All Because Two People Fell In Love....

Vacation Time....

2009-02-26T13:51:00.006-06:00

Well at the end of '08 Bryan still had over 3 weeks vacation that we needed to burn. So he took a week off for Thanksgiving, and over 2 weeks for Christmas. We had some beautiful weather the whole time he was on vacation, and spent some great time as a family. Here are a some pics from a few of the things we did!

We decided to take the girls sledding Texas style! They LOVED it! It was a little unplanned so obviously Payton wasn't dressed for it, but she was right there with Daddy and Madie and was fearless! We sled down that hill on cardboard for hours, and only left because we all needed a potty break! LOL!

All by herself, Mommy was nervous!

Daddy and his girls!

Before their first run.

The same day we took the girls "sledding" we went on a miniature train ride. Payton loves choo choo trains, and both Madie and Bryan were upset they couldn't go with Payton and I last time we went.

Madie loved using her camcorder/digital camera to record as we were passing everything

KING TUT!! We took Madie to the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. We all really enjoyed it. They had so many artifacts, most never seen before, and will never be on display again. I never realized how many items fit into their tombs. They had the canister that they stored his liver in, his baby's casket, items he ate with, and tons of other things. I highly recommend this exhibit, and recommend paying the little extra for the audio tour. It is leaving soon and won't ever be on display again, so check it out!!

Madie thought this was way cool.

CHRISTMAS....

2009-01-23T12:49:00.006-06:00

We are extremely blessed with a large family so this year was just as busy as always. We had a total of 8 Christmas' not including our own. The hilights this year was Madie got a Wii, that we all love to play together, even Payton. Payton's favorite was her new baby set with a play pen, a new stroller, and bouncy. She got a total of 4 babies this Christmas, and plays with each of them. Santa brought Madie a new skateboard that she has been wanting, my total tomboy. Santa brought Payton a new music set with drums, tamborine, harmonica, and shakers. I didn't get any pics because she was in a mood at first. Madie woke up early, so we had to wake Payton up, and it took her a few minutes to actually wake up. We were making Santa's plate with his milk and cookies, and carrots for the reindeer. Well, as you can see below Payton got a little sneaky and was taking the carrots as Madie was putting them on the plate! We had a very good Christmas, and are so blessed to have a large, supportive, and amazing family to share it with! We love each and every one of you. Payton snuck on of the reindeer's carrots.

Playing with some of their goodies from Santa

Madie's presents

Payton's presents

It's the big one, the Wii!!!

My sweet girls, Madie gave this present to Payton

Madie just beat her Daddy at boxing on the Wii

Payton LOVES her Hannah Montana guitar from Uncle Kyle

Some Of Our Christmas Festivities..

2009-01-23T12:19:00.005-06:00

Here are some pictures of a few of our Christmas festivities. Every year we take the girls to look at Christmas lights, and this year was no different. We loaded up the girls in their Christmas PJ's, Christmas blankets, popcorn, and some Christmas music and headed to the Interlochen. We of course had to enter a Starbucks into the GPS because you can't go without that! LOL! It was about 30 degrees outside and we had the windows down the whole time, I have learned to not forget the blankets. There was some teenagers who had a little booth set up and they were selling some goodies, they probably make a killing. Well, we were already out of snacks so we got more popcorn, and Madie got another hot chocolate.
There are also pictures of our Christmas cookie decorating we always do on Christmas Eve. Madie loves helping me roll out the dough, and cut the cookies out. Payton loves to help in the kitchen too, but this year she just decorated because we baked during nap time. We had been so busy this year with Madie having the pox, and me planning a big school event that we kept it simple with the decorating, but the girls loved it, and as you can see Madie couldn't resist biting into one. Don't worry she saved plenty for Santa.
Also we do a Christmas movie night every year the night before Christmas Eve. I am horrible because now I can't remember what movie was chosen by the girls this year. That's what I get for waiting so long to post, sorry! Movie night is always a special night here because I lay down a blanket and they actually get to eat in the living room!

Payton acting silly with Sissy.

Madie rocking out to some Christmas music.

We love it's a Charlie Brown Christmas

Special Treat.

2009-01-14T12:27:00.004-06:00

We have Payton in a program called Kindermusik, yes it's with a "K". I strongly believe in the influence that music has on a child. Payton LOVES it, and she loves showing off what she learns in class at home. So as usual we had to burn some of Bryan's vacation days at the end of the year so he didn't lose them. Well, he took off on a Friday so he could go to Kindermusik with us. He doesn't ever get to go because it's during the day, so I was excited for him to see what she does. It was a relatively short class that day because we had some Christmas festivities afterwards. He did get to play the drums with her, sing polly put the kettle on, shake the eggs, and more. She loves her music teacher, Mrs. Ally, Payton calls her SeeSaw Mrs. Ally. She got that name because her favorite song is the SeeSaw song. It's funny because if I drive past music class she throws a fit because I am passing it, she screams "No Mommy it's right there, SeeSaw Mrs. Ally". Check out their website it's an awesome program, and they offer demo classes if you wanna see what it's all about before you invest! Kindermusik.com or thekornerkottage.com.

