New Year's Eve

A good food report....Last night we had an excellent dinner. I was stuffed for the first time here. We are headed to the beach. We just got finished with a couples massage. How great was that!!!! Tonight there is supposed to be a big party and fireworks on the beach. That should be fun. Oh yeah, we played volleyball half the day yesterday and it was so so fun!!! We had sand from head to toe.

Dominican Republic

Wow...Today is our 4th day at the most beautiful place I have ever been. We are having a blast. I really don't know how to tell you how unbelievable this resort is. I'll try to take more pictures later. We have just layed by the ocean soaking up the sun the whole time. Chris did have a meeting for half of the first day. Today we are going to the market as a group and I am excited about that. Tomorrow we are going to get a couples massage and then back to the sand. I am really, really, really enjoying myself. Everything has way exceeded our expectations except the food. It is ok but not good. We are not starving though. Anyway, more later. I attached a photo before dinner last night. Sorry that is all I have for now. Sherry tell my babies we miss them and love them.

Where did the day go!!!

My Saturday is already over....I got the boys up and got everyone ready to do a little shopping. We hit a couple of stores before Jax's basketball game at 1:30. After his game we went to the grocery store (more on that later) then home to take showers and go to a birthday party at 5:00. We barely made it to the party on time. The boys had a blast. It was at the laser tag and arcade. Brooks didn't get to do the laser tag, but he had fun playing all of the other games. Of coarse, Jax wants to go back and take his daddy, who is in Northwest Arkansas filming another deer hunt for the fall hunting shows. Funny story...Brooks was on a motorcycle game just playing on it pretending to be actually playing when a kid came over and stood by him. The kid waited about 30 seconds and then came over to me and poked my leg and said "Do you own him?" I said "yes" and he asked if I would get him off so he could play. I laughed at that for awhile. Then at 7:30 when Brooks asked why he had to go to bed I said "because I am your mother and I own you." Kids say the funniest things.

Okay now about the grocery store. It is the greatest. I just got to tell you these people are smart. My kids only want to go to HEB because they give the kids these kid dollars at the checkout and they get to use them to buy prizes, and they have special carts that the kids get in and shut the door and play cartoons for $1.00. They have chefs demonstrating and sampling a different menu every day. I could go on and on but one of my new found favorite things (thanks to my husband) is scratch off lottery tickets. They are so much fun. I get a few tickets put the kids to bed and scratch away. So far I either break even or win a couple of dollars extra. Just a little pick me up at the end of a long day parenting 2 wild children all alone. Chris will be home tomorrow and I can't wait. He left Wednesday evening and so he has been gone long enough. Just doing his job. Ha Ha....he really is though.

"Nana Time"

Well, Nana just headed home. We all had a good time. It was fun to have company for the weekend. She took a load of Christmas presents home for us so we won't be so packed coming home. That was helpful. Now I need to finish up my shopping. I am on the tail end of it.

Not really too much happening around here to tell. We are going to have a quiet Monday I hope.

Cold Tuesday

It was a cold night. I think the low was around 40, maybe lower. We were talking about it last night and Brooks couldn't go to sleep without putting toliet paper blankets on his bulls and horses. He didn't want them to be cold while they were sleeping. It was so cute I had to share.

Well It should warm up and be a nice day just like yesterday. We got tennis rackets for everyone and went to the Activity Center and played a little tennis. It was so fun. The boys love it.

Basketball Game

Here are a few clips from Jax's 2nd basketball game. Today's game was such an improvement over last week. He is in blue. In the first one he is bringing the ball down.

I MISS STYLING HAIR!!!!!!

I just finished watching yesterday's Oprah and I so miss my old job. It was so much fun. I loved it so much that I couldn't believe I got paid for it. Anyway, my dream is to open a really cool salon someday. I have thought that maybe when I get my boys in school I will do it, but on second thought the older they get the more they are going to need my undivided attention. I am going to need to watch their every move. Fortunately, I do not need to work so I must stifle my working dreams and focus on my most important job - raising two gentlemen. I have attached a picture of their almost finished bedroom for those of you waiting on the picture (mom).

