THE WATTS FAMILY

Farewell Fuentes

2012-01-23T21:15:00.005-06:00

My dear friend, Jenny is moving to Memphis and I am super excited for the opportunity for her husband and their family but also super sad. I will miss her and her sweet girls.

Jenny came to coach with me 5 years ago. Her hubby was hired as one of the TCU football coaches. She wanted to coach just to get out of the house for a little bit. How lucky could I get!! She was a former college coach and DI volleyball player. We all instantly became good friends!

We hung out together at football games...shopped....got manis together but most often just enjoyed some good girl chat and laughs....mostly at Whitney's expense. Just kiddin Whit! :)

Jenny had Cecilia who immediately became a gym rat!!

Now Cecilia is the big sister to Caroline.

Ignore the AWFUL picture of me and focus on the most adorable baby, Caroline!

My kids love playing with Cecilia and I have already promised them we would go visit the Fuentes in Tiger Country! ROAD TRIP!!

C and my girls...

A volleyball in one hand and a popsicle in the other.....got to love it! :)

Jenny and her mini me....

Jenny and C came to a game this season... Could Jenny be any prettier pregnant? Not even fair!

Jenny and C during one of our lunch dates... :( gonna miss those.

2 of my closest friends...love them

Fun...froggy style! :)

I am thankful that God blessed me with such a sweet friend. Jenny is such a devoted wife and wonderful mom. I will miss her and those sweet girls but look forward to all the opportunities that are in store for her and her family. Thank you Jenny for being such a great friend.

GO TIGERS!!

My Sweet Uncle Bill

2012-01-12T08:29:00.007-06:00

My father is the youngest of four boys. Although I did not ever get to meet my Uncle Charlie and have only seen my Uncle John once, I did get the chance to spend many summers with my sweet Uncle Bill. We had lots of fun hanging with him. I remember driving in his Volkswagon van to his Raquet Club. My sisters and I would run around the place and play while he worked. What single guy do you know that would offer to keep his nieces during the summer! My Uncle Bill was a family man and he loved kids!! He couldn't wait to be a Dad! He eventually gave up Bachelorhood and married my beautiful Aunt Sharon. She is a driven, career-minded woman and I love that about her. She would take my sisters and I to Universal Studios when we would visit. Another fond memory.....

Aunt Sharon and Uncle Bill were soon blessed with 2 gorgeous daughters, Kira and Nicole. Being their father brought so much joy to my Uncle Bill.

Kira's graduation

My Uncle Bill and his girls....

My Uncle Bill stayed active even after he was diagnosed with Parkinsons. He is a Rombeau and he is a fighter. I can still hear my Nan's voice saying that about us Rombeaus. :)

The Rombeaus....I am so glad we were all able to have a reunion. It is always so good to be surrounded by family.

The Rombeau boys...Uncle John, Uncle Bill and my dad.

We got to visit my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Bill in Los Angeles.

I am thankful for all the times I had with my Uncle Bill. So many fond memories I will cherish forever. He was my Uncle and Godfather and I am blessed to have had him in my life. I am so grateful for my Aunt Sharon, the love of his life who took such good care of him until his very last breath. I pray for her and my cousins. The loss of a loved one is difficult but we will be reunited with him again one day. We love you Uncle Bill!! Rest in peace.

The Watts get Loose at the Zoo

2012-01-02T19:09:00.003-06:00

On New Years Eve Day it was a beautiful 70 degrees outside. We took advantage of it and headed to the zoo.

The kids love the zoo and were very excited to go.

The animals seemed to enjoy the weather as well.

Of course leave it to Logan and my hubby to go a little wild. ;)

Trinity and I had our fun also. :)

Hubby picture...is that a smile I see?

After a few hours we were ready to head home and get some food. Thanks to 1820 Productions for giving us the zoo tickets. Speaking of the reality show....it should be coming out soon. Stay tuned!

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-27T10:36:00.004-06:00

We headed down to Houston for Christmas and spent it with family.

The cousins love hanging with each other.

My 3 beautiful kiddos. I am so blessed to be their mom!

Ever since we went to Disneyland Kansas wants everything Mickey!! :)

Trinity couldn't wait to straighten her hair!!

Yes, another ball but this one he can dribble outside on the cement!

My nephew, Cody got boxing gloves and he decided to try them out on Logan's face. :) Despite this lickin Logan kept on boxing!

Me and my gorgeous girls

Nana and Papa and their grandkids.

Mom and her girls...

Me and my big sister being goofy...

My wonderful parents...I love them so much!!

Toasting to me receiving my Masters!

Kansas and Kendall. I thought this was a sweet picture. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and I pray that 2012 brings you even more blessings than 2011!

Trying to Catch Up...

2011-12-27T09:52:00.005-06:00

Trying to catch up fits this long post for sure. December has been a whirlwind for me to say the least. But I will say it has been full of blessings.

We wrapped up our FANTASTIC season with a team party at the Roberts house. I loved having my girls back together again. I miss them!! As usual we shared lots of laughs.

On December 11th I completed my Masters degree and I got to celebrate by spending almost a week in San Antonio at the AVCA convention.

I was able to attend a bunch of clinics as well as watch the semis and final match of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships!! It was such a cool experience and I also learned a lot from the clinics.

My hotel was right on the river walk and it was decorated so pretty for Christmas.

The semis.....Illiniois upset USC.

UCLA beat Illinois to win the title!! I am thankful for the trip that gave me some time away!!

When I returned my hubby took me on a date.......to a basketball game. :) Some things will never change! :) He was also hosting a camp so we let the kids have some friends spend the night so they could attend the basketball clinic with them.

Logan and his buddy, Trey being goofy. We ordered pizza for all the kiddos after day 1 of the camp and then took them thru Prairie Lights.

Trinity and Brooklyn...

Prairie Lights is such a beautiful display of Christmas lights.

These pictures don't do it justice! I should have done a post just with my light pictures!

Kansas, Taylor and Jacobi enjoying their pizza. I remember when these cute girls were in kindergarten!

I walked in to the kitchen the next morning and found Kansas drawing up a play on Gene's board. Can you tell she is a daughter of 2 coaches? :)

Some of the campers....

Later that day (as if we hadn't spent enough time in a gym) we went to SMU to watch Lil" Cotton (London) play basketball. Gene started training him when he was Logan's age!!

He is Kansas' Godbrother also. :) It was so great to see him play! We are proud of you London!!

Cannot believe it has been a month since my last post. Hopefully now that I am done with my Masters I will have more time. Stay tuned for my Christmas post.....

Turkey Day Fun

2011-11-26T13:41:00.008-06:00

So this Thankgiving we headed to Katy/Houston to see the family. I couldn't wait to give this little girl some smooches!! Of course when we hang out at the Street house we do lots of hanging in the garage/man cave/bar/theater room...etc.

Some of the men enjoying Stephen talking I'm sure! :) Love my brother in law!!

Our real life baby doll. :)

On our way to my mom's house (yes my parents still live in Alief) we passed my old high school, Elsik. Lots of memories there....of course most involve playing sports. But back to Thanksgiving.....

Tiffany, Derek and Jasmine came from Killeen to spend the holiday with us. The more family the better I say!! :)

The cousins played a little football while us moms.....

sat around and watched.....love my sisters! :)

Derek and Tiffany......last year Derek was spending his Thanksgiving training the Iraqi Army. Glad he could be with us this year.

Nana and Papa....

Yea so I give up trying to take pictures with him...

I'd rather take pictures with these beautiful women anyways....so there! :)

Yep..this is the best we could get. Anytime us moms mentioned pictures it was nothing but complaining!!

Nana bought the kiddos this big art project that they enjoyed.

Before we headed out we enjoyed a nice seafood dinner at a place called Orleans. It was so yummy!! Can't believe I didn't get any pictures of the wonderful food we had on Thanksgiving. As usual my mom worked very hard in the kitchen and it was delicious.

The grown up table....with Kendall. :) I always love getting together with my family. Unfortunately I had to get a little school work done while I was there but I am almost done and so excited!!

While I was working on my power point my family decided it was a good time for a study break....so we decided to get a little goofy with the photo booth on my mac. :)

Me, my sisters and crazy nephew.

My brother, Benny....can't forget him. :)

He really does love his mom.

He really doesn't want me to flex.....I would make him feel bad.

Well as usual I hope you enjoyed my random post. Maybe after I finish my Masters I will feel like writing better stories on my blog. Nah...who am I kidding. :) Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Birthday Surprise at Jerry's House

2011-11-13T17:55:00.007-06:00

This lil guy turned 8 today and he had no idea he would be spending his birthday at Jerry Jones' house! :)

This is how I found him this morning. Looks like he had a rough night! Haha

Little did he know this would be waiting for him as soon as he woke up!

I am so excited that I got the opportunity to take him to the game!!

We had great tickets thanks to Wynne Motor Coach and we were able to enjoy the Founder's Club. I was in heaven since they had a sweet bar!! Can you say yum!!

They honored the Veterans at the game today. It was so cool to see all the men and women in uniform. They also had a Coast Guard helicopter fly over. It gave me chills....so awesome!!

The birthday boy enjoyed some tasty food before we headed to the tunnel to see the players.

Deion Sanders (current Hall of Famer) and Logan Watts (future Hall of Famer). :) I know Famer is not a word but it sounds better! :)

Jerry Jones came through the tunnel and he signed Logan's football. You can see Logan's hand sticking out with the green band on his arm.

Jason Garrett about to take his team out on the field. I swear he was looking right at me! :) I think he heard I coach and wanted to see if I would put a headset on for the game. hehe...

Bring em out....Bring em out....I loved how Kitna #3 was encouraging his team as they headed to the field.

Country singer, Neil Mc Coy sang the National Anthem.

The Cowboys scored a touchdown....GO CHARGERS...oh wait. :)

Me and my sweet boy enjoying watching the game on the 50 yard line.

I am so proud of my lil' man. He had baseball practice at 2pm and he asked if we could leave by half time so he could make it there on time. You can't ask for more dedication than that!! Of course I had to say "we really have to leave the sweet bar early?" :) I guess I'll survive!!

I feel so blessed to be able to have shared this special birthday with Logan. We created some memories that will last forever.....and if he happens to forget he can always check out my blog! :) Happy 8th Birthday Logan...LOVE YOU!!!

Happy Birthday Booga Bear!

2011-11-12T19:25:00.006-06:00

My sweet boy is turning 8 years old! When he was born he was HUGE at 9lbs 11oz. He had a head full of hair and the most beautiful big, brown eyes you had ever seen!

8 years later he is still just as gorgeous....but just not as chunky!! :) I still look at those brown eyes and see my sweet baby boy and I'm quite sure I always will (even when he is 6ft tall and a smelly teenager).

Since the day he was born he has been ALL BOY!!! I laugh every time I see the picture above.

He has a passion for sports and he loves the Lord!! You couldn't ask for more than that!! Although basketball may be his current favorite, he loves to play them all.

He has even ran a few races!!

One day I caught him moving the kitchen chairs into his playroom (he was still in diapers at the time)and putting a basketball in each of the chairs. He then started mimicking the drills he watched his dad do at his training classes!! He was literally practicing basketball in a diaper...no lie!!

He is not a big fan of toys....he just wants to play sports!

Unfortunately he has learned to talk a little smack.....I blame that on his dad and the fact that he hangs out with varsity and college athletes a lot!

The picture above is of him, his daddy and Little Cotton who Gene trained since he was a young boy.

As a coach we always like to work with those athletes that have a strong passion for the game. That passion is something that comes from inside and you just can't coach that. Logan has been blessed not only with athletic ability but a passion for sports that is awesome to watch!

I am so thankful that God has blessed me with such a sweet boy! Happy Birthday Logan and I hope you like your birthday surprise......stay tuned!!! :)

A Season I'll Never Forget

2011-11-09T20:02:00.007-06:00

So I have spent the last 3 months with these girlies......

and these 2 crazy cats!! We had a great season, 27-4 and a 2nd place finish in the SPC. We fought hard and lost in 5 in the finals but I could not be more proud of my team and coaches.