Itchy...Itchy...

2009-01-08T09:00:00.003-06:00

Well, Madie got the chicken pox!!! Come to find out a little boy in her class came to school with them, and never told the teacher. She got them the last week before school got out for Christmas break. On their last day of the week her class was going to the Bass Hall, and having their Christmas party, well she missed it. She was well enough to go that day but her teacher called me to check on her and told me that there was head lice in the class, a total now of 18 cases of the pox, and 28 cases of hand and mouth disease. So I decided to leave her home. For her missing all the festivities I told her I would have a special day planned for her. So I got my mom to watch Payton and we went to see the Tale of Desperaux (cute movie), and had lunch at the Purple Cow, her favorite spot. She said it was much better than Bass Hall, because there they don't actually talk. LOL, leave it to Madie! All in all she did very well with them, and we didn't have to miss out on any Christmas activities with family. She only got a total of like 30 sores, that scabbed over nicely. She was itchy a lot, but we used Aveeno cream, and LOTS of oatmeals baths. We let her take her oatmeal baths in our bathtub as a special treat! She loves the big garden tub, we wouldn't let her use the jets though because of the pox. So I am glad that's over, and in a way we wished Payton would've gotten them so we didn't have to worry about them anymore! I am just so grateful she was so good about it, and didn't scratch or pick at not one scab. So one down one more to go!!

Family Pics 2008

2009-01-05T12:24:00.007-06:00

Here are our family pictures that we had done. We used an AWESOME photographer, Holly Stover with Mom and Me Photography. We chose to do our shoot at the canal in Las Colinas, and they turned out wonderful. We had something like 235 pictures to choose from, so I just chose a few to post here. The morning we actually had them scheduled it was like 32 degrees outside, and Payton wasn't thrilled, but I think Holly was still able to get some amazing pics. I can't wait to do them again in the spring. I am going to do one sitting with the whole family, one for Payton for her birthday in all her tutu's, of course all girly. With Madie for her birthday I told her she could pick out what she wanted to wear, within reason, and do what she wanted to do for hers. So we should have lots of pics posted in the near future since the girls birthdays are only a week apart. I hope you enjoy!

A Night At The Races....

2009-01-05T12:14:00.003-06:00

I can't believe I forgot to post about the world finals. Well, in October we took Madie to the world finals in Ennis. Madie hadn't been to Ennis since Bryan and her went to top fuel a while back, so she was SUPER excited. We were able to go down through the pit and take a look at all the cars. Of course once we got to the junior dragster she begged for an hour for me to let her start racing now. For some reason I don't think she is going to accept no forever, ugh! Bryan's friend Scott was there so he made Madie a "tar ball". Basically he got under a car and wiped the tread off from them doing burn outs, and he made it into a ball for her. She thought it was super cool, and that thing sat on our bar for weeks. It was a very long night, I think it wrapped up around 2am, but we all had a blast.

This was Madie and Bryan's favorite car. The "ball"

My attempt at getting a pic of the jet car, I knew there was no chance.

Ahhh...The Country Air....

2008-12-28T23:09:00.005-06:00

When Bryan and I went to pick up the girls we decided to stay a night to visit with his family. His mom and stepdad live on ranch, and have lots of land, which includes a pond right behind their home. Madie, being the country girl she is, loves it out there. You can find her out there even rubbing sticks together to try and start a fire. Well, Payton seems to really like all the room to just run. So one of Madie's favorite things to do when she visits is to fish, and this was Payton's first time to join in. I think Madie caught a total of two fish that day. Enjoy!! Looks just like big sister

Madie and PaPaw showing off her catch.

Helping Payton get it out of the moss.

I guess fishing is hard work for a 2 year old.

My Birthday...

2008-12-26T22:33:00.005-06:00

Well, I am one year closer to the big 3-0, YIKES!! The celebration started by my amazing family serving me breakfast in bed, and then dinner at my parents house that night. Madie and Bryan made me a sign for my birthday, and it was so sweet and cute. I knew nothing about it, and when I walked out of the house to take Madie to school that morning I found it stuck in the yard. I proudly displayed the sign in the yard all day. It made me feel so special when the neighbors and some mom's at the school told me they had seen it, and how sweet it was. I have to say I am extremely blessed. The weekend after my birthday we took the girls to Mamaw and Papaw's while we had a weekend alone! We went to the timeshare at Holly Lake, and pretty much stayed in bed for two days. We came home one night from dinner, and found five deer sitting right outside the cabin, it was awesome. When we left that Sunday we saw more on the side of the road that I was able to get some pictures of. I love spending time there every year for my birthday, it brings back so many memories of my childhood. My grandfather had a house nearby, and before he passed away we spent every Thanksgiving there, I remember it being beautiful even then. It's so pretty with all the tall trees, and the colors are amazing. As a kid my brother and I would go in his front yard and collect pine cones. So this year I was able to get Bryan to go down the trails and gather some pine cones for the girls to decorate. It was a lot of fun, and I miss doing it so much with him, well I am sure we will get some more next year.