"Jax got game"

Tonight Jax had basketball practice. Right off the bat he and his line won the dribbling drill. It is like it fueled his confidence and he ended up having an awesome practice. He looked like a different kid. I can't even explain it. He was hustling and had a smile on his face the entire time. His smile in turn made me smile for the whole hour. He made like 3 baskets while they scrimmaged. They kind of let him shoot but he did make them. He was skipping around and I was thrilled. The only sad thing is Chris missed it. He had Realtree meetings with Academy today, so he was with them all day. He still isn't home. They all met and went to "The Boat" for dinner. I am sure they are having a scrumptious meal. I should have put in an order for a late night snack. Oh well, I don't need the extra calories with this vacation coming up.

Got to get off here and watch DANCING WITH THE STARS!!!! I wonder who is going to win.................................

4 DAY WEEKEND

We have had such a wonderful 4 days! It has really been nice. No one has been calling Chris' phone needing something work related. Believe me that is nice. He is on his phone 24/7. The days seem to last forever because we are just piddling around. We have just been decorating, watching tv and playing with the kids. We got the boys room all decorated. They love their camo bedding. I'll try to post a picture of it tomorrow.



It is cold here but it is supposed to be in the 60's tomorrow. The kids are ready to play outside. They are having withdrawals.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, I successfully cooked a complete Thanksgiving dinner all by myself. It was all great except the secret Stanberry homemade noodle recipe. It is still a secret!!!! I wasted about 3 hours of my life trying to make those noodles. I am going to have to have a lesson. We have really bonded with several of our neighbors, which is really great. Our neighbor Gary wanted to deep fry our turkey for us. It was wonderful. I hope to fry one every year.

Anyway, we all have so much to be thankful for and I am grateful for all of my blessings. I got a little speech in the kitchen from Chris that would make most of you teary eyed. It was so sweet but he sure wasn't showing any love cleaning up the kitchen. Just kidding - football was on. I finally got it all cleaned up by myself.

I am trying to decide if I want to go shopping tomorrow or not. I never get into "black Friday" shopping but the deals are drawing me in. Several of the things my kids want are on sale tomorrow at Toys R Us. I just don't know!!!!

Fast Weekend

The weekend went by so fast!!! Jax had his very first basketball game Saturday. I forgot my camera. He did okay but he is still just confused. They only had two practices before their first game and that is not long enough for kids to understand the game. Michelle ( the coaches wife) was introduced to me at a play group by my friend and neighbor Laura. Laura's brother is the coach. Michelle told me I should let Jax play basketball at the YMCA with them. I thought she said it was 5 and 6 years olds. I guess I thought there would be a lot of 5 year olds. No - a few of the other kids are about to be 7 and played last year. Jax is the littlest and the most confused, but he got out there and did his best. I am so proud of him for just getting out there when he didn't know what to do. For Jax that is a huge accomplishment, but he and Chris have a lot of work to do.

I am gearing up to go to HEB ( an awesome grocery store here) and get all of my stuff for my Thanksgiving dinner. I am so excited!!! I have only attempted it once. My neighbor Gary said he would love to fry my turkey. He kept asking, so I am going to let him. That makes my life easier. I think I am going to get stuff and let the kids make cookies. They love to cook and make stuff. Rachael Ray has a couple of kids cooking items that she sells on her website. There is one with a cutting board, knife and glove. It is so cool, the knife won't cut through the glove. Jax would loooooooooooove it. It is backordered. Hope I can get one before Christmas.

Decorating

It has been a long week of shopping. For me, shopping isn't one of my favorite things to do. It is okay to go wonder around the mall occasionally, but to be on a mission for something specific drains me. I kind of got on a decorating kick and had to go shop. I needed and still need a lot of things for my house. I found a few things, but it takes a long time to find what you want. I am so excited though, I ordered my shutters and blinds for my windows. Chris has been hounding me since we moved in about getting something to cover the windows. I just wasn't sure what I wanted. I bit the bullet and ordered them Wednesday. I love all the light from the windows and the view but at night when you can see what your neighbors are doing, you know they can see you too.

I put up all of my Christmas decorations yesterday. The boys wanted a real tree for their bedroom. It is so cute. It is a tiny tree with one strand of lights. They decorated it with tiny little red ornaments. So cute. They love it.

Jax has his first basketball game tomorrow. I will try to report on that and take a couple of pictures. He is so excited.

