Diaz Traveling Circus

Relaxation Day Three!

2009-09-23T14:40:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday, we decided to have a relax by the pool day. The pool at our condo was really cool. It had a huge pirate ship with a slide through it and a beach entrance for the little ones. We had a ball doing pretty much nothing! Later that evening we headed back to Downtown Disney, but this time we ate at a grown up restaurant. The food was super yummy, and no dinosaurs in sight. After dinner we took the boys to find a souvineer with some money my grandparents had given them in Destin. Then took in all the Downtown Disney sites! Overall we had a fantastic relaxing day! Day 3....my kind of day!

Magic Kingdom-Disney Day Two

2009-09-23T14:18:00.004-05:00

Tuesday was Magic Kingdom day! We got there right when they opened, Mickey and the gang were doing a big countdown with streamers, fireworks, bubbles, the whole shebang! We had our plan so we headed straight for Dumbo! The crowds were again WAY down and we never had to wait in line. We took turns riding Splash Mountain, and Day made Cory do it against his will. If you look closely at the picture, you'll see Cory is the one ducking his head behind Day. We got everything done, just like we planned and headed back for lunch and naps around 1. Unfortunately, around 4 when we were heading back, there was some rain moving in...so right about the time we walked through the gates, the sky fell out. It rained, and rained and rained for almost an hour, while we sat on the floor of a hot dog place and ate dinner. After that, we decided that we could either get soaked walking back to the car or get wet walking to some rides. So off we went to weather the storm;) It was actually pretty fun playing in the rain. We made the best of it and had a blast! They ended up canceling the parade but the fireworks were still on. They were fantastic! Day 2...success!!

Animal Kingdom...Disney Day One!

2009-09-02T21:07:00.004-05:00

Our first day in Orlando was spent at Animal Kingdom. We had our "Touring Plan" and we were ready to go! Thankfully, my plan to come after the school year started seemed to pay off. The crowds were very small and we never waited in line more than maybe 5 minutes. We saw some cool animals and saw some cool shows. The kids did really well, and after a long afternoon we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner at T-Rex. It's owned by the same people as Rainforest Cafe, but with a Dinosaur theme. We sat in the Ice Age section, which I'm pretty sure that wanted to be as realistic as possible by making it negative 12 degrees. It was LOUD and VERY OVER STIMULATING, which means the kids LOVED it! The boys ended the day with a bubble bath in our jacuzzi tub. They had a ball and went right to sleep! So...Day 1...success! Here is a slide show to give you a play by play of our day.

More from Destin

2009-09-02T08:45:00.004-05:00

Here are the shots from are very rushed photo shoot on the beach. We made the mistake of waiting until the morning we were planning to leave to try and get these pictures taken. We thought we had until noon to check out of the condo, but when I went to get our key fixed at around 9:45 on our way to the beach for pictures...the lady informed me that checkout was at 10. Ooops! We had most of our stuff packed, but not totally and we had planed to eat lunch in our room. I expained this to the nice lady, and she was gracious enough to give us until 11. So we had to rush through the pictures. I also didn't like the lighting as much as I did when we've done it at sunset in the past. As you can see from our eyes...it was very BRIGHT!!! Our eyes are opened, but just barely! Bright sun and white sand are not good bed fellows when taking pictures.

They still turned out pretty well, considering.

Life at the Circus...

2009-08-29T07:30:00.007-05:00

Wow, June 9th. So much has changed in such a short time! A few short weeks after my last post, some things that I'll spare the details of, took place and my dad moved out of my parents house. The choices he was making left my mother no choice but to ask him to leave. Unfortunately, I had to be the one to discover/catch him making these choices and relay the facts to my mother. Needless to say, I have not been in a bloggy mood. I'm afraid that whatever "followers" I had, have all but deleted me from their readers.

On top of all of that, I've been super busy working on a women's retreat that our church is hosting. I am the head of the publicity team and have been working on everything from posters to name tags. Most recently, I've put together the entire program that we will use at the retreat. Between these two things, I've had very little spare time....UNTIL NOW!