With my family, and my yummy ice cream cake my mom got.

With my Dad on my birthday.

Madie's Night....

2008-12-26T22:17:00.007-06:00

As usual I am behind, I will do my best to get caught up over the next few days. A little over a month ago Madie had her investiture ceremony for Girls Scouts. This is where she offically became a Brownie, got her pin, and made her promise. This so fits Madie's personality perfectly. Madie isn't much of an athletic child. It's not that she isn't good or capable of it, it's just not where her interest is. Madie is more into art and science. She is also one of those kids that wants to change the world, and make an impact on other's lives. We were driving down the rode one day, and out of nowhere she asks me, "Mom one day do you think we could walk along the rode with bags and pick up trash?" How on earth do you say no to that. So we discussed what Girls Scouts platform is, and she was so excited to be a part of it. I can't wait to see the amazing things she is going to achieve!!

Tooting My Own Horn...

2008-11-12T14:15:00.005-06:00

Well, it's probably no surprise to most of you how we recycle almost everything in our home, and discuss wasting with the girls frequently. So I decided I was going to take on a challenge, and try to get the school to implement recycling in the classroom, and cafeteria. So I had to get approval through the administration building before I could even take it to the principal, which I received on Monday. So today I got approval from the principal to implement the program at Madie's school!! In December they will have their team member meeting, which is the lead teacher in each grade, and she wants me to work out the specifics with the teachers then. I am so excited! I even volunteered to do all the leg work if I needed to, ex: picking up the trash cans for the classrooms, make the recycle signs, put the signs on the cans, and etc. I also will have to get with the city to have a big recycle bin delivered to the school, and get the on the trash day pick up. I talked to a few fellow PTA board members, and they are all excited to offer their help. I think it's important to teach the kiddos the benefits, and consequences if we don't recycle. Just because it's discussed in our home doesn't mean every child knows the importance. So needless to say I am super excited, and can't wait to hear what the teachers have to say about it! Seeing as to the PTA does so much for them, they are usually on board with whatever we want to do, especially if we are doing the work. I am sure they will accept it, and even help with it! I think it would be awesome if the whole district implements this in all the schools, over 13,000 students!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2008-11-03T09:07:00.006-06:00

We had a blast this year for Halloween!! Both of the girls looked so adorable, Madie was a pirate, and Payton was a ballerina. We went to a festival that our HOA and a local church put together, then we headed out for some door to door. Payton was so funny! She is so shy, well apparently not when someone is giving her candy. She would walk up to everyone, and said trick or treat each time. Also everytime she would get candy she would run back up to us and say "CANDY" really excited!! It was a blast, and was great that both of the girls were so excited this year!! Now if Bryan and I could just stop raiding the bags!

Pumpkin Carving....

2008-11-03T08:57:00.005-06:00

Here are some pics from us carving our family pumpkin this year. Madie loved gettting down and dirty, and Payton wanted nothing to do with it once the top came off. This year Madie carved her own small pumpkin, and Payton colored hers.

Madie showing Daddy what she wanted the family pumpkin to look like.

I think she enjoys this too much!

DIVA!!

2008-10-30T22:15:00.002-05:00

I think Bryan and I are going to have our hands full with Payton!! The other day I was doing my makeup. and Payton was getting into everything in my bathroom. So I decided to get some old empty makeup containers, brushes, and a makeup bag. I made it all special just for her so she could be like Mommy. She LOVED it!

Air Show....

2008-10-24T23:23:00.004-05:00

We decided to take a picnic lunch and watch the air show go overhead in a nearby field. Well, after about 5 minutes we all decided that going inside looked like a lot more fun! It sure was. As you can tell I hardly got any pictures of planes flying because we were so busy looking at everything else. Of course, our little tomboy Madie, was all about learning every last detail. There was so much history on the planes, and the military, and we all know she is our little history buff! Payton was so excited, that is until we sat down for lunch. We got really close to the strip to watch the planes while we ate our lunch, and we were just sitting and talking, when a LOUD plane went by. Well, you can see in the pics below Payton wasn't very happy. We really had a lot of fun and were really glad we decided to go inside! They day did end with Payton happy again waving bye to the planes!

Choo...Choo...

2008-10-17T13:41:00.002-05:00

For those of you that don't know, Payton is in LOVE with choo choo trains!! So some friends from the mom's club decided to go on a train ride, so Payton and I went. She had so much fun. She loved when the conductor would yell "all aboard". She would open her mouth real big, with a huge Payton smile, and say "Mommy hear that". She loved the horn, she would get all excited when they would honk it. We made a pit stop where they let us get out and look at the train, get some snacks, and stretch. Daddy was a little sad he didn't get to go, because he said he knew she had to have been so excited, and he hated he missed seeing it. We plan on all going back soon! Payton with her friend, and our neighbor, Ryan

Look Mom I Did It!!!