Cowboy Brooks & Hunter Jax

Here are my little guys on Halloween. They had fun wearing their costumes and trick or treating at a few select places, but they wear these outfits all of the time. We had great "double duty" on costumes this year.

We have been really busy working around the house. We got the boys new bedding and new bedding for the guest bedroom. It really looks cool. It is camo from John Marshall, one of companies Chris sells for. So I have been trying to decorate and shop for both of the bathrooms too. Thank goodness for target. They have a lot of bathroom rugs and stuff that coordinates with the two different camo's we chose.

Anyway, Congrats Heather. Send me some pictures of Cooper when you get them.

I am trying to get focused on Christmas shopping but it is hard this year. I need to get going. I think we are going to put our tree up today. We left it in the garage instead of putting it in the attic because it wouldn't be long before we needed it. I think maybe with the tree up I will be able to focus. I don't know though, I was sweating outside yesterday, that is not too Christmas like!!!!

Over and Out!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Home at last

I am finally home for a little while. I got home yesterday afternoon. With only one day to get my stuff together after being in Arkansas for 2 weeks, I went to my cousins wedding in Chicago. I had a great time. I flew out and home all by myself. That was a big accomplishment for me. I always have had my parents or Chris holding my hand and leading me where to go. I must say, Chris was uneasy leaving me at the airport. Piece of cake. Anyway, everything was okay when I got home. They made it just fine. I think they had a lot of quality "man" time, and I had a great 4 day vacation. I have a mountain of laundry that I am working on. I need to get with it. I'll try to post Halloween pictures later or tomorrow.

GIVING EQUALS RECEIVING

For almost a week now I have been helping my Grandmother with her new house. The place needed a little cosmetic work. I've been stripping wallpaper, painting, cleaning out the pond, painting, building an arbor, painting, hanging blinds and curtains, painting and shopping. I spent 2 1/2 hours at Lowe's with my 2 children. I am tired but I am beyond excited about the changes we have made. The funny thing is she keeps thanking me and telling me she will never be able to repay me. Repay me.... I am so reenergized by being able to help her. Yes, my grandmother holds a very special place in my heart and we have always been close, but I would have the same "high" if I was helping a stranger. The moments are frequent when I feel this way and pray that some day I will be able to "give" on a regular basis. I really used to do it every day. When I was working and doing hair I would constantly be throwing in stuff for free just because I liked to see people smile. I loved for a woman to leave my chair feeling good about herself. It was my passion. I remember seeing Chris Rock's wife on Oprah and her talking about "having everything" and thought she would be happy but she was wrong. Things don't make you happy. She took her wealth and opened a place for women where they taught them to make it in this world. She gave them makeovers, educated them, gave them suits and really taught them to make it on their own. That was huge to me - I want to be her partner. I hope someday that God blesses me so much that I can do something like that. I am betting it will happen too!!!!

Loss for words

I have been sitting here for about 5 minutes trying to think of something interesting to tell you all. I've come up with nothing. Yes, I am speechless. Maybe I'll have something clever for tomorrow.

I do have a question for my peers??? When we were in junior high weren't we the bullpups? We went to watch Landon play football last night and the cheerleaders were saying "bulldogs". I suppose they could have changed a few things in the last 15 years, ugh!!!!

Happy Birthday Jami (yesterday)!!!!! Forgot to tell you when I talked to you, sorry.

Unpredictable

I have learned to live with an unpredictable life. I think almost all women like a schedule and a plan. I rarely have one because it wouldn't do me any good. Day to day we just go with the flow of Chris' schedule. Sometimes irritating but really kind of fun. Most of it is not his fault, it is just the nature of his job. Someone might call him on Monday and say he needs to be at ...xyz... on Wednesday. It is just like that. He just bends with it and does a great job. So anyway, we were supposed leave for Arkansas early on Wednesday. He calls me about 6:00 on Tuesday and says "I'll be home around 9:00, is there any way we could leave tonight"? I had everything pretty much packed (for a 2 week stay) and said "sure". We left at 10:00 P.M. and drove until 3:00. It works out great for the kids. They fell asleep around 10:05. We got to Arkansas around 11:00 A.M. Chris is hunting today and tomorrow and then off to his sales meeting. I'll just be hanging out here and there. I went for a run, fed the kids lunch, got a pedicure and that is about the extent of my day.