Whitney and I before the final match began....we sure seem relaxed huh! :)

My team worked hard every practice and focused on their goals. They wanted to make it back to the DI Championship game and that is exactly what they did.

They may not have come away with the title but they came away with so much more.

A bond with their teammates that they will remember for the rest of their lives. These group of girls shared so many great times and lots of laughter!

They created friendships that will last a lifetime!

They stuck by each other and pushed each other through the tough days.

They even made sure to punk me every now and then. The picture above is from our last practice. We have t-shirts that are mandatory to wear to each practice....either navy or grey. They decided it would be funny to show up to their final practice in bright, neon shirts. You got to love em! :)

I couldn't have hand picked a better group of girls for my team. They are all beautiful inside and out and I am blessed to have had the opportunity to coach them. They got to take an ice bath after the semis....the water looks warm cause of the bubbles but it was nice and COLD!

They are very strong in their faith and look to the Lord for guidance. It is so refreshing to see teenage girls in this day and age strong in their walk with God. One of my Captains, Bailey said the prayer at dinner the first night and it made me teary eyed. Special moments I'll never forget.

I am so very proud of each of those young ladies. I am thankful for the effort that they gave me on a daily basis and for all the laughs. Thank you for a great season. Seniors, I love you tons and look forward to watching you grow as young adults. KIA KAHA!!!

Athena and Pocahantas take on The Hulk

2011-10-31T08:46:00.004-05:00

In the right corner (of the bedroom) you have the scary and intimidating never cleans his room, HULK LOGAN. Kansas was quick to point out that "your face is brown and your arms are white". :)

In the same corner of the bedroom we have the beautiful,chatty and also never cleans her room, Princess Athena.

And since this is the prettiest corner of the room....we once again have Pocahantas. She looks about 9ft tall and thankfully she does clean her room. At least one of my children inherited my cleanliness!

Despite his muscles Hulk Logan was defeated by Princess Athena (who looks like she is trying to protect her brother's jewels in this picture ;) and Pocahantas. Hope you enjoyed the Wattsamania 2011. Feel free to stop by anytime to see actual fighting between the 3. That happens on a daily basis minus the costumes!! :) Hope everyone stays safe out there on this crazy day of the year!!

Reunited and It Feels So Good....UTA VOLLEYBALL BABY!!

2011-10-23T10:52:00.007-05:00

This past week was just another busy week for me. It was Homecoming, Senior Night, and I had a 5 page paper due for my class. Even though I had to write my paper twice(yes it didn't save for some reason the first time) I had my UTA Volleyball Reunion to look forward to on Saturday. Knowing that I would get to see my old teammates definitely got me through all the other craziness! These beautiful women are so special to me and I love getting together and rehashing our good ol' college days! GO HOME SMELLY! :)

We all met at Texas Hall where we played so many matches back in the day. It's the infamous court on a stage.

Tina actually still has a pair of socks that were issued to us back in college....good times! :) The gorgeous lady sitting next to her is Toni who recruited us all to UTA.

One of the neat things about the UTA reunions is we get to meet players who played before or after us.....ok mostly after us! :) Although we may not have ever played a game with them (because some were only 2 years old at the time :) we still all have a bond!

The old ladies....:) I still think we are rockin it though huh! :) Those women are wonderful wives and moms now and I am blessed to call them my dear friends.

Tina reliving her glory days....don't worry.....she usually didn't play outside of the court! :) I think that is the first time she actually hit the floor and didn't leave it sopping wet! That girlie could sweat!! :)

Me with some of my younger teammates. UTA doesn't realize how lucky they are to have such great people representing their Alumni. These girls are awesome!! Thanks to Harris (Jennifer Harris Cross) for putting this together and making us some rad, old-school CD's!!

After the game went to Grease Monkey in Arlington to watch the Rangers and catch up on some good laughs. One of our teammates, Mandy and her hubby are part-owners. The place is such a cool joint. If you are in the Arlington area you've got to check it out!

Sue came all the way from Chicago to join the fun! She was my roommate in college and I just love her to pieces!

I had to get a pic of our banner from 1992. Man, that was so long ago!!

Thankfully I do NOT look like this anymore!! YUCK!!!

Mandy, Sue, Me, Toni and Tina at the Grease Monkey.

The gang enjoying some laughs and brew. We have already started planning a summer get together at Tina's place. There is nothing like catching up with old friends and laughing til you cry. I am so thankful for the friendships of these girls. I love y'all and can't wait for our next gathering!!

Pumpkin Patch Days are OVER

2011-10-10T20:21:00.004-05:00

So it looks like the picture above just may be the last picture I take of my kids at a pumpkin patch. :( They were eager to go but once we got there they were in no mood to take cute pictures. In my defense, we have gone to Hall's Pumpkin Farm for years and I ALWAYS take pictures of them while we are there. They should just expect it and deal with it right?

This is the first picture I took when we arrived. It should have been a dead giveaway that they were in no mood to deal with me and a camera.

Please note that I have lived in Texas my entire life and I love the Rangers (who won an awesome game #2 tonight by the way) and I am a huge Mavericks fan but I don't support the Cowboys. Sorry but I am pulling for the Chargers(sporting my Grandmother's old hat :) sorry Cowboys fans. :)

I do love these 2 cowboys....and uh cowgirl. As I was taking pictures or trying to I noticed there were a ton of young moms taking pictures of their YOUNG kiddos all dressed in fall attire. It made me realize that my kids may just be getting a little too old for the pumpkin patch. BOOO

I mean look at Kansas....it about killed her to take this picture with me!

This boys gives a whole new meaning to Children of the Corn.... :) at least he smiled for me!

Y'all like my new ride? I done found it out yonder in the pasture. Hehe...I sound like my dad. :)It is actually one of the many cute props they have at the farm that I will no longer be using to take pictures with my kids. (insert huge sigh here)

Before we left (for our last visit ever :) the kids stopped by to visit the animals. This cute little pig we named Bacon came right over to them and plopped over so they could start rubbing his/her belly. :)

Logan could have stayed there with Bacon all day. They have a lot in common....they both like to play outside....in the mud.....stay dirty and eat. Yep...that sounds about right. Well I am thankful for all the times I was able to enjoy the pumpkin farm with my kiddos. This growing up thing really takes some getting used to! :) Happy Fall everyone and GO RANGERS!!!

Some Craziness with Lots of Laughter in Between

2011-10-01T08:44:00.005-05:00

All I can say is that I am so very thankful for my friends and family!!! I have some really special people in my life that are always there for me whether it's to celebrate good times or help me through the bad times. I am so blessed to have you all in my life!! As a mom, it is comforting to know that my kids may not think I'm the nicest person now but when they are grown I hope we have the same relationship that I have with my parents. I love my parents! My friends are also always there to listen or make me laugh. Can't forget my team....they may give me a few grey hair but they keep me young and keep me laughing! As you can see in the picture above they are always doing something goofy like cropping our wonderful manager in our team picture. :)

I know the above picture is a little random but I thought it was neat cause it had my comment about my team along with the tweet about Bailey's honor. So proud of my team!

This week started out fine....I got to watch Logan play some football during recess as I was making my way to the lower school. I had a full day, practice with my team and then headed to Kansas' soccer practice. Trinity's team didn't have practice but she decided to get some goalie practice with Kansas' team. She was doing awesome!! Kansas' coach complimented her and then the next ball hit funny off her hand and the rest of my Monday was spent in the ER.

Poor thing broke her radius in her right arm. So this is break #3 for my family in the last 9 months. Logan's elbow, my thumb and now Trinity's arm! Hopefully 3 will be our lucky number and everyone else will stay unbroken! :)

On Wednesday Gene and I took her to Dr. Binzer's office to get her cast. He hooked her up with a red, waterproof one so she can shower!! Of course now it has signatures all over it! :) She will be out about 6 weeks unfortunately.

So you could only imagine by Friday I was ready for some laughter. My team went 2-0 this week and us coaches decided it was a good time to enjoy some happy hour! Gene joined Whitney, JP and Shantel and I at Mi Cocina. We had a great time....haven't laughed that much in a long time!

Yes, another random picture in my post but it made me think of some people in my family that will remain nameless :) and it made me laugh!

Glad my hubby could join us at happy hour. We don't get out much at all....our schedules are just too crazy! Our kids were at school enjoying movie night so we took advantage it!! Today we will be heading to Kansas' soccer game and then it's laundry time for me! :) Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Too Tired to Think of a Title

2011-09-25T14:54:00.006-05:00

The last couple of weeks have pretty much been a blur! I'm in season, finishing my Masters, working lots of hours and of course most importantly, I have my mom and wife duties. The girls are playing soccer as well and Logan is about to start baseball. I did find the time to take my team to the TCU vs. Texas volleyball game. My family came along as well! My team enjoyed watching some college volleyball and were blown away by the HUGE Texas team.

Jenny showed up with Cecilia. We are so excited for Baby Fuente #2 to make his/her appearance!! :) We sure miss having her coach with us!

After the game the TCU girls stayed on the floor to sign autographs. It amazes me that my 12 year old daughter almost looks as big as the TCU middle!! Cecilia, Jenny's daughter was so cute, she would walk up to the girls and hold up her hand with her fingers showing the frog symbol! :)

When I was Kansas' age I would put up volleyball posters all through my room. Back then I wanted to go to UT so a lot of them were of UT Volleyball. Kansas didn't waste any time getting her TCU posters on her wall!

A little blurry but man were those UT girls HUGE!! I thought going to the game would fire my team up for the big weekend of counter games. Unfortunately we went 1-1 and not 2-0 like we had hoped. I hate losing!! I have tried not to think about that and the million other things on my mind this weekend but it is really hard. Thankfully last night was a nice surprise outing as Gene and I took the kids to the Candlelighters Run to help support kids with cancer. Gene was originally going to just have his CC team run but we decided last minute to enter our kids also.

The race took place in downtown Fort Worth and it was an absolutely beautiful night! They all ran the 5k and I cheered them on. Didn't really have the mindset to run. :(

My kiddos after finishing their race!

Trinity ran the entire time despite wanting to stop after the first mile. That paid off for her cause she earned 1st Place in her division!! She didn't feel great after the race but once they called her name, she sure seemed to be doing much better!

Logan walked a little but still ended up with 3rd place in the boys 10 and under division. Pretty impressive!! Kansas didn't place cause she was trying to not lose her brother (haha) and she was also in the 11-14 age bracket which is a lot tougher.

I am glad we were able to make it out as a family. Those are always the most special times to me! We are going to try to run more of these races together as a family. They are lots of fun and they support great causes!!

This morning we got up and went and supported Trinity and her soccer team. She is doing so well as goalie. When she first started a couple of weeks ago she was somewhat timid but now she goes after the ball no matter who is charging her. So proud of her....and all of my kids! Back to work tomorrow. Ready to get back in the gym with my team and work on some things to get us ready for our remaining counter games. I start my 2nd to last class with my Masters tomorrow and ready to get this thing finished!! Not that we needed any more craziness but we had to dig up a 3x5 hole in our front yard to fix a pipe that was blocked by a tree root. It just adds to the excitement right? :) No matter what all goes on, I am blessed and thankful. Hope everyone has a great week!

Oh Yea....It's Volleyball Season

2011-09-19T20:50:00.005-05:00

So it's been awhile since I have blogged, well on my blog for that matter. I have actually started a blog for our school and it is called Father Mel's Message. Father Mel is our Lower School Chaplain and he is AWESOME!! Our students are blessed to be able to go to chapel every day and get a wonderful message! Father Mel's blog now lets us parents know what they are learning! So check it out if you have some time.....as for me, extra time is nonexistent! I am right in the middle of volleyball season and life is busy as usual. The picture above is me trying to imitate my wonderful manager, Sydney. So what do you think....did I pull it off?