2008-10-16T21:19:00.002-05:00

Madie is super excited!! She finally took her training wheels off, and she did great! I was cooking dinner, and Bryan took the girls outside, and he said she hopped right on and took off. I wish I could have been right there, and I didn't get many pics because she was ready to take off! I was stressing because she is 8, and refused to take them off, but it came all in good time. We love to go ride bikes as a family, and it is going to be so much easier now. We have been telling her forever now that they were only getting in the way, but she finally believed us, and built up that confidence. She usually rides her scooter all the time, which I think was a big reason it took so long. Well, needless to say I don't think she has rode her scooter in 2 weeks!! Now she wants Santa to bring a new bike!! ;)

So Much Fun.....

2008-10-16T20:54:00.005-05:00

Madie had her homecoming game and parade last week, and it was so much fun!! I love seeing her enjoying the things that I loved, and sharing that with her, it's AWESOME! Her team got to participate in the high school's homecoming parade, then we went and watched the pep rally, which was followed by a fireworks show. Madison loved it!! I think her favorite part of the night was when after the pep rally most of the people from the stands went out on the field during the fireworks. She did a cheer with a friend, her cartwheels, her roundoffs, she just had a blast!!

Her face in this picture cracks me up!

Sweet Sisters

Here are some pictures from the game that Saturday! Payton LOVED her mum that Aunt Amber made her, Thank You Amber!! You can see in the pictures how I usually spend the games with Payton. We sit at the very bottom, as she hollers "SISSSYYY", and just idolizes her. Also she was a little unhappy so Grandma went and got her candy, notice the smile! Oh and her team won 30-0!!

SISSYYYYY!!!!!

Sleepy Heads....

2008-09-23T10:39:00.003-05:00

So Saturday was a super busy day for us!! Madie had to cheer in the morning, then we worked concessions, then Madie and I went and got a pedicure, Payton helped Maw with a fence in her backyard, we had dinner with PawPaw and Grandma, then off for ice cream with Grandma. So we finally make it home, get the girls all bathed, and we relax. Well, Madie insisted she wasn't tired, and asked if she could read her magazine for a few minutes. Well, not even ten minutes later I went in to check on her, and look at how tired our babies were!!

Our Beautiful Texan...

2008-09-15T21:22:00.005-05:00

SO PRETTY!

TEXAN fans in the stands yell Fight, Fight!

Well, after many years of playing academy soccer Madie has decided to try something else, CHEERLEADING!! Surprisingly she absolutely loves it, and is extremely good at it! I didn't doubt she would be good at it, as loud as she is, spunky personality, and always smiling. They get to play in the high school stadium, which is so much better than just a plain field. Payton looks up to her so much, and it's so sweet and cute to watch. Madie teaches her cheers all the time, her favorite is "T-A-K-E take that ball big D". After the cheer she even goes whoooo, and does a "cartwheel" it's adorable! One day I had Madie at practice and Bryan and Payton were out playing in the yard, and Bryan said she took the streamers off Madie's bike and were using them as her pom poms, and doing cheers. Madie is excited because they get to make a float and participate in the high school homecoming parade. So from July until November if you need to find us we will more than likely be at the football fields cheering on our Texan, oh and did I mention her team is 3-0, so maybe I will be posting pics of her cheering at the Super Bowl!! :) Oh and I know I am a little biased, but I just have to say she looks sooooo adorable in her uniform!