We are currently on our after summer vacation! We've decided to leave all our stress at home, no one is allowed to talk about the yucky stuff waiting for us back home and we're spending some much needed quality time together. My mom and brother are here with us and we're lovin' it! We're gonna be here in Destin until tomorrow morning and then we're off to Disney World for 5 days! My grandparents came to meet us in Destin for a quick visit and it's been great to see them. Here are few pictures from our day yesterday...you might notice that my pictures look a bit better quality...that's because my husband surprised me for my birthday and bought me a D40! I'm still learning, but I LOVE it! (Maybe I'll get time to post about the amazing surprise party he also planned for me...I have an amazing husband!)

Surfer Dude Cooper

Good thing he has on those floaties!

The amazing view from our room

Papaw, Jean & the boys

Dinner on the patio at Angler's. We could look over the balcony and see the boys playing on the playground they had on the beach. Carter was bathing in the sand, and then he decided to take a quick dip in the ocean with all his clothes on...you'll see that in a sec.

The view from our table...

They loved going in the sharks mouth.

Just a tad wet. That's what happens when you fall face first into the ocean!

We had a great first day in Destin. I can already tell that two days wont be nearly enough!

Backyard Visitor

2009-06-09T18:51:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago we noticed we had a visitor in our tree in the backyard. We found a small dove with a nest full of two small eggs. We decided that she must not have scouted out her spot too well, since our backyard is like 'home run derby' every night. Not to mention, this tree is only about a year old and is very measly. We showed the boys and talked about how we had to be super careful not to hit the tree.

We've been giving her bread to eat, and keeping a watchful eye on the nest, thinking any day now we would see the babies. Well, today was the day! There are two fuzzy baby birds in the nest. I'm pretty sure she's wishing she'd made a bigger nest. They already look like they could fall out if the wind blows too hard.

Here's some pictures of our backyard visitors...

Spring Campout

2009-06-08T17:11:00.001-05:00

****Note: I found this post in my folder that I had 'drafted' and forgotten about. This was from back in early March, but thought I'd give it it's moment in the limelight!****

This year for our annual Sunday School campout we went to Lake Whitney. It was a new experience for us, since this was our first time w/o our camper. We sold our old one just after the new year, and haven't found one since...so we were tent campers for the first time. We put the boys in a small tent and Day and I used a tent we borrowed from our friends the Smiths. The weather was beautiful and the fellowship was great! We had a lot of fun, but it sure is different now that so many of us have kiddos. It just makes for a lot more work and a lot more mess to clean up, more mouths to feed, more clothes to wash when you get home, more people to keep track of, and more toys to fight over share.

I think we might need a bigger table!

Pinata Time!

Conner takin' a wack at it!

Cooper rarin' back for a good swing!

Splashin' in the lake!

Trying to fly kites!

I just loved this pose from Conner. Such a ham!

The boys hangin' out by the fire.

Fishin'

Rock Throwin'

Rock Skippin'

The kids really did well overall and Cooper made a huge milestone while we were there. He's been talking for awhile about wanting to learn to ride his bike w/o training wheels, but since our first attempt, we just haven't taken the time to work on it any more. Well, Cooper made up his mind that he was going to take them off while we were camping. So the first chance he got, we took them off and he never looked back. In true Cooper form...he hopped on his bike and started riding like a pro. He did have some issues with starting and stopping, but mostly because his poor little legs are too short to reach the ground.

(By the way, in case you were wondering why Carter didn't make it into any of the pictures, its because my mother graciously offered to keep him with her for the weekend. We love ya Carter, but you're just not camping material quite yet!)

WE MISS MABRIE!

2009-05-27T17:45:00.005-05:00

As many of you know, Conner and Mabrie are best buddies (in love and will be married upon their 30th birthdays, according to the contract that we've made with her parents!)

Unfortunately for us, Mabrie and her family have been in California for over three weeks while Mark has been working there. Conner had been making her pictures every so often since she'd been gone, so we decided to mail them to her. Carter made pictures for Allie and Cooper made a card for Mabrie too! We mailed it and waited for the news that they'd received them. Here are some pictures of their correspondence. Jenn was even nice enough to take a video of them opening their goodies and telling the boys thank you and that they missed them!

On our way to the mailbox.

Conner putting his letter in the mailbox.

Carter's turn.

And three short days later....

...there were smiles on two little girls faces.

This one is my favorite! I think she liked 'em!

Mission Accomplished!

Don’t hate me because I’m behind!

2009-05-27T15:08:00.008-05:00

Okay, so yes...I'm behind on blogging AGAIN! My excusses are long and uninteresting, so I'll skip that part and go straight for the good stuff.