Well when I'm not imitating people I can usually be found hanging with 2 of my favs, Whitney and JP. Not only are they the greatest coaches ever, but they are the sweetest friends a girl could have! The picture above is us before our first counter match. I guess we need to work on our game faces huh? :)

I also have been spending most of my time with my 10 other children...aka my team. I love these girlies so much and am so blessed to coach such a great group of teenagers(that word scares me). They just love taking pictures with their mascot, my niece Kendall. :)

She is my little good luck charm....love her to pieces!!

Love this pic....

I love being able to see my family on my Houston trips. Wish I could have spent more time with them.

I got home from our first road trip on Saturday night and Sunday we headed to the soccer fields to watch Kansas and Trinity play. Trinity plays goalie and she got her first shut-out in her game....woohoo!!

And tonight she decided to be sweet to her little brother and help him with his homework. Love it when they get along!! Well it's just another busy week in our house. Hope all is well with everyone!

Try To Keep Up....With the Watts

2011-09-05T18:04:00.006-05:00

So if you think keeping up with the Kardashians is exciting (don't admit it) you should try keeping up with the Watts Family! To say that our schedule is jam packed is no exaggeration! For instance, our Labor Day weekend started out with the arrival of some of my family. My Aunt Dominique flew in from Georgia to see my cousin Derek, her son that has been in Iraq for the last 12 months. They met us up at school to enjoy some Friday Night Lights.

The game on the field got a tad boring since we were beating them 90 to nothing but at least you can surf down the hill for some Friday fun! Trinity did just that.

Saturday morning we were up early to watch Kansas play some soccer. I'm trying to get used to this soccer parent thing. Later that day, my parents came into town for a short visit. Since there have been so many wildfires lately, they had to return back to the farm to make sure our land was ok. Pray for RAIN!! Unfortunately they got to enjoy the excitement of our pipes backing up....nothing like having your house smell like a sewer! YUCK!! Luckily Brian, my cousin's BIL was there to help get the problem fixed. Sorry there are no pictures of the mess but I thought I would spare the grossness!

Sunday morning we were back at the soccer fields. Kansas had a huge fan base to cheer her on and she actually got to play offense. She usually plays defense (don't ask me what position cause I couldn't tell you) but her coach put her in on offense. She was in there less than a minute and she broke away and scored her first career goal!!! I jumped out of my chair, shouted a woohoo, high fived a couple of people and sat back in my chair and teared up...all in that order. See, I told you keeping up with the Watts is exciting! :)

After the soccer game we headed to the Stockyards to show my Auntie some Fort Worth hospitality. You can't come to Texas and not go to Billy Bobs!!

As we were headed to look at some shops, we saw this young lady on her steer. I tried to convince my Aunt that I just traded my steer in for my Expedition but she didn't believe me.

Nothing like a little Texas flavor....

We returned home and decided us adults would head back to Billy Bobs later for more boot scootin fun but first we wanted to visit with some family on facetime. This technology is the absolute greatest and should be integrated in the classroom for sure. It was so fun gathering around the computer and talking with our California family that is thousands of miles away. Enjoyed a lot of laughs....the picture is blurry but I love that everyone is smiling from ear to ear. :)

Gene was a trooper and stayed home with the kids and my Auntie, cousin Derek and his wifey, Tiffany headed back to the Stockyards.

We got the notorious bull picture done....man does it bring back memories of my college days. I was either in the gym practicing volleyball, in class, playing spades or at Billy Bobs. Thank goodness Rocky Mountain jeans are no longer in style!!

I am so thankful that my beautiful Aunt Dominique was able to make it down from Georgia to visit. My family is such a blessing to me and I love having them around. It was so good to see Tiffany, Derek and Jasmine as well. As much as I don't want this long weekend to end, it just means another day closer to more family time. Have a great week!

1st Day of School

2011-08-24T21:29:00.003-05:00

Can't believe another school year has started. This post will be full of pictures but short on explanations! I'm exhausted and still need to do my homework not to mention a few more loads of laundry. Feel sorry for me yet? :)

Kansas is in 6th grade now so she gets to have a locker!! She was so excited to decorate it with all the stuff we got. Too bad she was not interested in getting her picture taken!

See....I told you she didn't want her picture taken! :) It's a good thing her teacher, Mr. Gaul is about as goofy as they get! :)

Logan about ran down the hall to get to his class.

He went straight to his cubby and put his backpack and lunch up like a good boy (let's hope he can do it on day 2 also).

And I know that look anywhere....it's the "STOP TAKING PICTURES" look.

But he went ahead and let me take one more with his teacher, Ms. Gallo.

Last but not least, my big, 4th grader Trinity.

She is excited for the new school year and has already asked her teacher, Ms. Lalani for extra credit work! That's my girl!! :) I am looking forward to another great school year. Now off to do my homework!

Lucky # 13

2011-08-14T12:28:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe Gene and I are celebrating 13 years of marriage! As everyone that is married or has been married knows, it isn't always easy.

There are times that you just want to kick em in the shin or tell em to go for a swim. ;) wink wink... When you add the stress of life....the busy schedules....the needs of your children, it is hard to remember that it started with just the two of you falling in love.

Although we may not always agree on things :) I am thankful God blessed me with a wonderful husband. I look forward to celebrating many more anniversaries with you babe. Happy 13th!!

I'd Marry You Again

With tiny tears that glistened, my eyes were fixed on you, and thinking of the life we'd share we softly said "I do". Our hearts were knit together from the time we first met, and memories were gathered that we never will forget. While daily living life with you, you saw the real me, and still you chose acceptance, a lifelong mystery. With many happy times gone by and others when we cried, some days we'd share so endlessly, while other days we'd hide. With all the ups and downs we've had in learning to be friends, I know that in this heart of mine,

I'd marry you again.

Preseason 904

2011-08-09T21:01:00.002-05:00

Ok so maybe 904 preseasons for me is a tad bit of an exaggeration but at my age, it sure seems like I've been doing this forever! I found my shirt at the UA outlet while shopping with my sister, Mill. Of course I had to get it....it's PINK!! :) Last week began two-a-days and my body is feeling it. I have been participating in different drills with my kids and of course I can't not hit the floor!

Thank goodness I have my own personal foot massager at home. Too bad he stops pampering me after 30 seconds! :) After coming off such a great season last year, I am hopeful to have success again obviously! I am thankful for the wonderful coaches that I have helping me and the great kids that I am blessed to coach. Here's to the 2011 season.....GO SAINTS!!

So Long Summer

2011-08-02T17:48:00.007-05:00

My summer is officially over but I get to start the 2011-12 school year with a new ride...YIPEE!! We found a great deal at Bailey Auto Plaza and we are the new owners of a Ford Expedition.

Now most of you know that I would love to own a big, Chevy truck one day but I am beyond exited about my new Ford. It is the perfect size for our family and it drives just like a truck!! The day after we got it, I took it down to Houston to see my family. I had to stop off at the farm to see my dad who was there getting cattle ready to sell.

We are in a drought so some of them have to go. This one peaking around the corner got to stay though. :) GOT CUBES? :)

As soon as I drove up, they all started looking at me hoping I had some cubes for them to eat. :( Poor things...I sure hope they get some rain soon.

After the farm, we headed to get my sister, Jessica and then our final destination was my sister, Mill's house. Logan and Stephen were excited to see each other.

My sweet, Goddaughter, Kendall is walking now and she just keeps getting cuter the older she gets. I loved getting snuggle time with her.

All the grandkids but one. Of course we are missing the teenager. He had "other" things to do...hmmm.

Mom and her girls...

Nana decided she would try on Kendall's bow. Notice the lipstick mark on my sweet niece's cheek. It's hard to resist those chubby things...too cute!!

Nana and her two other granddaughters. Trinity is trying to imitate my mom's mad face. :)

Later that day, my baby sister, Megan and her boyfriend Zach joined us. It was so good to see her!!

I am so proud of the beautiful, young woman she has become.

I'm not the only one that couldn't get enough snuggle time.....Logan loves his cousin. :)

Our trip to Houston was a short one cause we wanted to make it back home to see Gene. He has been traveling with basketball and we had to be there when he arrived. Since he hadn't seen the car yet, I had my little helper help me wash it. Going down the dirt road to the farm messed up the lovely detail job the dealership did for me. :) It was worth it though to see my dad.

Well summer is over for me and my volleyball season has begun. I hope to be able to post every so often throughout my season. I am getting closer to the finish line with my Masters. Definitely looking forward to completing that!! I had a great summer of 2011 and thank God for all the blessing he bestowed upon me and my family. Hope everyone has a great 2011-12 school year!

Girls Gone to visit the WILD

2011-07-28T19:23:00.004-05:00

Logan got invited to go hang with one of his buddies so the girls and I went WILD or went to see the wild rather. :) We had zoo tickets from participating in the Zoo run so we headed out in the heat....just us girls!

My beautiful daughters....I love them so much!

So our first stop was the monkeys. Let's just say these two went from playing to umm...getting a little TOO CLOSE! :) Kansas saw it right away and said, "Oh my gosh mom....that is so gross....man, those primates!" :) Trinity was looking the other way and thankfully won't be scarred for life like Kansas ....LOL.

My sweet Trinity.....we got to the zoo early so it wasn't too hot right away thank goodness.

I loved the white tiger. It is so pretty!! It just kept pacing in front of the window which made

the girls a tad bit nervous. :)

Trinity putting forth her best flamingo stance.

Kansas in front of her favorite exhibit.

I felt so bad for this poor thing....it has got to be hard to swim around with that thing on the end of your nose.

I really had a great time hanging with my girls today.

They actually got along the entire time. I love watching them hang together. I tell them all the time they are going to be best friends one day! :)

I loved seeing the bald eagle. Whenever I see one, it reminds me of how blessed I am to live in freedom in a wonderful country like the USA!

After almost 4 hours at the zoo, we were ready to get out of the heat and off of our feet! Thank you Kansas and Trinity for hanging with me today. I love you both very much!!

Siblings for the Summer

2011-07-23T23:03:00.005-05:00

Seline and Issac have spent the summer with us and it was a perfect time to get some updated pictures of the siblings! :)

We don't see them very often but it didn't take long for the 5 of them to catch up.

Issac...he wasn't very interested in taking his individual portrait. :)

Logan has been beside himself to have his big brother around. :)

Seline....I remember changing her diapers as a baby and now she is almost sweet 16!

Kansas....looking like she is almost 16 as well.

Trinity....my fashion diva. :)

Logan.....love my booga bear. :)

Our house has been busy to say the least! It has been a wonderful summer and unfortunately it is about finished for me. My volleyball season is about to begin and that means nonstop until November. We have filmed a couple of days for the reality show. The crew is definitely our new favorite people to hang around....they are so much fun!! Of course Gene had to barbecue some ribs for them one day. Hope everyone is having a great summer!

GQ Spread

2011-07-11T16:47:00.003-05:00

During my visit to California, my Aunt Gloria gave me a GQ magazine from 1974 that featured my dad in an article! It is so funny to see how he dressed back then. He was mad about plaid! haha

The above picture is the cover.....reminds me of the movie, Anchorman!

I wonder how far he actually ran to get that one picture. :)

My mom was pregnant with me at the time they took pictures for this article. :)

The write-up above talks about his match against Billie Jean King.....pretty cool history!

4th Fun and La Jolla Shores

2011-07-05T22:31:00.005-05:00

My sweet hubby had to leave sunny San Diego and head back to the Texas heat on the 4th. :( I definitely didn't want him to go but July is his busy month with basketball tournaments. By the look on his face, he wasn't too happy to leave either.

We celebrated the 4th at the Hedstroms pool. My Uncle Glen made the most amazing bar-b-que chicken! My Aunt Deneen (pictured with Trinity) brought red velvet cupckaes....oh yeah, I had 2.