The Scariest Thing Ever

2008-09-09T12:00:00.003-05:00

Payton gave Bryan and I the scare of our lives this past weekend! We went to Madie's cheerleading game, then came home for Madie and I to change because she had a pool party with the cheerleading squad. Well, Bryan and Payton decided to stay home to do lunch and nap time. We had been at the party for about two hours when Bryan called and said that Payton had woke up from her nap, they went to Home Depot, and when they got home she began to run a fever of 101.2, so I told him what the dosage was on the Tylenol and we would be home shortly. When we got home she still had a low grade fever, and an hour later began throwing up. So at this point we were still treating it as a virus that we would see if it ran it's course, and make sure she didn't get dehydrated. So we all had dinner and Payton and I were sitting on the couch and I told Bryan I wanted to give her about ten more minutes before we put her to bed to make sure she didn't throw up again. Meantime I took her temp and it was 99.9. About five minutes later she said she had to go potty so Bryan took her, and I went in there and she was shaking so I felt her and she was on fire. I took her temp and it was 102.8, so I called the nurse. Typically I wouldn't call for a fever like that but she was starting to act really strange, was shaking uncontrollably, and it spiked FAST. Bryan thought the shaking was just chills. So while I was waiting on the nurse to call back I layed her down in our bed while Bryan ran her a lukewarm bath. All of a sudden she began to shake a lot more and her eyes rolled back, so I hollered for Bryan. It was over as quick as it started, and then she just couldn't keep her eyes open. I quickly took her temp again and it was already 104.4. It was only like five minutes after I had checked it and it was only 102.8. So the nurse just called, and I had already decided we were headed to Cook's, and she verified that is what she wanted. Madie was asleep so our neighbor came over to stay while my mom drove over. We got to the hospital and they took us right back, and it has risen even more. They gave her a double dose of Motrin, even though I had just given her some. Poor baby didn't fight anything, she just layed there, and if you know Payton that's strange. She has been sick before and still fought you, but not this time. So they drew blood, she urinated in a cup, and we waited. They came back and said her urinalysis was fine, and so was her blood work, so they don't know why she was running a high fever. They said she had a febrile seizure due to her temp rising so quickly. They are completely harmless, but that they are glad we came in because they needed to make sure that's all it was. So after several hours her fever had gone back down to 99.9 again. They gave her a half of a Zofran for nausea, and a shot in each leg of an antibiotic. She was a champ at the hospital, she was very cooperative, and seemed to understand that these things had to be done. We went home with really not a lot of answers, but I felt better because they got the fever to go down, and verified it was only a febrile seizure. We let her sleep with us that night because I was afraid of it happening again and me not being right there. So we got to bed about 3:30 am, then awoke to her vomiting again at 5:30 am with another fever, 102.2. I was so nervous, but it never got above that, we gave her medicine and she fell back asleep. I on the other hand had to fun to Wal-Mart because we had just used our last dose of medicine. Madie came in the room at 7:30 am, but was so helpful when we told her what happened and that we needed some sleep. I had picked up donuts for her at 5:30, since that's our Sunday ritual, and she just ate those, read and watched cartoons. Payton felt a lot better and began to eat some on Sunday, but she is still just really tired. We followed up with her doctor yesterday, and they are going to review the hospital's lab work, and see us just to make sure everything is okay. I knew kids could have seizures due to a high fever, but Madie has ran a high fever and it has never happened, so it really caught us off guard. Our girls are very rarely sick, but when they get it, it seems to be a doozy. I will update again after we hear back from her doctor!

Mama Please No....

2008-09-03T22:14:00.004-05:00

I took the girls in a few weeks ago for their six month dental check up and cleaning. No cavities for either one of them, SWEET! Well, then he sat next to me and began to go over Madie's x-rays and I knew it couldn't be good. He showed me how crowded her mouth was and all the teeth that were trying to come in, and wouldn't be able to. So he referred us to an orthodontist, wasn't thrilled. So I scheduled an appointment the next morning with an orthodontist that he recommended. We visit him and Madie is actually not as upset about it, and actually getting excited. I am not when I find out it's going to cost us $2600. Anyways they will be putting four brackets on the top and four on the bottom teeth. Then they will put a spring on each side connecting to an expansion device on her back tooth. She will keep these on for twelve months and we will go in every four to six weeks to have it tightened, and this will "hopefully" avoid a full set later. Okay so when I came home I talked to a friend whose daughter had the same thing last year, and she referred me to her dentist for a consult. They told me over the phone it was only $1300 and she would only wear them for four to six months, which I found odd they could tell over the phone. So again I set another appointment and got my mom to watch Payton so I could give the orthodontist my full attention.
We get to the office at 3:29pm and they take us back right at 3:30pm, and we literally walked out of that office at 3:36pm. So I am a little irritated because the last orthodontist sat and discussed treatment and everything for like fourty five mins. This whole process of getting ready, early dismissal, driving, and everything took two hours and he only gave me four minutes with him. Now here is the amusing part....When I go back they did ZERO x-rays, and I asked how he could tell her plan of treatment and he said he could just see it. Anyways we go to leave and as soon as we walk out Madie grabs my arm and whispers "Mama I don't wanna be rude but his breath smelled really bad I could even taste it, please let me go see the other doctor, I know he is more expensive but please"! I try not to laugh because believe me I noticed his breath, but I didn't find it appropriate for her to see me laugh too. Then she told me how his hands were in her mouth with no gloves, his nails were all yellow, and he had a hairy back! I began to die laughing because poor girl!! So needless to say I know this orthodontist was half the price of the other but there is no way I would do that to her. Despite the fact that I personally didn't care for him, I wouldn't want someone that close to my face with stinky breath either, so I am not going to make her suffer through it! I told Bryan I would get one more opinion because Bryan said his opinion didn't count as one. So I made a final appointment, but we really liked the first one so we shall see after next week. I just pray this one wears gloves and actually practices good oral hygiene!

Back To Work!!