I'd like to congratulate Amanda on her 10 point buck. It is her first. Just kidding, it is not really funny. She hit it with her car, or I think it hit her. Anyway $4,000 worth of damage. Bummer!!! Amanda, I wonder if you can enter it into the big buck contest at the Tackle Box. Ha Ha!!!!!

Road Trip... Again

Today will be spent packing 1/2 our house up. We will head to Arkansas early in the morning. We will be there for 2 weeks. Chris is going to hunt for a couple of days with a guy he sells for, and then he has to go to Dallas for his 8 day sales meeting. He is dreading it. It is too long for a guy who is not used to being cooped up. Anyway, I have been going through rubbermaid tubs getting winter clothes out for the boys. They are sick of trying on jeans but were somewhat cooperative yesterday. I think I have a good assortment of long pants and shorts set out.

Jax is doing so good with his schooling. He begs to do school. He has learned several letters and the sounds they make. I have a question for you teachers (Amanda)???? Should he be learning to write cursive??? The abeka kit that I have is teaching them to print and write cursive. I don't get it. Isn't printing enough right now?? I have been skipping it but I am confused on that.

I just fixed the comment thing. You don't have to be a member to leave a comment, just click comment and leave me a message. (Had a little negative feedback about that)

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

This post is dedicated to my mom and dad..........Lets begin with a story from when I was little. I was about 4 or 5 I think and my parents were outside with us and they were talking to the neighbors. I rode up on my little bike and said Son of a B.... it's hot!!!! I think they had to catch their breath and then they got on to me for saying that. Sure enough a little while later I rolled up and said it again. My parents were so, so embarrassed. Here is where "What goes around comes around" starts. We are outside last night chatting with the neighbors. The kids are all playing. Let me first say that we get UPS packages all the time. All of Chris' work samples come via UPS. The boys think that the UPS guy is better than Santa Claus. Chris yelled at all the kids "here comes a car." All the kids scramble to the sides of the street. Jax to our driveway with his bike. Around the corner came the UPS truck, so Jax screams "It is the UPS guy." Then around the corner came another UPS truck behind the other one. Jax screams again and says "HOLY CRAP TWP UPS TRUCKS." Everybody was trying not laugh and Chris and I were speechless. Our neighbor Gary said "Holy crap Jax, you just made my day." We were so embarrassed but everyone else thought it was funny. I think we need to work on that before he goes to kindergarten next year.

Out of the Fog

To be honest, I have been grumpy for the last 4 days. I can't help it, it was PMS induced. I am not usually in a bad mood but everyone is entitled once in a while. It is such a rare thing that Chris was trying to do everything he could to cheer me up. He couldn't stand it that I wasn't acting normal. He just kept following me around saying "how can I cheer you up?" Anyway I am good now. Actually I started feeling better yesterday after I used the spa gift certificate Chris got me for our anniversary. I had the best facial and massage I have ever had!!!!! Girlies save your money and come see us and we will go to the spa. I wanted to stay all day!!!!!!!!!!!

I forgot to update you all on Chris' deer. I was proofreading his article for the Evolved Newsletter and remembered that I hadn't told you all he killed a big 8. He didn't get the big 11 point he was after, but he is going to try again next week. I guess in the fall the hunt will air on one of the outdoor channels.

I sure hope Jax gets to hunt during gun season. He really, really, really wants to kill a buck. Chris said he was going to take him somewhere where they are going to kill a bunch of does. He laughed and said he was not going to kill a doe only a BIG BUCK!!! Chris didn't say a word, he just smiled.

Monday 10:30!!!!!!

Where did this day go? I spent the whole day working around the house and 2 hours at wal-mart. Chris and I have been cleaning on and off all day. We are all unpacked and the last load of laundry is in the washer right now. Chris has a sales manager coming in to stay the night tomorrow and then they have a meeting on Wednesday.

We had a good time in Arkansas and the trip home was great. We decided, on a whim, to leave at 4:00 P.M. We were just going to drive to Dallas, but when we got there we just kept going. The boys fell asleep around 9:00 and I leaned back their boosters and they slept the whole way home. So from 9 to 12:30 I didn't have to hear Brooks ask every 15 minutes "how much further now"!!!

We are turning around and going back on the 17th for 2 weeks. Chris is going back to muzzle load hunt and then has his annual 8 day sales meeting. I will have a lot more fun in Arkansas than spending 2 weeks alone.