Kansas, Dakota and Peyton enjoying the evening.

Me and my cousin, Kate. I'm going to miss her so much!!

My 2 beautiful aunties getting their grub on... :)

The kid table and the Hedstroms behind us. I need a picture of them together.....one where they are actually looking. :)

My beautiful Trinity...nice smile on my face...yikes.

Today we headed to La Jolla and enjoyed some lunch and walking along the beach. It is absolutely gorgeous there!

On our way to the water, we saw this couple and their English Bulldog, Gunny. He was so adorable! We miss our Gracie so much and love to see other bulldogs.

How beautiful is that water!

The kiddos with their Auntie Liz. :)

Wish the hubby was still here so he could enjoy this beautiful scenery!

I just love the ocean.

It brings back so many memories of when I was a child and would visit every summer.

My grandparents were members of the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. Every summer my Nan would take us there and my sisters and I would swim in the beach while she played tennis.

When we got home, we had chicken and waffles for dinner. It was a first for me and it was awesome!!!

After dinner, my now Skater Boy (thanks to his Uncle Chris and Cousin Cameron :)) wanted to test his skills. Ugh...he just loves to make me a ball of nerves!

We took him to the little park and noticed a rainbow. They don't see them much in California. It was so pretty.

My oldest enjoying the cool breeze at the park. It was a great day at La Jolla and we have a couple days left and it's back to Texas. I feel extremely blessed to have spent so much time here enjoying the sites and most of all, my family. I will miss them so much when we leave. I love y'all!!

Downtown with the Adults

2011-07-04T12:25:00.007-05:00

Anytime I get to have date night with my hubby I just love it!! When you have 3 kids and coach, there is not a whole lot of time to spare. Don't get me wrong, having movie night with my man at home is one of my favorite things to do but getting dressed up is fun too! :)

Our partners in crime, the Martins came out with us. We just love hanging with them.

When these two get together, it's nothing but jokes....they are a mess!!

One of the boys trying to make us laugh while we were attempting a picture!

We headed to Altitude Sky Lounge in downtown San Diego and it had the most amazing view. You could see Petco Park where the Padres play as well as the bay and the Coronado bridge.

What a great background for a picture huh.

My cousin, Sierra and her boo, Jesse joined us as well as my Uncle Steve who is known as our tour guide for the downtown area. :)

Laughing at the difference in our shoes....the men were all casual with their flip flops and the women had their heels on. Gene bought me these shoes while we were shopping at Viejas the other day. I just love them and they are comfortable (unless you are walking 12 blocks at 1am to find your car....Uncle Chris!! LOL)

Me and my man....

Meanwhile...the kids were having a blast hanging with their cousin Dakota. They went to Boomers and played all night and then headed back to Kate and Cameron's house to watch a movie. They even got to see some fireworks. They love hanging with the Scotts!

Ahhh...

My Auntie Liz opens her home to us every year and we are so thankful!!

Pretty amazing....

Uncle Steve with his girls.....every time we went to a new place, he would tell the bouncer "those are all my kids". Too funny!

Sierra and Jesse.....so glad they were able to join us. Sierra even did Karaoke at one of our stops...it was so great!!

Before we left Altitude, we got to see fireworks...it was quite romantic.

The Martins....:)

Gene and I both loved this quote.....so very true!! It was at our last stop. Cannot believe we stayed out so late....we are old you know! :) We had a great time and this vacation is amazing. So thankful to have such a wonderful family and to be able to have my hubby and kids here to enjoy it with me. Hope everyone has a Happy 4th of July!!

Scott Family Pool Party...Don't Tread on US!

2011-07-03T12:21:00.008-05:00

Don't tread on this family!! LOL....My Uncle Chris trying on some of my cousin-n-law, Cameron's garb. We all talked about how my cousin Derek has to wear this heavy stuff every day in Iraq. We are ready for him to be home!

Yesterday was the Scott Family's first pool party in their new home. I'm so glad we could be a part of it! Above my hubby is trying to act like Shamu and blow water out of his spout. :)

My cousin Michael with Logan....they were a fishin! :)

Hopefully the Scotts will allow us crazy Watts people to return to their pool again. :)

All the kiddos sitting down for a yummy meal. The deep pit turkey was delish and of course Gene's ribs got rave reviews!

Kids being kids....love watching the cousins hang out with each other.

My cuz Sierra and my future cuz-n-law, Sarah soaking up the sun.

The slide was a big hit....even us adults tried it out. :)

Peyton and Griffin....

Me and my sweet girls...

Michael and Sarah....how cute are they!

The SS LOGAN....

And the lovely ladies.....

The hostesses with the mostesses...Kate and Cameron Scott. They even had the kids spend the night 2 nights in a row!!

My cousins, Sierra and Dakota....Sierra has been teaching Dakota how to swim.

We had an awesome time at the Scott pool party. I just feel so blessed to have such an amazing, huge family. Looking forward to a night out tonight and then another pool party to celebrate the 4th!

A Sweet Little Town Called Julian

2011-07-02T11:23:00.006-05:00

Yesterday we headed to a small town in the mountains called Julian. The drive was absolutely beautiful. Being out in the country reminded me of the great state of TEXAS!

The first thing we did when we got there was eat some lunch. The Rongbranch Diner was a little greasy but what small town diner isn't! :)

Kansas and her daddy...

Me getting some lovin from my sweet boy. You can see the old-timey gift shop in the background.

My Uncle Glen decided to lend the bear his crutches as we were walking through the town. :)

They had some really cute shops in this town but they are mostly known for their yummy apple pies!

The guys posing in front of the BIG BOY statue that is in a window of one of the local delis.

Now that is what I am talking about.....Gene bought an apple pie and I of course had to get some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.

That's no Super Target.... :) how cute is their grocery store.

I asked Logan to take a picture in front of this neat building and this is the pose he chose. He is a mess!

Of course I had to go visit the Just 2 Cowgirls shop that's in the background. They had some cute western wear.

We stopped off at the desert on our way back. It's so crazy that there is a dry desert in beautiful southern California.

After our trip to Julian, we headed back to my cousin, Kate's house so the guys could put the deep pit turkey underground. The turkey is still cooking in the deep pit as I type and it should be ready about 4pm today.

The guys with the turkey and ribs in pillow cases about to bury them. :) We are looking forward to the pool party and enjoying the yummy food today.

I had to include this picture of our morning ritual. :) Every morning when we wake up, my Aunt makes her and Gene coffee and then we all sit with our lap tops and get work done, update blogs or just check facebook.....too funny. Tomorrow I will get a picture of my Auntie in her "spot" LOL. I guess I better publish this post, remove myself from my morning ritual and get in the shower. Time for a pool party!!

BEACH!!!

2011-06-30T23:07:00.005-05:00

Today we headed to Del Mar Beach with the family. The water was a cool 68 degrees so needless to say I didn't make it into the water. :)

Logan ready to find some beach babes....or sea weed. :)

My surfer girls ready to ride the waves.

I had to get a picture of them hanging together....I don't see that...EVER!!

I'm trying to work on my tan....got to catch up to my hubby. :)

Trinity saw some girls playing some beach volleyball and asked if she could join. She held her own against the teenagers. It was so cute!

Kansas and Trin with their Cousin B. :)

Me and the hubs...

After we spent some time by the water, we moved up to the grassy area to have dinner. It is the most gorgeous view!!!

This is my happy place for sure...

Every year I visit, we have dinner here and it is just amazing.

Logan and Trinity playing in the trees at the park...they are perfect for climbing.

God sure made some beautiful things. :)

These guys are on that list as well.... my family started up a little game of football after dinner. Every time Logan would catch a ball with his sisters playing defense, he would stop and wave his hand in front of his face and say, "You can't see me." I'm pretty sure he is a mess!

Love family pics...

My Auntie Liz and her beautiful girlie, Brigette.

Love these women!!

As we were packing up tonight, I snapped this picture. I know my blog has had a zillion pictures with each post but they are full of memories that have brought me a ton of joy. It has been a busy few days but full of great times....so thankful.

Pool Party...take two

2011-06-30T22:39:00.004-05:00

So we had another pool party at the Hedstroms and it was just as much fun as the first one! My cousin Michael (above) and his beautiful girlfriend Sarah came to see us too! I am so glad they were able to stop by and join the fun!

After the pool party....(yes I put the pictures in the wrong order AGAIN!) Cameron was trying to teach Logan how to skateboard so we all moved out front to watch.

My cousins and aunties....just adore them. We kept teasing my Aunt Gloria that she was outside in her pajama pants but she insisted that they were "lounging pants".....hmmm those must be a California thing. :)

Cam and Logan....trying to see if he could break something else! :) Flip flops are probably not the best shoes to wear when you are learning how to skateboard!

My cousin Brigette came in town to visit also....YAY!!! Here we are taking a picture with our cousin Kate....do you like my dress AKA my hubby's shirt. It gets cool outside in the evening....nice huh!! Us Texans don't know what that's like in June!

The hubby about to take a dip in the pool....

My cousin and her man, Jesse. I can't wait til they get married! :)

Da boys....Uncle Chris, hubby, Cameron and Uncle Glen....we are very blessed to have some great men in our family....still missing a ton of others!

Kansas enjoying the pool...

My beautiful cousin, Brigette and her sweet boyfriend, Javier. He is a great guy and I am so glad we were able to meet him. My Cousin-B is so special and Javier just adores her. Made me very happy. :)

Me and my cousins....yes, I'm the old fart out of the bunch. I sure do love those girlies. Aren't they gorgeous!!

My Auntie Liz and her BeeBop. :) We always stay with Aunt Liz and Uncle Chris and they are so sweet to open their home to us. Having a great time as always. Today we headed to the beach and we are all tuckered out now. Looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow.

Day 3 DISNEYLAND!!!

2011-06-29T12:18:00.008-05:00

So I saw a sign at Disneyland that said "A picture is worth a thousand words"....that pretty much sums up this post.....a ton of pictures and 1000 plus memories to match.

It should be no surprise that I posted the pictures backwards.....little sleepy from our busy day at Disneyland! The above picture is Logan posing with Lego-Woody at the Legoland store.

My kiddos in Pixie Hollow.... :)

My hubby being goofy as always...

Speaking of Goofy.....

We couldn't leave Disneyland without getting pictures with Mickey and Minnie! The kids also got autograph books so all characters could sign them.

It all started cause of a mouse....Walt Disney started Disneyland in 1955. I think it's kind of cool that my Grandpa Lee delivered his kids! :)

Another must at Disneyland is getting mouse ears. They have so many different kinds now and each of the girls picked out their favorite style and got their names put on the back.

Kansas got the Pirates of the Caribbean hat and Trinity got a pink and purple zebra striped hat. Now Logan, he got a Chipmunk hat....very suiting!

This place is so magical....brings back memories.

One of our favorite rides was the Pirates of the Caribbean...we went on it first and it was way cool!

Pictures from the ride....

My group ready to enjoy a little Jack Sparrow action...

How gorgeous is my hubby.....love him!

The infamous castle....

Logan and his new BFF...

Had a great time building memories.

Gene and I are very blessed to have the opportunity to take our kiddos to Disneyland. We definitely want to come out again and maybe enjoy it in 2 days. I hope my sisters and their kiddos can come along as well. We started at 9am and didn't leave until after the fireworks at 9:30pm. It was a day I will never forget....

Seaport Village Day2

2011-06-29T11:52:00.007-05:00

So day 2 was awesome as well and this post has the pictures to prove it! We headed to Seaport Village and my cousin Kate and her girlie, Dakota joined us. Have I mentioned how much I love my family!!

The USS Midway is docked in the San Diego bay so we decided to go on the tour. It was soooo cool!!

When you get on the ship they give you headphones and you can listen to things about the ship. It is really a neat, educational experience. At the end of the tour, the kids get their Junior wings.

Of course we had to check out the gift shop. Man, look at Kansas' guns! :) I'm scared!