2008-08-31T22:08:00.003-05:00

It's back to school time!! I typically love this time of year with all of the excitement, but it's sad too. You see ever since Madie started school I don't see her as older when she has a birthday now it's whenever she starts a new grade, which is 3rd this year! This year was a lot more exciting for all of us. See when we had our house built we bought right next to where there would eventually be a new elementary school. In the meantime though, two full school years, I had to drive twenty six miles round trip twice a day to take her to school, and it was a huge pain. Well, the wait was so worth it and us deciding to build where we did is so paying off. We drove from our driveway to the parking lot and it was .2 miles, yep not even half a mile! Also we walk everyday and from our door to the door of the school is six minutes, but I can make it in four if I really tried, and we are loving every minute of it. For some reason we never felt "home" yet because the school was missing, I know kinda silly, but now it feels great! Also the staff is amazing! At meet the teacher the principal decided to surprise the kids with a special visitor, which I knew for two weeks since I am a chair on the PTA, and it killed me not to say anything. So right at the time meet the teacher starts you see the staff round the corner chanting "everywhere we go, people wanna know, who we are, so we tell them, we are the mighty mighty Longhorns" then what do you know the principal rounds the corner saddled up on a longhorn. It was awesome and set such a good tone for the new school year, they continued to chant as she rode it up to the corral where the kiddos were able to pet it, and take pics. She then welcomed all of us to "the ranch". It was very exciting!! Madie has been back at school four days now and she is loving every minute of it, I am just sad I can't sleep passed 7:00am anymore!! Oh and check out the pic of Payton. She misses Madison so much when she is gone, so even though it was great for Madie, Payton really struggled all week. She would ask all day "go get sissy, ride my car". When we would pick her up she would run and say "Sissy I miss you"! It was so sad and so sweet!

Wrapping up our Vacation!!

2008-08-31T14:35:00.005-05:00

Okay so it took us about five hours to get to Hot Springs, Arkansas from Branson, Missouri. We got there and we pretty much knew there wasn't a lot for the girls to do there but while we were passing through we wanted them to see it. So we went up the observation tower, and looked at the views. I would like to add I am soooo terrified of heights!! Anyways at first I was not about to go on the upper level that wasn't glassed in but with much begging, and being made fun of I did. I am glad I did because we got the best pics up there. Then we went to where the locals fill up their containers with the water. I was floored at how many people just kept showing up with big Sparkletts containers, and they would have like four of them. So Madie wanted me to fill up her bottle water with it, and she actually drank it hot. I would love to have something like that around here! Then, we set off and drove about an hour and a half for the real reason Bryan wanted to go to Arkansas. We went to Murfreesboro for the Diamond State Park to dig for diamonds. Both of the girls loved it, they never have that much dirt to play in for hours! It was so hot out there but neither one of them complained they just dug continuously. Madison was all serious about finding a diamond, and well Payton was just playing. Then we headed out, and before we even left the park we decided that when it cools off a little we are planning a camping trip back because their facilities were beautiful. Me and the girls really wanted to stop at a hotel to stay the night, and take a hot shower, but Bryan was more in the mood to finish the track home. So we arrived home about 2:30am on Friday morning. All and all it was a great vacation that went off as planned. We took so many good pics and I wish I could've posted more but it only lets you load so many! We are already excited and planning our next vacation!!

Our Road Trip

2008-08-31T13:43:00.007-05:00

Well, about March we found out that Branson, Missouri had built the largest museum in the world, The Titanic. So seeing as to Madie is a huge history buff, and is so fascinated with the Titanic it was a no brainer that we needed to go check it out, and if made it so much easier that one of the timeshare locations is there. Her and Bryan can sit and watch the History channel for hours, YUCK! Anyways, we left on a Friday afternoon and it took us about 8.5 hours to get there, of course stopping at every state welcoming sign.The first day we just just hung out at the resort, swam, and did craft time at the activity center. Sunday we went to Ride The Ducks, which took us through the entertainment district, through the Ozark Mountains, and into Table Rock Lake. While we were in Table Rock Lake the girls got a chance to drive the "Duck". Did you know that an entire town is under Table Rock Lake, kinda creepy?!Monday we decided to go to the fish hatchery, and it was surprisingly very cool. They release 750,000 trout into the lake each year. The girls got to see all the stages of conception, feed the fish, and look at all the equipment needed to produce the fish. I was kinda grossed out but Madie was all ears to the tour guide. We then went to check out a bunch of the cliffs and stuff at the dam. All of the views were amazing! Tuesday was the day for the Titanic, and Madie was stocked!! I was excited and then we got to the line and saw a sign that said we couldn't take any cameras in, DANGIT!! I sooo wanted pictures because words just can't describe how beautiful it was, all the detail, all the artifacts, just all of it. The museum is an exact replica of the Titanic, built exactly half scale. When you receive your boarding pass you also receive a card with the name of a passenger, and all the details, what class they were in, why they were on the ship, and where they were from. Through the ship some of the artifacts were the only 3rd class menu in existence ( found on an unidentified body), a watch found on a body that stopped at the exact time the ship sank, letters people had written, the machine used to signal for help, and so much more. When you go up the second level you actually go up the grand staircase which was gorgeous. They had a thing where you put your hand in the water and it's the exact temp it was that night, and you see how long you can stand it. I lasted 15 seconds, and my hand was literally hurting, the passengers only lasted 15 minutes in the water. You can also walk out on "the deck" and they have the air set so you can see how cold it was outside that night too. Then you get to tour a room with props from the movie set. At the end they have a room showing footage from when they found the Titanic. Then the very last room you walk in and there are all the names on the wall, and you find your name on your boarding pass to see if you lived or died, kinda creepy. I highly recommend making a trip to see it! Then, that night we went and had dinner on the Branson Landing, it's an outdoor mall on the river, kinda like the Riverwalk. They have a nightly show of water, lights, and fire that were all in sequence to music. Now on to Wednesday, we went to a place called the Butterfly Palace, and it too was gorgeous!! You first watch a 3D movie about the stages of a butterfly then some doors open, and you enter the "rainforest". There are over 1,000 butterflies just flying freely in there, and they would land right on you and just stay there. They were beautiful and a lot of them you don't see around here. They were very careful not to let them out, you had to go through three doors, and make sure none were stuck to you before entering the next door. Then there was a rainforest maze of mirrors, and we went through that twice. There was also a room of what I call creepy crawlers that are common in the rainforest. There was a royal blue and black frog, and the largest cockroaches I have ever seen. Then we went back to the condo and swam. We got up Thursday morning and I cooked a big breakfast and we made our way to Arkansas, Bryan was insistent we visit there before coming home.