A little funny to close - A little while ago Jax came in and said "Momma do you have a little snack for me tonight?" I got him some grapes and told him to try to get Brooks to try one. He assured me it wasn't going to happen but I told him to just try. Jax couldn't get him to try so Chris started in and said he wanted to try one. Then Chris told Brooks that deer hunters eat grapes. Here comes the funny............. Brooks said "when I am big enough to go deer hunting I will eat grapes." The kid is a hoot!!!!

Arkansas

We are still in Arkansas just hanging out. Chris saw the huge buck last night and had a shot at it twice but there was a limb in the way of the camera both times and Teeter couldn't get it on video. He is not about to kill this one unless they get it on video. I sure hope he does. Maybe I will have a picture to post tomorrow.

Amanda is going to come down this evening and stay the night. We are going to highlight her hair and then go running. Billy is on a really wierd schedule this week so we may not even get to see him. If you are reading this Billy we all say "Hello"!!!!

Papa Don got to come home today. We are all so glad. He should be back to normal soon.

I must go but I wanted to write a little to catch you up.

Brooks Birthday pics

Here are a couple of pictures from Brooks' birthday. That belly shot is his favorite present - bull riding belt!!! We have one serious bull riding and horse obsession around here. They play bullriding for hours. Brooks pretends to be D.J. Mauney (I think that is how you spell it) and he is riding "dippin dots" or "mud slinger" - Jax pulls open the gate. He says he is going to ride bulls when he gets big. Not if I can help it. If you know him, you know he'd try to ride one right now. He chased all the kids down the street this evening trying to rope them.

We had a really great day around here. Chris spent the day talking to his friends about hunting, washing his hunting clothes, and working. So he is pumped about "punishing" something. Okay so he is really pumped. Lets make that clear. The boys played together wonderfully and got to spend a lot of time outside with their friends so they are happy. I got to go to a huge garden center by myself, go running and watch Chris mow the yard with no shirt on. Good day for me too!!!!

Tomorrow we will be packing for our trip to Arkansas. Excited to see everyone. Excited for a night out without the kids on Friday.

San Antonio

The boys finally got to meet T-Bone!!!! They were so excited, until we got there. They were a little bit confused because they are used to watching him on the hunting shows and he has fake teeth in and a big floppy hat. After they got over it, Jax and T-bone became big buds. Jax spent the day in Academy with them at the promotion. Brooks spent half the day in the car with me sleeping. (I got a migrane - what are the chances. I get one or 2 a year and it had to be Saturday) Anyway we took T-bone to dinner and Jax wanted to sit by him not his daddy - shocker I know!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a fun little trip despite my headache. Luckily they only last about 4 hours but they are brutal during that time. I really liked San Antonio. Everything is flat where we live but San Antonio is the beginning of the hill country and it is really a neat place. We will have to go back and sightsee and go to Sea World.

Jax's annual picture in daddy's shirt

Brooks is 3!!!!!!!

Tomorrow my baby will be 3 years old. We are planning a fun day starting with presents and then a trip to Chuck E Cheese. We asked him where he wanted to go for his birthday and of coarse he said the rodeo, but there isn't one. His second choice is Chuck E. Cheese. I have added his yearly photos in his daddy's shirt. I will put Jax's on too. They grow so fast. They are so precious. I love these pictures though. I'll post birthday pics later.

Monday

Well, sorry to go so long without a post. We haven't been doing much - just hanging out. Of course we went to the pool Saturday and Sunday. Jax finally has the confidence and can swim pretty far in the deep pool. Brooks thinks he can swim and wants you to let go of him. So we do and then have to grab him.

We did go to church yesterday. It is still small, it is a new church. We liked it. It is a non-denominational church that eventually wants to build right by our neighborhood. The boys liked it too. Hopefully next Sunday they will go to the classes for the kids. Brooks wanted to go yesterday but Jax would not stay with him.

The boys are still doing pretty good in their beds. One of them usually ends up with us in the middle of the night. That is okay though, sooner or later they will stay.

Anniversary

Today is our 9th anniversary. I cannot believe it has been 9 years. Those of you in Arkansas should expect rain today. I think it has rained on our anniversary every year except one. Anyway, today I feel so blessed to be happily married to my best friend. I love him more and more every year. I adore him and am proud to be his wife.

