Christmas LOVER

Spencer won't let me take his picture.

I had to sneak this one.

This man is CUH-RAZY about Christmas.

We've been listening to holiday tunes for two weeks.

He comes home every few days with a new

Christmas decoration for the yard or house.

He just couldn't WAIT to put up our new tree.

Since our ceiling is like 100 feet tall,

we said adios to our 11 year old,

put lights on manually tree and we bought

a pre-lit 9 footer this year.

( I couldn't find a 100 footer anywhere.)

He's a BIG CHRISTMAS LOVIN' KID!

As a matter of fact, he's outside as I type,

putting up Christmas decor IN. THE. RAIN.

I love that fool!!

Weekend Fun

Warning : Many photos...

Tyler had his first piano recital on

Friday night. Here he is getting

in ONE last practice!

He did an amazing job.

He's only taken for a year,

but you'd never know it!

Thanks for your support

Gigi & Bubs!

Saturday we headed to Galveston to

watch my sweet sweet niece compete

at JAMFEST! Cheer competition.

Hayley's team did an amazing job.

They work SO hard!!

It's a whole 'nother world!

Spencer loved jammin' to the

loud tunes!

Here's all the fam fans!

Hayley's performance was flawless!

So glad we finally got to see the 'real thing'!

Here she is!

LOVE this girl!!

(I think the bow needed to be a

little bigger, tho :)

After the competition, we headed to the beach.

The weather was perfect!

And the kids swam, of course.

There were actually WAVES.

That's a rare occurrence.

The Rydger loving life.

Crazy kids!

Love the grafiti'd seawall in

the background. Only in Galveston.

Scary to think of that underwater

during IKE.

Gigi posing.

Mermaid?

Kyle buried in the sand.

Ready, set, hike!

Lulu's turn.

Great weekend!

Thanks Elmers!!!

God Bless the USA

Kyle had an assignment for Social Studies to research and make a poster of a family member (friend, acquaintance) that served in the US Military.

He wanted to honor my Uncle J. and he made a really nice presentation.

I've been thinking the past couple of days how darned blessed we are to live in this country. (Even if it's being run by some less than desirable leadership.) I've felt overwhelmed with the sacrifices made by so many who fight for our freedoms as well as the sacrifices made by their families.

My mom's brother, Uncle J, made the ultimate sacrifice and gave his life serving in Operation Desert Storm. At 27 years old he left behind a wife and three kids and a lot of family and friends that loved him. He died for a country he honored and loved.

As I contemplate Veteran's Day, (and all of my loved ones who have served and do serve in the US Armed Forces. See Gigi's blog on my blog list to left.) I would be ashamed of myself if I didn't somehow pay tribute and recognize those that serve this country and fight to maintain the freedoms we all take for granted. I know this is the promised land and I'm filled with a gratitude beyond words to live where I do and worship how I will.

Uncle J wrote a letter to me that I received after I'd learned of his death. At the end of his letter he said simply "I really miss trees. There aren't any trees here. Hug a tree for me." I'm not going to take all of these Houston trees for granted today. They are getting hugged! In memory of J and all those who have served and do serve and sacrifice in my behalf.

Thanks Veterans!

Saturday, in the park...

We had the perfect 'family day' at Burroughs Park.

Spent the day playing catch, Frisbee (I still can't throw),

ladderball, and chowing down.

The weather was PERFECT!

So fun being together.

Maddie & Hayley spent hours digging in the sand.

The trees are awesome.

Can you see that huge bird in this one?

Oh, wait - that's Ty.

It's not a bird - It's SUPERMAN!

(This child is going to give me a heart attack.)

We had to sing "36 turtles sitting on a log"

(in honor of photo below) for Rydge.

It took awhile.

There were even some fall leaves to enjoy!

I love this action shot of Kyle.

He tried to out run me....hah!

Great day, beautiful park, perfect company!

My baby...

Life can be so ironic.

With my first three kids it was all about the "firsts". First time sitting up, first time walking, first t-ball game, etc... But then along comes 'the baby'. Now I find myself sadly taking note of all the "lasts".

Rydger learned to ride a two-wheeler this week. I've tried to help him several times in the past with no success. But then Tyler told him Monday "it's time to take off the training wheels." Literally, within two minutes this kid was hauling up and down the street by himself.

The power of the heroic older brother!
Rydge is so excited. Each morning he rushes to get dressed, eat, and brush his teeth so he can rush out and enjoy his new found freedom before school.

Tyler even taught him how to stand up and ride like a big dude.

I know I should feel happy about his new accomplishment.
And to my credit Rydge THINKS I'm ecstatic.
But I really just want to cry.

I'll raise you a snickers for a reeses...

Halloween has come and gone.

Kyle outdid himself this year.

He and a buddy were cheerleaders.

Make-up, big hair and all...much to his dad's chagrin.

He really fills this out, huh?

These boys were WAY too comfortable in their get ups :)
Then there was the buffed up, mask-less Spiderman,
the witch who ditched her broom and hair within a half hour,
and the CUTEST mad-hatter I ever did see!!
The best part is always the candy trading.
However, this year they raised the ante.
It's no longer, "I'll trade you a Skittles for a Tootsie Roll."
Oh, no.
This is SERIOUS business.
These three broke out the monopoly money.
For $20 you can get a Tootsie pop.
$100 might get you a Milky Way.
Snickers and M&M's going for $400.
The HOT commodity is a Reeses.
They go for $1000.
Kyle is TOTALLY out of cash -
but he does have a pile of Reeses.