I'll start with Field Day! Cooper's field day was not what I expected, mostly because I was expecting it to be like our field days when I was a kid. Not so much anymore. Mostly, it was just random 'sports'ish games that required little skill nor brought any real compitition. There were no ribbons or awards to win, but the kids seemed to have fun none the less. The few things that were familiar were good ole' Tug of War and the Three Legged Race.

Cooper and his buddies...Jackson and Lathan.

Jumping Rope

Cooper & Jackson winning the Three Legged Race!

Carter taking a turn w/ the football.

"Hockey"

"Betcha Can't Guess"

Conner and Carter had a very scaled down version of field day at preschool. I came to get a few pictures of them in action. It was very cute watching them race each other and be so excited to finish. They did them by class so I didn't get any of them together.

Carter anxiously waiting for his turn.

...and he's off!

The ole' egg on the spoon race!

Looks like he found a faster way!

Two year olds and Tug of War, not a good combo!

Conner's ready with his egg.

He did really well!

Then the bean bag toss...his went next to the furthest.

Running his little heart out!

Three year olds and Tug Of War worked much better!

This post is long enough...stay tuned for more updates!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T09:41:00.000-05:00

Our Easter weekend did not turn out quite like we'd planned, but that's life at the Diaz Circus! We are having some remodeling done on our house and the wood floor turned into a bigger project than expected when, we pulled up the existing laminate wood floor and found that our dishwasher had been leaking slowly for probably a year and we had water under our floor which means mold and yuck everywhere. This added some work to our project and so our floor was only a third of the way done by the weekend. Day tried to fix the two hoses that were leaking, but somehow this caused another piece to stop working and created another larger leak. So he spent all afternoon Sat. making multiple trips to Lowe's, cleaning up towel loads of water off the floor and still not having a working dishwasher. Looks like a new dishwasher is in our future.

Somehow in the midst of all that, we still made time for some Easter fun. Friday we had our playgroup Easter hunt and this worked out great since Cooper was out of school, he got to come too! Then on Sunday we went to visit G.G. (Great Grandma) and did another hunt in the courtyard at her place.

And there off!

Carter found him an egg!

Cooper found one too!

Happy with their loot!

Cooper was so glad that G.G. is back home!

We are too!

My little poser!

G.G. and her boys!

I even managed to get a family picture of us all dressed after church. Somehow we even stayed moderately clean after going out for lunch! You can even get a peak at our new fireplace.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend in celebration of the death and resurrection of our Savior!

Opening Day!

2009-04-09T16:32:00.000-05:00

It's baseball time again, and that means it's time for our annual trip to the Ranger's Opening Day game. For the past two years, we've gone to a tailgate party with some Grand Prairie Police friends of Mark's, but this year we decided to do our own little tailgate party. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't what I'd call favorable for such festivities and I tried to talk my hard core sports fan of a husband out of this idea, but he'd have nothing to do with that!

So, we packed up our grill, burgers, and dogs...along with Cooper (who got to cut school for the day) and Conner and headed to the ballpark around 9:30 am. Mind you, the game didn't actually start until 1:30, but we had to beat traffic and have plenty of time to cook-out and just 'chill'. (No pun intended!) And boy did we chill! It was only around 45 degrees when we got there, and I'm pretty sure it felt like 30ish when the wind blew.

But...we braved the cold and the boys played a quick game of baseball in the parking lot. While they were playing some guys from the Fort Worth Star Telegram came by and took some pictures of the boys. They got our names and where we were from, but did promise anything. Well, we opened the paper the next morning and low and behold, our little Conner...with a bigger picture than George!

George who? Who's that cute kid hitting the baseball?

We took the article to school on Tuesday and he said..."Mrs. Gala...I'm famous!"

The game was great, the Ranger's won and the boys got to hit some balls in the kid's park! It was another great day at the ballpark. Maybe next year will be a bit warmer. Here are some pictures from our day!

Super fun tailgate party!

Yummy beef!

The boys watching a DVD in the car...since they were FREEZING!

Thankfully our seats were in the sun, so we were warm for a good 45 minutes before the shade came and turned us into icicles again!

Captain was having himself a Cooper for a snack!

Conner getting ready to knock one out of the park.

Cooper hitting a grand slam!