We will spend the day with the boys. I am making Chris his favorite meal for dinner, homemade pizza and brownies.

I gave Chris a pedicure last night and the boys were all in the middle of it. They wanted it to be their turn. So funny. They looked so cute sitting there with their little feet in the pedicure thing. Chris took pictures. Maybe I'll get them posted later. Jax asked if he could get another pedicure when he woke up. Everyone likes a little pampering!!! Too funny.

Sleep report: ANOTHER FULL NIGHT IN THEIR ROOMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have a first

Unbelievable!!! The boys slept in their room for the first time last night. Chris and I stuck them in their beds after they went to sleep. I turned on the hallway light and their bathroom light and gave it a whirl. I expected to see them around midnight, but to my surprise, they stayed in there all night. I was beyond excited. I will let you know how it goes tonight.

Pool Pics

This was the best picture I got yesterday. They do not cooperate for pictures.

We had fun last night. One of our neighbors came by and we ended up playing outside until dark. As we were going in their kids said see you tomorrow at 5:15. I keep getting asked if it is 5:15 yet.

End in sight!!!

Tomorrow Chris will be home. He has been in Dallas since Wednesday. It has been a long couple of days with my energetic boys. I am ready for a break. I am going straight to Walmart when he gets home. I hope our milk supply lasts until then. I have been trying to let them have some fun to pass the time. They spent 3 days playing in the mud, as you can see by the attached photos. There is only one lot left on our street so I figured it was fair game. We went to the pool yesterday and today. After Labor Day the pool went to weekends only, so we had to make the most of it. We spent about 8 hours swimming in 2 days. The three of us look like baked potatoes. I'll try to post swimming pictures tomorrow. I am going to finish up laundry, do a little more cleaning, then chill out for the rest of the night. Chat with you tomorrow.

Wednesday

Well we took Mimi and Big Dad back to the airport yesterday. They were here a week, but it only seemed like a couple of days. We had a lot of fun though. We went to the pool a couple of times and the boys had a blast watching all of us go down the big slides.

Mom and I went shopping Friday and I found a ton of cute clothes to wear on vacation. I bought a huge bag of things from the Ann Taylor Loft - what a store. They had major sales and majorly cute things. I got 700.00 worth of clothes for 225.00, and I got cards to come back September 10th and get 100.00 off of a 200.00 purchase. Not bad either!!!! I haven't even mentioned the shoes. Dillards had 75% off. I bought several and so did mom. I think she made it home with all of her purchases without being overweight?? Anyway, I love a good deal and had to share.

Today they are coming to replace my dishwasher. It hasn't worked right from the beginning. I am going to be glad to get that taken care of.

I am also going to work on cleaning up my dining room. I put all of my decorating stuff up there and it is a mess. I want to set the boys school stuff up in there.

Airport bound

Well, just printed off my directions to the airport. The boys and I are going to pick up my parents tomorrow. We are all so excited. We can't wait to see them. It has been 5 months and that is the longest I think we have ever gone.

Let me tell you about our exciting day..... I got the boys ready, in the car, buckled in and my car wouldn't start. Chris flew to Vegas this morning. NICE!!! I knocked on my neighbors door and asked if they had a plug in charger. What do you know, they did. Charged awhile and off we went to Walmart. Gonna be an hour and a half. Okay, I'll wait - what choice do I have. Shopped forever. Picked up my car and the air conditioner is blowing hot, hot, hot air. Went home and called Walmart and they have never heard of that happening. I was sick. I checked all of the fuses and they were okay. I had no idea what to do or where to go. I let Brooks take a nap and called around a few places back home. They said it must have been just a coincidence that changing your battery shouldn't mess anything up with the air conditioner. Really, kind of weird that it worked before the new battery. Brooks woke up and I loaded them back up and went back to Walmart. When I pulled up the guy with the heavy Jamaican accent saw me and came right over. I asked him if he could disconnect the battery and then hook it back up. He said sure. I felt bad asking but thought I'd give it a try. He hooked it back up and it was still blowing hot air. I thanked him and told him I appreciated him trying. He said it was the least he could do. I pulled out of the bay and immediately the air got cold. I gave it a few minutes and it stayed cool. I circled around and pulled up to the bay and he came back out when he saw me. I told him it was working and I just wanted him to know. I thanked him again and he said no "thank God." He meant it. I thought that was so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, it is such a shame that we don't know what we've got until it is gone. It is hot here and going a couple of hours without air in the car wasn't fun. A week or two ago the air in our house went out. Yeah, brand new unit. Some little piece failed. Anyway, one night without air will make you appreciate electricity. When we moved in, I screwed up and didn't call the gas company soon enough and we went 3 days without hot water. Yep, everybody was taking cold showers. If you haven't done that lately, try it. Ha Ha. You won't shave your legs or anything else in there. Last but not least, Chris is in Vegas, miss him terribly when he is gone. Love you babe.

