the young". I wish they understood how blessed they are but I guess I will have to wait until they are older...darn! :) I don't necessarily worry about when they start dating boys....one reason is because of their dad....what boy wouldn't be intimidated? Another reason is their little brother...yeah he may be small now but he is very protective of them and he isn't going to be small very much longer! So all you boys out there better watch out! My girls are getting older and as much as I love to watch them grow, I am also sad that it is going by so fast. I love you girls!