Annual Sunday School Camping Trip

2009-03-25T11:42:00.000-05:00

This year for our annual Sunday School camp out we went to Lake Whitney. It was a new experience for us, since this was our first time w/o our camper. We sold our old one just after the new year, and haven't found one since...so we were tent campers for the first time. We put the boys in a small tent and Day and I used a tent we borrowed from our friends the Smiths. The weather was beautiful and the fellowship was great! We had a lot of fun, but it sure is different now that so many of us have kiddos. It just makes for a lot more work and a lot more mess to clean up, more mouths to feed, more clothes to wash when you get home, more people to keep track of, and more toys to fight over share.

We are so thankful that we have a group of people that we can make memories with, that encourage us in our walk with the Lord and have seen us at our worst and love us anyway! I love the memories we are making with our family. (By the way, in case you were wondering why Carter didn't make it into any of the pictures, its because my mother graciously offered to keep him with her for the weekend. We love ya Carter, but you're just not camping material quite yet!)

The boys LOVED having their own tent!

Amelia and I played in the waves.

Conner looked for shells in the sand.

It was SOOOOO windy! Perfect kite flying weather!

Conner taking a turn with the kite!

Conner took great care of Amelia!

They were buddies all weekend!

The bluebonnets were starting to bloom, so we got a few pictures. Not the best outfit for bluebonnet pictures, but oh well!

He's just too cute not to take his picture!

Brent was nice and let Cooper hold his fishing pole. No luck with the fish though.

Dad was fine tuning the pole.

Nothings more fun than throwing rocks in the lake!

Cooper was learning how to skip a rock. It's harder than it looks!

Cooper taking off w/o his training wheels! Look at him go!

He was so proud of himself. Somehow this turned into another teary eyed moment for mom. Another sign of him growing up!

Dallas Bloom at the Dallas Arboretum

2009-03-12T11:26:00.005-05:00

We made a trip out to the Dallas Arboretum and enjoyed the spring display! We'd only been there in the fall, which was also beautiful, but the spring flowers are some of my favorites. They also had this new exhibit that was really cool. They had tree houses that were made based on various children's books. The kids had a blast in the Peter Pan pirate ship. Some of them were books I'd never heard of, but they loved playing in the just the same.

I had high hopes of getting some great spring/Easter pictures of the boys while we were there, but the night before Carter took a spill down the ladder to our playground and not only had a huge scrape on his face, but a black, swollen eye to go with it. So if you're wondering why he looks like he's been in a fight, that's why;)

There were too many cute pictures to only post a few, so I had to go with the slide show. Enjoy!

Cooper's Fun Run...

2009-03-02T22:12:00.009-06:00

Cooper's school had a Fun Run on Friday that was two fold. One, they were finishing a unit on nutrition and wellness, so what better way to encourage an active lifestyle. Two, they were hoping to raise money for a new sound system for the cafeteria by having people "sponsor" the kids who committed to run a certain length of time.

When I first asked Cooper how long he thought he could run he answered, "49 minutes!" I told him that would be like a Word World and half and maybe he should try again. His next choice was 15 minutes, but even then I was afraid that would be a stretch, so we finally negotiated it to 12.

The night before, during dinner he asked me, "Mommy, are you gonna come to my fun run and watch me?" "Heck yeah, I am!" I said. "You're not bringing Carter are you?" "We'll yes, he wants to cheer for you too! Plus I don't have a choice. Why would you say that anyway?" "Mom, he's always a trouble-maker!" (Can't really argue with that!)

So on Friday, the whole family...including Mimi, Pawpaw, Uncle Cory and his friend Clay all came to cheer Cooper on. Cooper was at the front of the pack and ready to take off with a vengeance. He did a great job and it quickly became a family affair.

Waiting to start...

And he's OFF!

Look at them go!

Making his first lap around. Looks like he's having a BLAST!

Carter really wanted to get in on the action so I decided to run with Cooper and let Carter come with us. After one lap around I was going to stop and let Cooper go on his own, but Carter screamed..."Do adin! Do adin!" So around we went, adin! After a second lap, he was not ready to stop. He went around 'adin' with Mimi, then 'adin' with Cory and once by himself! That makes for 5 total laps he went around! He was a runnin' fool!

Finish his second lap with Mommy.

Mimi took all three boys with her. Carter is now on lap 3!

"Do adin?"

That's really what he was saying! This was right before lap 4 with Cory.