Outside the ship there is a statue of a sailor kissing his nurse, girlfriend. Gene and I had to duplicate the pose.....only it looks like Gene is choking me and not kissing me!

My cousin Kate and I being goofy in the plane museum.

How cute are these kiddos!!

My hubby is so proud of himself cause he was able to tie one of the many knots the sailors have to learn to tie.

Enjoying Seaport Village...

Kota and Logan....they are just adorable!

Boarding the ship...that poor place will never be the same...

Before we got on the ship Gene wanted to take pictures in front of the crab baskets....gotta love him!

I promise....I was not going to do it! :)

He said if he was going in, I was going with him! Haha

Well this post is all over the place (as most of mine are :)) but I am on vacation and don't really care! :) I think the pool is calling my name!! :)Hope all is well with everyone. Enjoying my time with family.

Day One is Lots of Fun

2011-06-27T09:09:00.006-05:00

Our 3 kiddos ready to depart for their vacation to San Diego! Not only do they get to go to a beautiful destination, they get to spend wonderful time building memories with family!

We had a layover in New Mexico so of course the kiddos wanted to get a souvenir to show they were there. Logan got an alien ID from Area 51....fit his personality quite well!

We were picked up from the airport by cousin, Kate and her beautiful daughter, Dakota. We headed to her new house to hang out before heading to the Hedstroms for a pool party. The kids enjoyed hanging out with their cousin, Kota.

Of course my artist, Kansas had to make some art out of her play-doh. She amazes me with her ability.

Next stop...Hedstrom's house...woohoo!!!

Their pool is so beautiful and the view never gets old.....of the mountains, not the "man section" of the pool LOL!

How bout these 2 guys....love them both very much! My Uncle Glen is in the process of rebuilding their pool house but unfortunately he broke his foot so he has to take it easy for a while.

My beautiful first born enjoying her pool time with family.

My crazy son showing off as usual. :)

The girl section of the pool.....HOLLA! :)

The kids making a splash...

Love my hubby...

My precious Trinity hanging with her Auntie Liz.

My cousin Sierra and her BF Jesse planned a surprise attack on Logan. He kept bugging them to come swim with him. :)

My cousin Kate and her sweet hubby, Cameron.

Aunt Deneen and the hubby....She is so beautiful and we are planning "Operation Cowboy" for her. She is going to come to Texas so we can find her a cowboy. They will all love her! :)

Me and my Aunties...how gorgeous are they. Wish all of my Aunties could have been there...I have a ton! Love them all!!

It's not a pool party unless there is a little chicken fighting!

Just a small part of my wonderful peeps....it is such a blessing to have a huge family!

Kansas and her cousin Griff.....I am so glad they get to have time together. I remember growing up and spending summers in California with my cousins.

Trin is such a daddy's girl. The kids were wiped out by traveling and then swimming all day but we wouldn't want it any other way!

The cousin table at dinner....this view never gets old!

The 2 youngins....Logan and Kota. They kept pinching each other's cheeks and saying "you are so cute". :)

After the pool party, we headed back to Aunt Liz and Uncle Chris' house. Logan got to ride with his Uncle Chris. Look at the pretty boys in the convertible! LOL

When we got to their house, they had special gift and food for the kiddos and then Aunt Liz showed me the blanket she made me. It made me cry! I am such a picture person and love blankets....she gave me the most special gift ever. She couldn't have chosen better pictures to put on the blanket. I hate being far away from family and this blanket will just bring me closer to them. Thank you Aunt Liz...I LOVE IT!! I know this post has a ton of pictures but hey, it's my blog! haha My family is just so special to me and it was just too hard to choose which ones to post. Day 1 of our trip was a huge success. Having a great time and love that my hubby and kiddos are here with me. Thank you LORD!!! Tune in for more of San Diego 2011! :)

Fun with the Fuentes!

2011-06-15T20:21:00.003-05:00

Today we enjoyed a nice treat and got to visit with a dear friend of mine, Jenny and her sweet daughter. They just moved into a new house and it is beautiful and has an awesome pool!

The kids just adore Cecilia and love hanging out with her.

Trinity feels like she is Cecilia's permanent babysitter. She has helped watched her since she was a baby. She is the most adorable little girl you will ever meet. So smart too!!

Our little mermaids....

And then there's Logan.... :) I thought this was the funniest picture!

Being my crazy little boy....today was the first day he could swim since his surgery so he was way excited!!

Can't forget about the first born...

We had a great time getting out of the Texas heat and catching up with sweet friends. One more day of camp and then it's the wonderful weekend. Thank you Jenny and Cecilia for having me and my crew over. We had a blast!!

Summer Camp...the week that never ends

2011-06-15T10:47:00.003-05:00

Summer is moving right along....too fast I might add. It is already the middle of June...wow. It is also the week of volleyball and basketball camp for Gene and I. Camp week goes on forever!!! I love working with the kiddos but it's a lot of hours on my feet and constant instruction. It gets harder the older I get! :) I guess I should think about our volleyball slogan, "KIA KAHA" which means forever strong when I am feeling worn out! I'll be ok cause in less than 2 weeks, we will be enjoying California with family!! When we return we will start filming the reality show, "Extreme Sports Families"!!! We are very excited to take this adventure with our kiddos. I will be sure to keep y'all posted!

PS- HOW BOUT THEM MAVS!!!! 2011 NBA CHAMPIONS!!! WOOHOO!!!

Surgery #2

2011-06-07T15:02:00.005-05:00

Today was the day Logan returned to Cook Children's to get the pins out of his elbow. Since the dogs chewed up his old pillow pet, we surprised him with a dinosaur one that he could take with him in to surgery. He was excited and immediately named him Prentice. :) We had to be at the hospital bright and early and surprisingly, Logan awoke in a good mood ready to go. He did mention on the way to the hospital that he had butterflies in his stomach. I told him that is normal! He said "yea mommy, kind of like what you feel before a big game." Love that boy!

Cooks is the best hospital ever....you see about 20 different nurses and they are all so sweet. Immediately we went to a room where the Disney Channel was playing.

Next, they moved us to a big playroom and Logan got to play the Wii! They had a million games to choose from. Logan was loving it! Definitely helped him forget about the butterflies! :)

He also got to get a tattoo while he was there.... :) temporary of course. Dr. Kennedy signed his arm which is a regular procedure when you are having surgery. He is such a great doctor and so funny....he walked out with his "shower cap" on and told Logan he was in the back making donuts! lol

Unfortunately right before they took him to surgery, they gave his some medicine that didn't taste so well as you can tell from his facial expression. He kept saying "that was nasty" and then he got really sleepy. ;)

He was in surgery a little over and hour and when I got to see him in recovery, he was crying hysterically that his bandage was too tight and he wanted it off. The nurses assured me his emotional state was mostly from the antibiotics. They gave his some pain meds and he was able to relax and take a nap. My poor baby....I hated seeing him that way. I guess his face was a little to close to the pillow pet cause after I took this picture, his heart rate dropped and they gave him a little oxygen to help him.

About an hour later we got to leave the hospital and as you can tell from the picture above, he was still very sleepy....my poor guy! After I snapped this picture, he got sick and his red gatorade and popsicle was all over the concrete....yuck. I get that was with anesthesia also. :(

But of course everything gets better when you are home. After a few pretzels and some water, he went back to sleep. He will have to keep his wrap on for a week which means no swimming and only sponge baths! I am thankful that he was able to have such a great surgeon and be at such a wonderful hospital like Cooks! Thank you Lord for a successful surgery!!

The Amandas

2011-06-05T11:16:00.004-05:00

I've been blessed with many friends throughout my life. There is nothing like having a good friend that no matter how long it has been since you last saw each other, you pick right back up where you left off. And you know that no matter what, when you are around that friend you are guaranteed to enjoy some laughter. Almost 3 years ago I met my friend Amanda....great name huh! :) We have been buddies ever since!

Our boys play baseball and basketball together and they are like two peas in a pod as well. The above picture is the first "amanda pic" of many and more to come. Haha

We both enjoy watching our sons play sports and listening to our men make fun of everything we do and say. :)

Amanda was there for me after my hip surgery to take me to Target since I couldn't drive. Don't worry...I forgave her for making fun of me for having to ride around the store in the kart. :)

We have enjoyed going out with our boots on to the rodeo...

and dressing up like "ballers" just to embarrass our sons during the mothers vs. sons baseball game.

We have been team moms and organized things such as Easter egg hunts and team parties...and even had fun making our own team tshirts. :) We have cheered our boys on as the Pirates, Blue Jays and as Ichiban. I missed not hanging out this past spring since Logan was unable to play cause of his broken arm but fall ball is just around the corner thank goodness! :) Thanks Amanda for being such a sweet, dear friend!!

LET'S GO MAVS!!!

2011-06-03T18:36:00.003-05:00

It is officially summer and what a start it has been! The Dallas Mavericks are in the NBA finals and last night they had an epic comeback against the Heat to tie the series 1-1!! I know those last 2 sentences show proof that despite my dream of being an ESPN commentator, it's not in the cards for me....but what a game!! At least if I was a reporter, I wouldn't ask dumb questions like "How did you feel Jason Terry after playing no defense and letting the Heat score the 3 to take the lead?" ....I mean come on people, how do you think he felt! Anyways....it was a great come back with Dirk's left-handed lay up to take the lead with seconds left.

These 2 were watching the game with me but I guess all the turnovers the Mavs had in the second half made them fall asleep! Too bad they missed it!!! :) I told my little future Maverick all about it when he got up the next morning. :) Game 3 is on Sunday and I am looking forward to watching the Mavs destroy the Heat on their home floor!

The Watts family may also be on TV soon as well. I just received an email from the Extreme Sports Families people today. The producers liked our audition interview and wanted to see if we were still interested in being on the show. Hopefully it works out....what a fun experience that will be. Until then...Let's GO MAVS!!!

It's a smile, it's a kiss, it's a sip of wine, it's a SUMMERTIME!!

2011-05-26T16:32:00.010-05:00

So I have missed blogging so much but we have been busy wrapping up the school year!!

A lot has been going on this month (seems like every month) and it is now officially SUMMER!! Can you hear the words of Kenny Chesney "Perfect song on the radio, sing along cause it's what we know. It's a smile, it's a kiss, it's a sip of wine, it's a summertime..sweet summertime."

As the kids enjoyed their end of year party on the water bounce houses that took place on our football field, I also started singing to some Will Smith. "Summer Summer Summertime, time to sit back and unwind." That song never gets old!!

Before the end of the year party came field day. Trin and her sweet friend, Cameron were excited to participate in the games but unfortunately they only got to play one time before the storms hit.

Kansas and her buddies are now big 6th graders. Can't believe only 1 more year until they are in middle school....I don't even want to think about it!

Logan thought it would be cool to get some pink hair for field day and of course he is sporting his favorite McDonald All-American basketball shorts.

Me and the hubs were ready to watch the action but instead we had to corral all the lower school kids into the gym and shuttle them back to class.

Once we got the kids into the gym, they were able to sign each other's shirts which has been a field day tradition for years. Love that picture of my 2 favorite guys.

Of course the day after field day was graduation. Since Kansas celebrated her birthday earlier in the week(bad mom for not making a birthday post) she had a couple of her besties over to spend the night. We took them to see Pirates of the Carribean. They are the sweetest girls and had a blast hanging out together. They even were troopers and woke up early the next morning so they could help pass out programs at graduation! How pretty are those 3!!

Love getting family pics even though the other members of my family don't like it. :) TOO BAD!We were all dressed up for graduation so I thought I would get a picture. Go figure Logan had already taken off his dress shirt and bowtie!

After graduation we got to visit with our cousin, Jasmine! She was in town with her mom helping her auntie move. Love hanging with family. Wish Tiffany could have hung with us but she was being a helpful sister and helping with the move.