I'll bet you a pack o' Whoppers we're going to
find too many candy wrappers around the house
and the loot will be confiscated within 24 hours.
Anybody want to raise me a Baby Ruth???

Happy Halloween!!

For someone who feels actual animosity for Halloween,

I sure have been involved in a lot of Halloween crafty projects lately.

Here's Maddie's awesome SPIDER!

Spencer is usually in charge of the pumpkin carving.

He's conveniently in California this week.

Thus...mama had to get all sticky slimy.

Truth be told - I kind of had fun.

(Shhhhh, don't tell my kids.

It'll discredit my anti-Halloween position)

Here's Rydge's ghost pumpkin.

We had one of our most torrential

thunderstorms ever last night.

It TOTALLY set the mood.

After we were done carving we danced in the rain.

Yes, even me.

Tyler's sweet BAT .

I didn't get a pic of Kyle's with a candle.

He free handed his jack-0-lantern.

In true Kyle fashion, that pumpkin was gutted and carved

before anyone else had even decided on a design.

He so rocks.

Here's to loads o' CANDY!

Ghosties

How much do these ghosties rock?

I know. So cute.

We made them in activity days.

(Thanks for the idea & guidance, Sarah!)

Woooo....Woooo....

(That's supposed to be a ghost sound...

Use your imagination.)

I had no idea my toes were so wrinkly.

Did you?

Anyway - the reason I posted this pic was

to show off my AWESOME

six-legged silver-eyed spider.

Maybe Vietnamese spiders only

have six legs? I don't know.

But he's cute, huh?

Have a super spooky Halloween!

Gigi's Magic

Gigi has a million tricks up her sleeve.

One of which she pulled out on Saturday.

After relaxing my rear into the couch -

I realized it was mighty quiet.

Not usually a good sign.

What I found was THIS.

ART!!

A genuine creative outlet.

They ALL loved it!

They were occupied for-ever!

Thanks, Gigi!

Poop On My Porch

Nothing says

"welcome to our home"

like a chunk of poo on the front porch.

Okay - it's not really poo.

The people we bought our house

from 'accidentally' left this gift behind for us.

I can't imagine why they didn't take it with them.

Delightful isn't it?

He's now on his way to the Houston City Dump.

Hasta la vista, little poop.

a FORTunate day

FORTune has smiled upon us.

We got to play with Hayley today.

We LOVE that!

Due to the rain, indoor

entertainment was necessary.

Hayley, Maddie, & Rydge built some serious forts.

(notice how clean the rest of the room is,

I just LOVE girls!!)

Then Kyle (=chaos) got involved

and added his fort.
They're still busy building.
I can't WAIT for the happiness when I call out:
"Clean up time!"
There will be joy and rejoicing.
not.

You Gotta Love Houston Part II

Okay, first things first. I must dispel this rumor that I'm some kind of slayer of wild beasts.

Yes, I killed a snake, but truth be told, it was about as big as an overgrown worm. However, it's creepy little coiled up (possibly poisonous ) self has been enough to give me nightmares every night since. The crazy thing about it? My kids were MAD at me for killing it. They wanted me to cover it with a box until they got home so they could release it back into the wild. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

Weather update: Because I know you're all so interested in the daily (sometimes hourly) weather changes in southern TX.

Today I woke up and it was 84 and HUMID! Then this delightful blustery storm blew in. Within the last hour the temp has dropped 14 degrees!

My heart is SMILING!!

It almost feels like fall!!

I took this pic from Maddie's upstairs window of the impending storm. It was pouring seconds after I took it. Yummy, yummy. (It's reminiscent of Washington - mmmm, I'm homesick!)

This is the neighbor's house across the street.
Should I be worried about that tree???
TIMBER!

You Gotta Love Houston

I live in a S-A-U-N-A.

Each morning lately, I wake up

and can't see out any of my windows

or doors due to the moisture that

has accumulated there.

This picture doesn't do it justice.

(Look toward BBQ) I'll try and capture it better manana.

But the true joy is walking outside and feeling your hair frizz,

your pits become lakes, your makeup runs,

and instantly feeling stickily stinkified.

These are the days I ask myself...

Why the heckinburg do I live in Houston, TX???

Oh, and I killed a freakin' snake

on my back patio yesterday.

He was a little dude,

but holy crap.

A. snake.on.my.patio.

This is NOT okay.

Blog-less-ness

I have a raging, puke-inducing headache today, and it makes me mad.

This is all I have to say.

(Hopefully I'll be back to my

happy-self tomorrow.

Okay, THAT's all I have to say.)

Am I ready for some football...again....

How cute is my little football boy?

He *LOVES* to tackle people. Surprised?

His uniform, however, is incomplete.

No orange socks. I won't do it.

I call him the Sockless Wonder.

Does it make him play better?

Perhaps. But truth be known,

it's the only way I can spot

him amongst all the other orange and blue

boys out on the field.

The real question is :

will I EVER EVER understand

the football lingo/rules/positions??

I just think my brain is old. Or dusty.

Possibly just severely underused.

Anyway - at least I know

which blue boy belongs to me.