Finishing up lap #5 with Cooper, and some other kid who seems to be confused as to which way the race is going:)

After about 20 or so minutes, I asked the teacher how long they were going to let them keep this up. "Oh, they're doing this for the whole P.E. hour! We still have thirty more minutes!" Good grief, that's a long time for 5 & 6 year old's. They could walk of course, and Cooper walked some, but mostly he ran his little heart out. We didn't stay to see him finish, it was windy and getting colder by the minute, so we headed home.

It was gettin' cold! Conner had seen enough, Carter wanted to keep on runnin'.

Cooper did a great job and had lots of fun! We are quickly becoming a family of runners! Come back soon to see a post of Day and I running the Cowtown.

Playing catch up...

2009-02-08T10:05:00.010-06:00

So, here I am again...behind on my blogging. Mostly, we've just been sick, sick, sick! I was really hoping that this would be the year that we made it through the cold season with little to no sickness, but I guess there's always next year, right?

Oh well, so here's some of the things that's been keeping me too busy to blog...

While Cooper and I were waiting to see the Dr. at Care Now, we were looking through a Family Fun magazine. Cooper saw this fun food craft and wanted to make it, so when we stopped at the pharmacy to get his medicine for his strep throat, we bought all the goods to make these banana snow men. Carter got to make one too...I think Conner was still taking a nap so he missed out. Take a look at our cute little snowmen!

We had a 'snow day', which in Texas means and 'ice' day! Cooper was thrilled to have a break from school, until we informed him that he will have to make it up later. All that mattered today was having fun in the ice. Day had the idea to send them down the driveway in the recycle bin. Cooper thought it was awesome, but Conner and Carter...not so much. I'll try and add the video but for now, here are the pictures of our icy fun!

Cooper had a birthday! He's now a big 6 year old! We had lots of fun at his party at ASI and his friends had lots of fun too. He's growing up so fast! Here are some shots of his party fun...

Finally, last Sunday we had our second annual Super Service Sunday project. This year we brought lunch to a local fire department. The boys came with us and got to check out the fire truck. It was great to say thank you to these guys who do so much for our community.

Go Me!

2009-01-12T19:09:00.001-06:00

It's not very often that I even blog about myself in general, but I have come to a large (or smaller) milestone (depending on how you look at it) and am very proud of what I've been able to accomplish! After having three kids in four years my body was not in the best of shape...unless you count round as a shape:) But to be honest, I've struggled with my weight my entire life and tried to blame it on a number of things; being 'big boned', it just runs in my family, I'll start tomorrow,... you name it, I had an excuse! And now, looking back I am truly not positive what finally clicked in my mind that finally got me on the right track. Honestly, I can see it has been a combination of several different influences from several different people and circumstances.

My first step was really back in college when some friends of mine invited me to come to Weight Watchers with them. At that time I was at my highest weight of 183 and was able to lose almost 30 lbs. That was about 6 months before I got pregnant with Cooper. From that point on, my body was nothing more than a baby making machine and with each child we added, I was put lower and lower on my own priority list. It wasn't long before I was just about right back where I started.

About two years ago, not long after I had Carter, a few of my playgroup friends and I joined Weight Watchers again. I had such great success the first time, I knew that I could do it again. I started at 181 this time around and lost about 20 lbs. Not long after that, my friend Kristin and I joined 24 hr. fitness. She and I would meet at 5:45 as many mornings as we could and work out together. I have to say that this was the biggest turning point in my reaching my weight loss goals. I always thought of exercise as something I would do once I got most of my weight off. I assumed that I would hate it, and that it wouldn't really produce any results. Ultimately, I think I was afraid that I wouldn't lose the pounds that I was looking for. And to be honest, I was right, but what I was wrong about was how much better it made me feel and that I didn't hate it. I didn't LOVE it, but I didn't hate it. The pounds didn't come off right away, but my body was different and the inches came off slowly but surely.

Most of all I owe my success to my husband, my motivator, my encourager, my friend. He has loved me at my biggest and everything in between. He started running in a few 5K's and finally convinced me to do the Cowtown back in 2007. I walked the whole way with a friend, but enjoyed the atmosphere and realized that being healthy might actually be fun! We've done a handful of 5K's since then and I've realized that running makes the weight come off much faster, and I'm all about that! My competitive nature has taken over and I'm always trying to beat my time and am now considering doing the 10K at the Cowtown this year. My last 5K was the "Jiggle But Run" at River Legacy Park. The best part was that I did it with my playgroup moms. We've all been working on getting our bodies back in shape and I was so glad that we all did this together. It was so fun and I had my best run yet at 34.14. I'm so glad I have my girls to keep me motivated too! Here are some pictures from that run...