Finally Her First Haircut....

2008-08-05T13:06:00.003-05:00

I know I am posting a little late, but better late than never!! On July 7th we took Payton to get her first haircut, yes finally over 2 years old and it was time! Kinda strange Madie had one before she was a year, and Payton was bald forever. She didn't really need it because of the length, but because there was so much baby hair on the ends, and it was so dry. She did so awesome, I was very surprised. Most of you know Payton is so shy, and won't talk to anyone she doesn't know, so we thought it was best if Madie went first. The lady was so good with the girls, and got Payton involved in cutting Madie's hair, I think that helped so much. So then it was Payton's turn, and I still wasn't convinced that I wasn't going to have to pin her down while she screamed. She sat in the red race car, and the lady let her spray her with the water bottle, and of course Payton loved that, she sprayed all of us with it. So then the lady talked her into letting her spray her hair. Then, Payton sat there and let her cut away, she just sat there and kept saying "Hannah Rocks...Hannah Rocks". It's funny I was sooooooo stressed about this and she did perfect. It's funny because Payton's hair was so blonde that she had to cut off a little extra just so we would have enough to save. She probably won't need one for the next 2 years!

Fourth Of July Fun....

2008-07-16T11:27:00.004-05:00

Well, we had a fun filled fourth of July! Our plans changed a little but we still ended up enjoying ourselves. We were going to head out of town to Bryan's parents lake house but then our HOA decided to put off a fireworks display right behind our house, so Bryan wanted to stay since it has been so dry. So on the fourth we had a block party, then went to some friends house to pop fireworks, bbq, and let the girls swim. Then, on Saturday our HOA put on a fourth of July celebration so we went to that, had some friends over to bbq, and then watched the fireworks in our backyard. I don't have that many pics of Madie this year because she was so busy lighting all the fireworks with Daddy. They make me so nervous so I just stay away and let Bryan have the fun with that one. Payton was scared of them this year, as you can see in the pics. Daddy kinda forced her to come out of the garage and watch one Madie lit and you can tell she wasn't very happy. Then when we were watching them in the backyard I took a pic of her closing her eyes, so I thought. Well, when I downloaded the pics I could see she was peeking the whole time! Silly girl! Well, I think I have updated all my blogs now! :) We are heading out Friday the 18th for our family vacation and will be home Saturday the 26th, so I will be updating with pics from Missouri, and Arkansas.

Lighting the dragster In our backyard. We literally laid on our backs in the grass to watch them right over our head.
Notice the peeking!?

Summertime.....

2008-07-15T13:12:00.005-05:00

I know it has been a while, I am sorry, as usual things got kinda hectic around here. We have been enjoying the summer and cooling off by swimming often. Madie has an impressive tan line, while Payton is as white as ever. Bryan and I went with some of our close friends to float the Guadalupe and camp the last weekend in June. We had a blast, even though the water was 40 degrees, and it poured down rain on us for about 30 minutes while we were on the river. We were a little high maintenance this year and went and bought a window unit and put it in our tent, so we had some nice a/c while we were there. Yeah I know not technically camping! We stopped off in Austin on the way back so I could visit IKEA. WOW!!! It went beyond my expectations, and I can't wait to go back with a group of friends. Madie also went to cheer camp where she received an award for best jumps!! YAY!! She also went to stay at week with her Mamaw and Papaw. She loves it out there with all the land, and she can just run wild and not worry about cars. She got to spend time with her cousins while they were there too, and she loved that.

I had a little trouble getting in, the water was a warm 40 degrees.

Notice Bryan stuck on the rock!
Madie with her award

Busy...Busy...