Sunday was actually a day off but Monday morning bright and early I headed to my annual SPC Athletic Director's retreat. This year it was held at Horseshoe Bay Resort on Lake LBJ.

It was absolutely beautiful!! I strongly suggest it for a family vacay. They have lots to do for kiddos and the food is fabulous!!

This is one of the views we had from our dinner the last night there.

I know this pic is out of order but I had to get it in....Logan signing his daddy's shirt. Too cute!

Well it is officially SUMMERTIME!! I know it will fly by but I am going to enjoy it nonetheless. Looking forward to visiting family in California...beyond EXCITED!!! Hope everyone has a safe and relaxing summer!

My Artist

2011-05-15T15:20:00.003-05:00

So Kansas is not only an athlete but an artist as well! Her art teacher made this Japanese house out of cardboard boxes and let her have it when he was done with it. She got some paint and started painting animals on it as well as Japanese symbols. Man...I sure hope she didn't spell something inappropriate. Haha

She painted all this herself just by looking at a picture, no tracing!! I am not sure where she gets her artistic ability. :)

These animals in her room were her inspiration. She is so shy so and doesn't like to get any attention. :) So when I was taking pictures of her art, she acted like it was no big deal.

Her panda was the first one she did. So great for an amateur!

I am just blown away!! So proud of her!!

I am glad she enjoys art! I look forward to seeing what else my beautiful daughter creates. Way to go Kansas!

Farm Fun and a Graduation

2011-05-08T18:33:00.005-05:00

This weekend we headed to Temple to watch Tiffany graduate from UMHB. We are so proud of her!! She is a single mom while my cousin, Derek is overseas and I know it was not easy to raise Jasmine, work and finish her degree. Way to go Tiff!!

Since Derek could not be there, Tiff's sister, Maddie skyped him during the ceremony. Thank goodness for technology! After the graduation, we drove to Huntsville to surprise my mom for Mother's day. We were planning on just staying for the day but that didn't happen. :)

Trinity of course went to grab a pole (that sounds kinda funny :) and started fishing right away. The poor lake is so low since there hasn't been much rain.

The kids took a hike through the woods and found this turtle carcass and Logan found a pretty lime green tree frog.

When we are at The Place, we usually just sit outside and visit while the kids fish or run around the land. There is always country music playing in the background and the music doesn't come from an ipod....nothing like an old school AM/FM radio!

Millicent and her family joined us at the farm also. We got a kick out of the 2 new baby calves that were born at Easter. They are so tiny!! They just kept staring at us. Wish they would let us come up and pet them. :)

Me and the hubby on the dock as the sun goes down.

Kansas caught her 1st fish!! We let her go (the fish not Kansas :)) cause she was pregnant. I made sure to get pictures cause daddy was out helping Papa put out feed at the corner place so we had to have proof! He still hasn't caught anything out there yet!! :)

I hope it rains soon out there. It is so dry and the lake is so low. The poor cows are looking for some greener pastures! :)

One of the things the kids love to do is go out on the 4 wheelers! The girls went out with daddy and they drove him through every fresh pile of maneur there was out there!! :) I shouldve known not to laugh cause Logan got me the next day!!

I love going out to the country but it is nice to be home. Summer is right around the corner and I am soooo looking forward to heading to California!!

Hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day...you deserve it!!! Have a great week and GO MAVERICKS!!! :)

My Babies...

2011-05-05T09:45:00.003-05:00

I was looking on my phone and came across this old picture of my beautiful babies. They have grown so much and it is bittersweet. Part of me is excited to see them continue to grow into awesome young adults and part of me wishes they would just stay young and sweet forever!! I am truly blessed to have the 3 most beautiful kiddos. I love them dearly and although they can get on my nerves (on a daily basis) I wouldn't trade them for the world!

It should be no surprise that Logan liked to play with basketballs even before he could walk! :) I am so very thankful to be a mom and I hope everyone has a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

Trinity's 1st Club Volleyball Season

2011-05-02T15:33:00.005-05:00

During Easter weekend, Trinity competed in her final tournament of her 1st club volleyball season. As I have mentioned before (cause I am 1 proud mommy) she is 9 playing in an 11&under team. She was not the best player on the team but she held her own and we could not be more proud of her! She attacked every 3rd ball she could and was always trying to get her teammates excited! She is going to be a heck of a player and I look forward to watching her grow as an athlete. I got to coach her during her last tournament which was the Lone Star Classic. I played in my first Lone Star tournament 21 years ago. :)

Trinity had a big fan base during this tournament and her biggest fan, besides myself was her cousin, Kendall. How cute is she y'all??? I just want to squeeze those cheeks! She is only a year old and is already talking (if you know her dad, that won't surprise you...haha..love you B.I.L.). Anything she sees, she says "was dat"....so cute!!

The future of TAV!! :) These girls are so sweet and I had a blast coaching them at Lone Star. Their real coaches, Ping and Whitney also coach the top 17's team and we were able to get a picture with them at the tournament. They have been traveling all over the country kickin butt! That will be these youngins one day! :)

Ping & Whitney's 2 teams.....the 11's finished an impressive 3rd place at Lone Star. Woohoo!!

Gene and I just wrapped up the spring SPC tournament with school and we are finally able to breathe a little! Saturday was the last day and so Sunday we just hung out at home. It was so nice to spend the entire day in our comfies. Gene barbequed even though it was raining all day and I got homework done and then laid around. I have been so ready for May for the longest time.....thank goodness it's finally here. School is wrapping up and I can officially say next month we will be in California for a vacation.....BEYOND EXCITED!!! I hope the rest of the school year goes well for everyone.

A 7 year old's love of Basketball

2011-04-26T10:25:00.006-05:00

I know I mention all the time that Logan loves basketball and he tells me constantly he will play in the NBA one day....those are his words, not mine. I thought I would actually show you his words. :) I came across this poem that he wrote as I was cleaning his room this weekend. Of course I got teary eyed when I saw it. I asked him about it and he got excited and wanted to read it to me and his daddy. Gene and I listened as he read it to us and just smiled at each other. It is hard to see since it is written in pencil so I have it below also...in his words. :) Enjoy!

BASKETBALL

I will never quit basketball.

I love playing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will never stop shooting.

I will never stop playing.

It feels good.

And I feel like the world is under my feet when I'm jumping!!!!

When I pick up the ball it feels like God blest it.

by Logan

So to say this little boy loves basketball is quite the understatement of 2011! He wants to play for the Mavericks cause he loves them and he doesn't want me to have to travel too far to see him play....haha!!! This is a poem that I will cherish forever....he may not have spelled blessed right but he knew to capitalize the G in God!!!! So proud! May all your dreams come true boogie-o!!! We love you!!!

Just Zoo It!

2011-04-16T19:09:00.005-05:00

Today the kids and I ran in the Fort Worth Zoo Run 5k. This is year 3 for Kansas and year 2 for Logan, Trinity and I. We joined a group of over 40 people from our school. There are a lot of groups that run together and I stole my title from a group that was there today. They had "Just Zoo It" on the back of their t-shirts...too cute!

The weather was so pretty today unlike last year's drizzle. So pretty that Po from Kung Fu Panda wanted to come out and show his support! :) Gene would have been there as well but once again he had to be at a track meet....such is the life of a coach!

Kansas' friend, Lauris joined us for the fun. These 2 have been friends since kindergarten and they are just the sweetest girls ever! They got their game face on and their giraffe print pre-wrap and took on the 5k together.

One of the neat things about the zoo run is that you actually get to run through the zoo. Logan ran with me and right as we entered the zoo, we saw our BIGGEST supporter was out watching everyone run. Logan would not get close to the window so I could get his picture with him....or her, not quite sure.

Kansas and Lauris made it thru first and then Logan followed by me and Trinity. Trinity ran with her friends and I of course LET Logan win. Last year I ran with him on my back for a bit but said HECK NO when he asked me this year. He is good to go until about minute 18....then the whining starts. My foot hurts, I'm thirsty....can you hold me? I sure hope Gene can run with us next year or I may have to leave Logan at the track meet with him! :) Of course as we approach the last 800 meters, I tell him that the finish line is right around the corner and to go get it and he shuts up and sprints right thru it. I'm pretty sure the "you're not going to let your old mom beat you are you" comment fired him up a little too! :)

We decided we would grab some breakfast at Panera since it seems to be our zoo run tradition. The kids ordered their usual cinnamon rolls...those things are huge!! We scarfed down the yummy breakfast and I had to drop the kids off to Gene so I could go coach my tennis team. Tomorrow is another busy day with my club volleyball team. Don't worry...I'll get some rest and clean my house in May! :)

April is Kickin My Butt

2011-04-14T14:27:00.008-05:00

I haven't blogged in awhile not because there is nothing to talk about....quite the opposite. We have been so busy I have just been trying to keep my head above water. Working lots of hours....spending weekends in the gym and trying to get through my Masters. Thankfully, we were able to have a family barbecue the other night. My cousin-n-law and great cousin Tiffany and Jasmine came in to town and we had them over along with Tiffany's sister's family. Gene fired up the grill and we enjoyed yummy food and great company! The kids decided to do a fashion show. Jasmine put on my 3 inch heels and walked better in them than I do!! :) Not quite sure about Logan's outfit of choice...he gets his style from his dad for sure!

Trinity, Jasmine and Willow striking a pose!

It was nice to visit with family and just be at home. Looking forward to Easter weekend. We will have a house full but it's always so much fun. I miss my parents and sisters and wish I lived closer to them and my family in California.

Cannot believe it's almost May which means summer is fast approaching. I'm SOOOO ready!

One Special Girl!

2011-04-05T11:07:00.002-05:00

Trinity is my middle child and is one of the sweetest girls you will ever meet. As her mom, I could not be more proud of her! She is loving, thoughtful, a hard worker just to name a few. She has worked so hard in school that she just recently got ALL A's on her report card! We celebrated by going to eat at Cici's...her request of course. :) Not only is she super smart, she is athletic as well. Most importantly, she is a Christian and is kind to everyone she meets. Seeing as though she is the middle child (like me) I push her more and am harder on her than my other two...but we have that middle child bond. :)

Trinity is great with little kids...always so helpful. I cannot say enough about my sweet girl and how blessed I am to be her mom. I love you Trinity and daddy and I are so very proud of you! Keep up the hard work!!!!

Just a few things...

2011-03-31T11:07:00.002-05:00

This is a picture from my birthday dinner that I posted on facebook but never put on my blog...until now. We hardly ever get a "family" picture so I thought I would post this one of the beautiful people I love so much! It wouldn't be complete without Logan making some sort of silly face. Speaking of Logan...we took him to the doctor on Monday and he was released!!! He could not wait to get back to school so he could play in PE class. Last night he attended Gene's shooting clinic along with his sisters. He will get the pins out of his elbow in June. It is outpatient surgery but I'm still not looking forward to that. He is my baby. :)

We are still waiting to hear back in regards to the reality show. I received an email last Friday to tell us the interviews were being sent to the network for further review. I will keep y'all posted!

Looking forward to Easter (no, not because I can finally eat cookies and soda again) and spending time with family. Trinity has her last tournament that weekend so she will have a lot of fans to watch her play!

In order to keep up with our kids, :)Gene and I have been doing the Shred at 5:30am during the week and it feels so good to be getting back into shape! Bring on the summer!!! :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Watts Been Happening...

2011-03-24T21:02:00.009-05:00

I haven't blogged since our Kemah trip but it's not because there isn't much to write about....it's just we have been super busy! I had a volleyball tournament on both weekends of spring break. Trinity played the first weekend and I got to coach her team. I had fun with them and they even WON SILVER in the 12 and under division!!!

My sweet girl with the hardware.....#2 on the roster, #1 in my heart! :) I'm not sure how thrilled she was having me coach her team because of course I was extra hard on her. She is playing up 2 ages but she holds her own and I am very proud of her!

Silver Division Champions....TAV 11 VB Rags Black!!!