Swimsuit success

Some of you may know, but for those of you that don't, Chris and I are going on an AWESOME vacation around New Years. He met his goal with GSM (one of the companies he sells for) and won the vacation everyone strives for. We are so excited. The guys that have gotten to go the last few years say it is the nicest vacation you will ever go on. Something like $14,800 per couple - I am so excited!!!! With that said, I got to thinking...... if I don't get new clothes and swimsuits now I am not going to get them. You can't buy a sundress in December. Everything is on clearance right now. I read the paper yesterday and Dillards had 30% off all of their already 50% off merchandise. I told Chris I had to go shopping, and hold on to yourself, he volunteered to take the kids and go with me. I checked him for fever and off we went. Yes, we took the kids and it was a little crazy. I tried on swimwsuits for about an hour or two. I found 2 that I love, and got a whopper of a deal. We all know I like a bargain!!! It was nice having him there to help me. (Thanks again Sugar!!!!)

As an update on yesterday, We did get the garage cleaned out. We have more work to do today inside. My mom and dad are coming Wednesday and we have to clean a bit. We are excited to see them. They haven't gotten to see our new house yet.

It's Saturday

Yes, it is Saturday. Clean out the garage day. Chris' phone should ring occasionally today!!! We will clean out the garage.

We did so well the first week of moving in. Sherry, Amanda, Gabby and Jeff were so, so, so much help. It has been slow since. I have gradually been organizing inside, but the garage is horrible.

We are getting settled in and love our new home. I have a lot of decorating to do. That is a slow process though. We are spending a lot of time at the pool. I'll post a few pictures of that next week.

Chris is looking for me, MUST GO CLEAN OUT GARAGE!

Disappointing Wednesday

Well let me start by saying I feel like a total blond..... Yesterday while Brooks was napping I was reading the paperwork for their preschool. I was reading about tuition, when it was due and how much, when my eye caught "weekly" and the price I was seeing is what I thought was to be the "monthly" price. I am not sure how this misunderstanding came about but I called to double check. Yes, I was way wrong. I felt like an idiot. I was used to paying $250 per month for 2 kids for 2 days. Yep, that is what they want me to pay for a WEEK!! I was so upset but I am over it now. That was the only place I found that had openings for the boys. The only other place I found wanted Jax to come 5 days a week. Not doing that to him. Soon enough he will be going all week. It looks like I am going to be Jax's preschool teacher. Going to try anyway. Stacy told me that I can buy a christian preschool program and teach him myself. I am going to try and get a schedule around here and do that. For their socialization, it is going to have to come from church (that we have not found yet, but are working on) and from kids in the neighborhood. So I was disappointed but I am kind of relieved.....I miss them when they are gone.

First Post

Well here is my very first post!!!! This is my best attempt at keeping in touch with all of you. I thought it would be fun for everyone (especially the grandparents) to get to see what we are up to. I am going to give it my best shot at keeping it current.

Yesterday was Jax's 5th birthday - I cannot believe my baby is 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He had a good day. Chris took the boys to play frisby golf while I made spaghetti, bread and brownies. That is the dinner Jax requested. Earlier in the day Chris took them to Academy for Jax to pick out the soft air gun he wanted. He held on to it all day. At dinner he sat on it while he ate. It was so funny because Aunt Mandy called during dinner to wish him a Happy Birthday and before she could ask what he got for his birthday he told her he had "a big gun between his legs." Chris and I nearly spit spaghetti across the room. We couldn't quit laughing.

I am going to stop for now to make sure I am doing this blog thing right. I will be back tomorrow hopefully with more info.