2008-06-16T11:55:00.003-05:00

We have had a very busy couple of weeks!! School is finally out! YAY!! Madie did great she had her end of the year piano performance, and rocked!! At the awards assembly she received the Hawk pride award, that award the teacher selects two students who showed good behavior, worked hard, and helped others all six weeks. Then the teacher gave awards to each student for what subject they are strongest in, Madie got the spelling award. Then her final award was for Academic Excellence for receiving straight A's all year long. Also if you notice from the pics she lost another tooth!! Took her forever to start losing them, and now they are falling out so quickly, and the toothfairy is going broke! Not much else has changed except Payton learned her first "bad" word. She heard Madison's friend tell her dog to shut up. Well, I was driving down the road the, of course talking on the cell phone, well Payton yelled Mama, so I said "What baby" she then said "Mama Shut Up"!! I was floored, so I of course get off the phone and give her the bad word lecture, and then Madie told me where she learned it. So that lasted about a week. We have a very busy week, and are headed out of town this weekend, so I will post with some pics next week!

I Am DONE...Whoop..Whoop!!

2008-05-29T13:29:00.002-05:00

Well, almost anyway!! I have spent the last year of my life in the middle of so much political drama by being the vice president of the PTA! If you know me well that wouldn't surprise you a bit, I have trouble telling people no, and I am very active in Madie's school. Well, after a very tedious school year, and Bryan about to strangle me about a dozen times, it's all coming to an end. I have set up the new PTA for our new school that opens in the fall, and we elected the new board, which I am happily not on!! I have one more event, which is tomorrow! It figures the year that I am VP and in charge of special programs the principal would retire, so we are having a big "bash"! So Bryan finally gets his wife back, he pretty much threatened to kill me if I signed up for another board anytime soon! Just sucks the next two weekends are already full, and I think we need a COLD drink to celebrate!!!

Guzzle...Guzzle...Guzzle...

2008-05-23T22:17:00.001-05:00

Okay so seriously I think I need one of these shirts!! LOL!! If the economists are right it will cost us over $300 for a tank of gas!! OUCH!! Anyone wanna buy a Suburban?? ;)

WooHoo!!!

2008-05-22T12:41:00.003-05:00

Well, Bryan went to his diabetic check up today, and got a clean bill of health!! His A1C has come down to 8, which is good for Bryan. His cholesterol and blood pressure were excellent, and his kidneys are in great shape. Every time he goes I sit on pins and needles just hoping everything is okay, and it always is! He did get something VERY exciting, some of you may think this is so goofy but it's HUGE for Bryan. He has to do 3 injections a day, yes everyday. Well, they have a new insulin that mixes the two insulins he needs together, so now it's down to only 2 shots a day!! That's a big deal for Bryan because he hates having to do that extra injection, and fought it for like 2 years, until the Dr. pretty much made him. So the Dr. gave him 2 months worth of insulin to try, saved us some money LOL!! Well, for the first couple of weeks I am going to be on his tail, which I am sure he will love, to check his blood sugar more, just to watch for a reaction. Well, until next time.....

Let The Dog Days Of Summer Begin!!

2008-05-20T14:22:00.011-05:00

Well, the girls took their first dip in the pool on Saturday!! I swear they could swim in the middle of the winter, there was no way Bryan and I were getting in that water! Madie did so much better than we expected, usually the first couple of times every summer she struggles, but this year she did great. Payton amazed us!! Last year she was the weirdest kid ever and screamed the whole time she was in the water, which Bryan loved making worse!! This year she was all about the water, a little too brave for my liking! Oh and in the pictures she has these goofy goggles on, she loved them, and it took us forever to get them off of her!

Daddy got them off by bargaining with FOOD!!

Madie also had her first cheer camp on Saturday too! She was so cute, when the older girls were cheering she was just in awww. I was so proud of her, when it was her turn to perform she wasn't shy a bit! Bryan and I think it's hilarious how different the girls are. Madie is just like me outgoing, goofy, and will talk to anyone. Payton is just like Bryan, shy until she gets to know you, and likes to sit back and observe! Well, when we got home Madie informed me that I need to hurry up and sign her up for tumbling so she can learn a back flip!! Oh great, that's all we need!!

Payton kept screaming SISSY!!

The Intro...

2008-05-16T23:26:00.003-05:00

Well, I finally found a way I can keep the family updated, and enjoy my interest for blogging at the same time!! A little about us: Bryan and I got married on April 25, 2003, we enter the marriage with Madison (Madie) who had just turned 3. After a few years of treatments, we were blessed with another daughter in 2006, Payton (PayPay). Wow how amazingly crazy it was adding another one!! Then in September 2006 we had our dream home built, where we finally have room to breathe!! Funny thing is now I am thinking it's too big, sshh don't tell Bryan. I am grateful that we ALL love the outdoors, that is where we spend most of our time!! We are constantly on the go, and I love it that way, I literally have to force myself to slow down, and relax! We are also a family who lives a very green life. We cook with whole/organic foods, we make our own cleaning supplies, we recycle almost everything, and the list goes on. Sure our kids get to splurge too, we LOVE snowcones in the summer, and we do occasionally eat out. I for one LOVE mexican food. Believe it or not though when we do eat out our girls still make healthy choices, it's just how they like things. The only exception is when they go to Grandma's, but that's how it's supposed to be, right? Well, I hope you enjoy my numerous ramblings!! Now I am going to bed!!!!!!