The following Saturday we got to go interview as a family for a reality TV show about "Extreme Sports Families". We had to go to the Las Colinas Movie Studios and it was a neat experience.

This is the mural that is on one of the walls at the studio. Inside it had sets and all sorts of props. It felt like you walked right into a studio in Hollywood! The director and producer were super nice and there was a camera man filming the entire interview. Of course it had to be about sports for my family to be involved in it! :) I heard about it through a friend at work who received an email about the show. She forwarded it to me cause she thought we would be the perfect family. :) When we left the interview, Logan said "Mommy, we are going to get picked." I said "You think so?" and he replied, "I don't think, I know!" How about that for a 7 year old...love that attitude!! :) If they do choose us, filming will only take 3 days. I'll make sure to post when we hear something!

Speaking of that sweet, 7 year old...he sure does make a good ball boy

So spring break came to an end which means back to work and school. It's hard to believe but my tennis season is done in about 6 weeks and then it will be May!! Wow...where does the time go? I'm hoping to be able to make my annual trip to San Diego to spend time with my Auntie Liz and family in June. With the way these gas prices are going...not sure I can afford a ticket!!

Ichiban has started back up for Gene and since the girls are playing with the program, it means more time in the gym for the Watts' Family! :) I do miss watching Logan play baseball right now but I just want his arm to completely heal so he can get back into the sports that he loves so much.
We did have a few hours during the break to do some car shopping. My sweet Sally is doing her best to get around town but she is getting close to 200,000 miles!! She is a very reliable Mom-mobile though! :) But if I could pick ANY vehicle I wanted, it would be this beauty.

I've wanted a truck for the last 20 years at least....since I was 5...wink wink. As nice is that machine is above, I don't think I will ever buy a vehicle for 65K...even if I had the money!!

Well if you have'nt already fallen asleep or shut off your computer....I will close with life is busy but blessed and I really don't think I could function if I wasn't always going non-stop. I'm excited to say that I think I may be finished with my Master's degree by December. I'm loving the technology class I'm taking right now. I've learned a lot and actually look forward to the work.

I hope everyone has a great weekend....thanks for stopping by!

Kemah 2011

2011-03-16T20:46:00.004-05:00

It's spring break this week and we took a little road trip to Houston to see the family. We celebrated my birthday with dinner with the parents. :) We had yummy Mexican food...they know me well! The next day we took our kiddos plus 2 of our nephews to the Kemah Boardwalk.

I have never been there before so I was looking foward to it! We had a great time and the weather could not have been any better.

Of course my wonderful, athletic hubby had to try the basketball game. He missed the first shot but after that.....

He won this.....and....

this....just what we needed. :)

The kids loved feeding the stingrays...it was pretty cool.

Of course Gene spotted a choo choo grill....he walked up to the guy and said "If I wasn't on vacation, I would show you how to work that grill." :) They talked "grilling" for a bit and then we moved on to the next adventure.

The kids had a blast and were completely worn out by the time we left.

I am so thankful that we were able to have a nice day with our kiddos. It was great to have our nephews there as well.

It was a stress-free day and we didn't spend it in a gym....a girl can't ask for anything more! :) Looking forward to a few more days off before heading back to work.

Diary & Donuts...don't say that fast

2011-03-13T09:56:00.003-05:00

Trinity's class invited the parents to "Diary & Donuts"...yes, I know, if you say that fast it doesn't sound very yummy. :)

Trinity's story was called "The Diary of a Puppy". She wrote the story and did all the illustrations. As she read, we were able to enjoy a chocolate covered donut.....no that was not my favorite part... :) watching my beautiful daughter smile as she read to her mom & dad was definitely the best.

Of course her dad had to make funny comments the entire time to keep her laughing.

We are so proud of Trinity!! She is doing very well in school, she is kicking butt in her sports and she is just a loving and adorable little girl. Such a blessing to us!!

It is spring break now and we are looking forward to some time off. I hope everyone enjoys some family time!!

Taking it all for Granted

2011-03-05T20:40:00.004-06:00

My cousin Derek just arrived for his 15 day R&R time. He has been in Iraq over 6 months! I could not imagine all that he deals with on a day to day basis while in Iraq. Sitting with him at dinner tonight made me think about all that I take for granted each and every day. Just minutes before we got to the restaurant, I was fussing at the kids for fighting with each other. He has not seen his daughter, Jasmine in 6 months. I can't even fathom being away from my kiddos for half that time. His wife, Tiffany is a single parent when he is away. How does she do it?

My kiddos were so excited to see their great-cousin, Jasmine. They sat at the kid's table together and were so well behaved!!

How cute is she!!! I think she was pretty happy to see her daddy!! :)

The Castros....I love this picture. They look so happy!!! I cannot wait until Derek is home for good so they can have their sweet, little family back together.

Look at these two cheeseballs! :)

I am so happy we were able to see Derek, Tiffany and Jasmine. It is the greatest feeling to be around family!!!

There is so much I take for granted each day. I pray for my cousin, the other troops and their families that sacrifice each day so we can live in the wonderful country called America.

God Bless You All!!

Logan, Some Rose Bowl Bling & a GREAT MESSAGE!

2011-03-04T14:55:00.002-06:00

Today our school was blessed to hear a message from two men of God. They are both former football players but they didn't talk about their Rose Bowl wins and their days in the NFL, but how much their life changed the day they became Christians!

They spoke to the MS and the LS about making "good choices and listening to the right voices". They mentioned how there will be people in their life that are "dream breakers and those that are dream makers". You need to choose the right people to be around. They spoke on how much the Lord means in their life and how He is the greatest reward....the gold medals and championship rings don't even come close. :)Logan had the opportunity to come up at the end and put on a Rose Bowl, USC jersey and championship ring earned by Keith Davis.

They are part of an organization called "Just Say Yes" and were a huge hit at our school. They changed up their message to make it age appropriate and touched on bullying, making smart decisions and most importantly, living for God!
Keith even whispered to Logan about how important it is to focus on school work first before sports. :) I appreciated that one for sure! :)

Kansas as William Penn

2011-03-02T20:08:00.002-06:00

Introducing, William Penn....

This week the 5th graders are creating the Living History Museum. They have to research their historical figure and actually animate him or her for the school community. Kansas chose William Penn. I think it's funny that a girl named Kansas is portraying a man who founded Pennsylvania. Haha...

Her partner, Maria played the younger Penn and Kansas is the older version. Kansas painted her backdrop...so pretty!!! The dot on her hand is for people to "push" to make her become ALIVE as William Penn. :)

She did a great job and even had a slight, English accent when she spoke. All of the 5th graders amazed me with their knowledge on their characters. The sets were incredible also!

Yes, leave it to William Penn's mom....I mean Kansas' mom to embarrass her! :) It's one of my many duties as a faithful parent! lol

We are very proud of our girlie!!

Watts' Happenings.....

2011-02-27T09:02:00.004-06:00

I have missed blogging about my beautiful family but the last 2 weeks have been jam packed with busy busy and more busy!! :) Thankfully we got to enjoy movie night with the kiddos to get our weekend started. We watched Mega Mind and had a ton of snacks...which I'm pretty sure I sampled them all!!
During the week we had the opportunity to watch not 1 but 2 plays that were being put on by students of All Saints'. The Sound of Music was done by Logan's class.

I love watching him play sports but it was so adorable to watch him and his classmates sing and act out to one of my favorite shows of all time!

I was cracking up when they put that jacket on him....it looked like a pimp-daddy jacket!

The 2nd play we got to see was "Once Upon a Matress" which was done by our upper school students. They did a GREAT job!!! Logan's favorite person in the play was none other than JT, his daddy's 6'6" forward that is going to play for the Raiders of Texas Tech next year!

Well it is no surprise that the remainder of the weekend has been spent in the gym. Kansas and Trinity had a basketball tournament in the morning yesterday and Trinity had volleyball all afternoon. We even got to stop by in between their stuff to cheer on Logan's basketball team. He really misses not being able to play. :( Tomorrow we take him to the doctor to see if he is ready to start rehab! Today we go back for round 2! :)

Tennis season has started for me and I am actually at the half way point for my Masters!!! Woohoo!! We are looking forward to spring break which is right around the corner and Easter which is my favorite holiday! Hope everyone has a great spring!!

Back in the Day

2011-02-16T21:39:00.003-06:00

I posted some pictures of me as a baby and thought I should share the love with the hubby. Gene's dear, sweet friend, Fritz put these on facebook and I had to post them. Fritz met Gene when he was a young boy (above). When they met, Fritz was running a weight room out of his garage. One day he turned around to find this skinny, nappy -headed kid trying to do squats. He kicked him out of his gym-garage only to find the same nappy-headed kid back in the gym later that day. To make a long story short (and I'm a terrible story teller) Fritz started training Gene and became another father figure to him like most great coaches do. I will never forget the 1st time I met Fritz, he pulled out shoe boxes of pictures and film of Gene competing in all different races.

The picture above is from a race where Gene is obviously a little older. :) Fritz can still name the race and Gene's time by looking at the picture. Crazy huh!! :) Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane as much as I did. :)

Happy Birthday to my MAIN SQUEEZE!!

2011-02-15T21:58:00.004-06:00

Want to wish my gorgeous hubby a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I have celebrated 15 birthdays with you and you just keep getting better looking with each one.

"Let's stay together Lovin you whether, whether times are good or bad, happy or sad" Al Green couldn't have said it any better. Here's to many more birthdays together.

Love you Babe!!

Let's Go MAVERICKS!!!

2011-02-10T08:20:00.002-06:00

Logan and Gene got to enjoy the Mavericks game against the Cavs. They had some great seats thanks to Mark Cuban, the Mavericks owner. He hooked them up!! I sent him an email after Logan broke his arm and he RESPONDED!!! Can you believe that....what other NBA owner do you know will respond to an email from some random person.

Mavs man striking a pose for the camera. :)

One of Dallas' stars, Dirk Nowitzki. Logan wore his jersey proudly! :)

I got a phone call from Logan during the game and he said "Mommy, can you see me, I'm on TV." I quickly ran to turn on the game and sitting right behind the Cavs basket was my hubby and little man. How cool is that!

Our future Maverick!!! They both had a blast.

Super Bowl Festivities

2011-02-05T22:40:00.004-06:00

This weekend the DFW is hosting the Super Bowl. I'm glad the weather finally cleared up so we could welcome all the football fans like us TEXANS know how! :) The Steelers are staying in Fort Worth and the Packers are staying at the hotel pictured, in Dallas.
Since the sun finally showed up and made the roads bearable, we decided we would venture out to watch the NFL charity basketball game that was being played at SMU.

My camera is doing some crazy things...not sure what is going on with this picture but I had to post it because I hardly ever get one with all of us together. :)

Before the charity game, we were able to watch the SMU Men's basketball team scrimmage. London, or Little Cotton as we call him is on the team and Gene trained him when he was Logan's age. I remember him coming to the gym as a little boy and Gene would put him through some tough drills. He is a great player and has a bright future. We are proud of you Lil' Cotton!

Logan reminds me a lot of Lil' Cotton...they both have such a HUGE passion for the game of basketball. Logan was thrilled when he joined us for dinner. It was really nice to visit with him.

Before dinner we watched the NFL celebrity basketball games. Above TO is complaining about not getting the ball. :) He actually had a valid argument...this time. One guy on his team was a total ball hog!! :) (again...sorry for the blurry pictures)

And the tip off....there were a lot of Cowboys football players in the game along with Chris Brown and Floyd Mayweather. Those two were so small compared to all the other guys. It cracked me up to see all the "groupies" walking around like they should be at the club....take your sunglasses off ladies...you're inside!! :)

Chris Brown (in black) and Floyd Mayweather (in red) conversing before the game.

We didn't stay for the entire game because it was not all that exciting and we were hungry! :) It was nice to get out of the house and see Little Cotton. On the way home, we saw the Packers being escorted in their buses to the hotel. Tomorrow is the big game and we are headed to a Super Bowl party at a friend's house. Looking forward to some great food, fellow shipping with friends and some Football! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

California Dreamin on such a winters day

2011-02-04T11:43:00.004-06:00

We have been out of school since Tuesday due to ice on the roads. This morning we woke up to snow SNOW and more SNOW!!! It is absolutely beautiful!!

Jersey is almost camouflaged by the snow....

Yes, those are oven mitts on Logan's hands...LOL. We don't go snow skiing so we are not prepared for days like this! Haha

My one-arm snow angel (sorry for the bad lighting)

He looks innocent in this picture but 30 seconds after I snapped it, he was throwing snow at everyone. Don't worry...we got him back!

My sweet Buddy absolutely loved being out in the snow. He kept running and tackling the kids as they were trying to build a snowman.

Trinity attempting to build a snowman before the dogs take her out.

Our casa under the snow....we were supposed to leave for Houston today for some conference basketball games but obviously that didn't happen.

I guess the dogs couldn't tell where our yard ended and the neighbor's yard began....they just took off running...they were loving it!

I have to admit that I have really enjoyed hanging out with the kids and hubby for the past week. We are usually always in a gym somewhere and hardly ever at home. It was nice to just relax and spend time as a family. However, I am over the cold, snow and ice and ready for some California weather!!! I hope everyone is staying warm out there!!

Trinity & TAV

2011-01-30T21:46:00.003-06:00

My sweet girl, Trinity had her very first club volleyball tournament this weekend! She is only 9 but playing for the TAV top 11&under team, 11VB Rags!!! She was literally counting the days until this weekend.

These girls are so sweet and they can play some good volleyball for 11's!!

In between games, Trinity got to enjoy some daddy time. :)

The girls warming up before their first match. They are so fortunate to have great coaches. Ping played for the Chinese, Men's National team and Whitney set for Kentucky for 4 years. It doesn't get better than that!

Part of the fun of playing club volleyball is getting cool ribbons for each tournament! :)

Snuggle time with her momma!

Hanging with her team.....

We are both so proud of Trinity! She played well and is always cheering on her teammates. It was a long weekend and we are pretty tired (hence the mostly pics few words post) but it was well worth every minute of it.

Love watching our kiddos play sports!!!

Back in the Day

2011-01-20T11:40:00.002-06:00

My mom just emailed me some old pictures of when I was a baby. Looks like I was doing some calf raises in the picture above. See...already trying to train as an athlete and I was still in a diaper! :) Apparently I didn't like clothes so I spent a lot of time in only my diaper....and yes, I'm well aware I look like a boy! That didn't change until I was in high school! :)

Awww....sister love! My big sis, Jessica was probably trying to pinch me or something like that. One time she bit herself and then yelled, "mom, Amanda bit me". Stupid me responded "yes"when my mom asked if i did it.

That groovy lady holding me is my beautiful mom. The finger in my mouth must have meant "gag me...this dress I'm wearing is awful". It's fun going to look at pics from back in the day....thanks for joining me on my trip down memory lane. :) I think I've embarrassed myself enough for now. :)

This Post Was Supposed to be so DIFFERENT!

2011-01-16T17:03:00.004-06:00

I wish I could say the picture above is from November when he broke his arm. Unfortunately, we were back in Cooks yesterday. Logan broke his left elbow again. This time he made sure he REALLY got it good and he ended up needing surgery. He had some displaced bones that needed to be pinned....no bueno! Last time he fell at recess but this time he landed on it during a basketball game while he was going after a loose ball. I was there and knew it was bad based on the look on his face and the scream. It immediately made me sick to my stomach and I leaped out of the stands to him. Gene was coaching his game at school and Logan immediately asked to go see his dad. I loaded him up and took him to school. We got there right at half time and by this time Logan had settled down and wanted a snack (bad idea). Kenny, our trainer put him in a sling with ice. My girls had a game and one of the dad's is an ortho. Kansas has been going to school with his daughter since Kindergarten and I knew he was a doctor but no idea he was a "Trauma Orthopedic" until earlier this week. That was God's way of saying, "better give that Amanda a heads up". :) Dr. Reddix looked at Logan as soon as we got to the girls' game and made a phone call to Cooks. We headed there and his team met us at the ER.

After surgery...such a good patient. Dr. Kennedy and his resident, Dr. Elliott treated Logan as if he were LeBron James. They came to the ER just for him and took care of him right away. I am so thankful for them and Dr. Reddix for hooking us up!! The surgery took almost 3 hours and now Logan has a figure 8 pin in his elbow. He is my little IRON MAN! :)

Before he went into surgery, he had some visitors. His coach, John, teammate, Cameron and Cam's mom, my friend, Amanda. They brought him a bag full of goodies. One of his favorite things was this helicopter that we let him fly once we got to his room.

Logan asked Gene if he could watch the Saints game vs. Kinkaid. It's really funny to listen to a 7 year old critique the film of a varsity basketball team. I know Gene just loves it!

So why they were watching basketball, I was taking pictures of all the cute things they had in the room. Since this is a children's hospital, all their decorations cater to kids of course. So cute!! The table had jelly beans all over it and the colors in the room were bright and cheery! It kept making me think about all the children (and parents) that are really ill and have to spend many nights in these rooms. Even though I was a mess while Logan was in surgery, I knew he was in good hands and he is able to go home the next day. I would take a broken arm over severe illness anyday!!

The girls stayed with the Hillards over night and brought Logan some goodies this morning before we were discharged. Thank you Rebecca for taking such good care of my girlies!!

Unfortunately, one of our student-athletes was on the same floor as Logan. His mom was so sweet and kept asking the nurses how Logan was doing during surgery. She came to visit us this morning and so Logan wanted to return the favor and go visit her son. The picture above is him on the way down the hall to say hello to his fellow Saint. :)

We are now home and after I took care of Logan's requests, Mc Donalds, Cheez its, Sour patch kids and ice cream, I got in the shower!! I must say Logan was kind enough to say to me in the hospital, "mommy, I'm sorry you had to sleep in your jeans". Awww...

I am so thankful for the wonderful people at our school and our dear friends that love us so much. Thank you John, Amanda, Rebecca, Laurie and everyone else who kept my sweet guy in their prayers. Love you all!! Feel so blessed to be a part of the All Saints' community and to be surrounded by such loving friends and family.

I thought I would be posting about the kids and their basketball games today but I was quickly reminded that I am not the one in charge. :) I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend. Thanks again for all the prayers!!

Saints Support THE FROGS!!!

2011-01-14T08:40:00.003-06:00

Today is "Go Frogs" day at school and the kids got to have a break from their usual school uniform. They bust out their purple to support the Horned Frogs!!! I am wearing my purple also but sporting my "SAINTS" jeans! We have 2 big counter games this weekend against some Houston schools. The kids and Gene have their basketball games and I have to coach at a club volleyball tournament Saturday morning. Thank goodness we have Monday off!!! Have a great weekend!!!

Snow in the DFdub :)

2011-01-09T21:17:00.002-06:00

We spent Friday and Saturday in the gym but woke up Sunday morning to SNOW!!!

Texas weather is so crazy. One day it is 80 degrees and you're wearing shorts and then the next day its in the 30's and snowing. Ok so maybe that is a little exaggeration but you get my point. :) Trinity used the bowl to pile snow balls in since the snow really wasn't sticking.

Logan decided he would taste the snow.....it's a break from his usual "chip" diet. :)

The dogs even had some fun in the snow.....for about 3 minutes. Tomorrow we are supposed to get some freezing precipitation. I guess we will see if it actually happens. We have loaded up the firewood and have had a nice fire burning all night. Hope everyone stays warm!!!

2011 Rose Bowl Champions!!

2011-01-05T15:16:00.004-06:00

If you haven't heard, (you must be living under a rock :)) TCU Football won the 2011 Rose Bowl!!! Everyone here in Ft. Worth/TCU-Land is so excited about the Frogs victory!! The coaches and players put in many hours and time away from family and friends to accomplish this goal. The families of the coaches should be commended as well! The sacrifices they make so their husbands and daddies can prepare the team and build a program many times go unnoticed. I have a couple of friends that have hubbys that coach college and Jenny is one of them. She is such a great mom and keeps her home running smoothly so her husband, Justin can keep the Frogs scoring TOUCHDOWNS!!! Their daughter, C is the smartest and cutest almost 3-year old you will ever meet! They got to enjoy the Rose Bowl experience VIP style and you can enjoy the pictures on her blog. Last spring Jenny invited me to bring Logan to watch a spring practice. As you can see here he had a great time! He loves the Frogs and has been talking non-stop about Andy Dalton since September! As his mom, I am so thrilled to find out Dalton is a devoted Christian!! Love it!

Congratulations to TCU Football players, coaches, families and fans on an AWESOME 2011 season!!

Je t'aime Aunt Marie!

2010-12-31T12:27:00.003-06:00

My Aunt Marie passed away last night but I can't help but to feel relieved. The picture above is from this summer and she was just not happy where she was. She was ready to move on then. Don't get me wrong, although her body was failing, her mind was sharper than ever. She was cracking us up during our visit with her. I will always remember her as a strong, independent woman who ALWAYS said what was on her mind.....in her gruff, French accent! :) She is my Grandma Frenchie's cousin but we called her Aunt Marie. She treated my mom and aunties as if they were her own children. A selfless woman who is definitely creating some laughter in the heavens above. Je t'aime Aunt Marie and we will see you again.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T19:26:00.004-06:00

No big surprise that this post has a ton of pictures. We had a very Merry Christmas and it wasn't because of what was under the tree. We had family time and that was the best gift ever!! This picture would've been so cute if we weren't staring into the sun....duh! :)

A family picture on Christmas day....we lasted about 30 seconds outside before we hurried back into the heat of the house! Brrrr...

Nana bought Trinity "Just Dance 2" for the Wii and had a blast dancing to the songs. Oh yeah....I posted the video on facebook....sure did! :)

My sister and I displaying our new sweaters. My mom did so good picking them out....this year. I mean she does a great job every year. :) Love you mom!!

Me and the 2 lovely girls I call sisters. :)I always love hanging with them. By the way...I am still taller than Jessica, she just has some massive boots on. Had to put that on the record. :)

Me and the hubby....it's got to be Christmas cause I actually got him to smile in a picture with me!! haha

Twin cousins....after opening their gifts, they headed outside to try out Stephen's new soccer stuff.

My family....I love them so much....almost as much as I love taking pictures next to rocks apparently. :)

Christmas morning before the unwrapping began....I guess it wouldn't be a post from me if it wasn't random and all over the place. :) Sorry...I'm a little overwhelmed....so many special pictures. Maybe I should post them and leave out my words. :)

I apologize if the picture of me with no make-up scared you. This is "did the kids really wake up at 6:30am to open presents picture." We used to have a don't come out of your room before 7am rule but since Kendall (7mos old) doesn't understand that rule....it was void for everyone else. :)

Now that's a griddle!!! My hubby loves to make pancakes and his poor old griddle has bit the dust. My sister and BIL bought him a HUGE new one. Too bad I'm the one that usually ends up cleaning up the pancake mess...sheesh.

Excited to see their stockings...

Cousins.....

We headed to Katy, Texas for Christmas and stayed with the Streets. It was great to be around family. We always have lots of laughs, great food and build memories that we will have forever. Christmas eve my mom and sister, Mill and I were able to do some last minute shopping like we always do. Kendall even got her ears pierced. It was hard to see her cry! :( Of course she got over it and was back to her adorable smiling self. Christmas day went by so fast as usual....we exhanged gifts, ate yummy food, took lots of pictures and laughed a ton watching my mom dance to the wii game. Christmas night Gene and I took on my sister and BIL in dominoes. Can you say VICTORY!!! :) Yes....I'm still competitive when it comes to dominoes. :) We are back home, safe and sound and looking forward to another week off. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!!