Here we are before the race...looking nice and energized!

And I'm off!

"Go Mommy!"

Here we are after the race...still look pretty good I'd say!

My initial goal weight was 140 and I felt like I would never get there, but after a year of hard work I've finally gotten there and even surpassed it by almost 5 pounds!! I haven't weighed in the 130's since junior high, and I'm sure I'm taller now then I was then...so I look even better now. I sometimes don't recognize myself in pictures or even in the mirror. This is the first time in my life that I am comfortable in my body, and most of all I am hopeful that I can erase some of the health problems that have been so common in my family. Like heart disease, diabetes, etc.

So, I had to add some before and after pictures...

The first one is from spring of 07' at a marriage conf. that our Sunday school class went to. This was about 6 months after I'd had Carter...yet I still look pregnant! That was not what I saw when I looked in the mirror. I didn't realize I'd gotten so overweight!

The other pictures is the same picture from the anniversary post, but side by side you can really see the difference in both of us! Day has lost nearly 45 pounds alongside me! I'm so proud of us!

Nine years and counting...

2009-01-08T13:31:00.006-06:00

It seems crazy to think that Day and I have been together almost a decade! Wow, that makes it sound REALLY long! The truth is, it has seemed like minutes! As I look back on our wedding day, I can still recall the overwhelming sense of peace that overcame me throughout the whole day. I had no doubt that God had brought us together and that His hand would remain on our marriage so long as we put Him first. Don't get me wrong, this has been a journey of hard work and unwavering commitment to making our marriage the best it can be. There have been days that we've both wondered who this person was that we're sharing a roof with, but mostly we have an absolute blast together.

Honey, as we celebrate our marriage today, I want to thank you for making me a better wife, mother and woman! Thank you for always making sure that my every need is met, for never letting things go un-done at home, for being an amazing father to our boys, for making me feel like the only woman on the face of the earth. Not only that, but making me feel like I make all your dreams come true as well. You are my best friend, my rock when my world feels wobbly, my source of laughter and strength. I love you more each day and can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the years ahead!

Love ya honey!

Here's a look at us on our wedding day (I couldn't find one of just us close up, but you can click on it to make it bigger) and from this weekend when he took me to see Celine! We had a wonderful evening away and it meant so much to me that he'd worked so hard to plan this special surprise. Next year....Hawaii here we come!

The Trains at North Park

2009-01-02T16:49:00.004-06:00

On Friday we took the boys along with Mimi and our good friends the Smith's (Zack, Julia & Mac) to see the Trains at North Park Mall. I knew that Conner would love it since he's always loved all kinds of trains, but I was truly surprised at how much Cooper and Carter enjoyed it. It's not that big of a place, but it still took us about 20-25 mins to walk through, since they were taking time to look at every last thing in each little 'town'. There was Mt. Rushmore, Downtown Dallas, a snow village, and Indian village, the White House, a circus and carnival and I'm sure others that I forgot. Oh...Thomas and Percy the trains. I would recommend it to anyone who's looking for a holiday tradition to do with their family! There are also other things to do in the mall, like a Scrooge show and a puppet show, but since we went after Christmas, those were not opened any more. We'll just have to be sure and go before Christmas next year. Here are some pictures of their faces as they enjoyed the trains.

"WOW!"

Our first trip to Mt. Rushmore

"CHOO CHOO's!"

Conner was in train heaven!

Carter spotted some candy!

He also spotted a familiar face...Thomas the Train!

Mimi and Conner in NYC!

Mommy and Cooper in NYC!

A group shot!

Our Trip to the Dallas Science Place Museum

2008-12-31T20:11:00.002-06:00

Today we went to the Dallas Museum on Natural Science or The Science Place with a friend of mine that I use to teach with and her boys, along with a friend of hers and her kids. I had never been to this museum but heard it was really great, and it really was. There were lots of hands on stuff for the kids to do and the whole bottom floor is for younger kids and they had a blast! I highly recommend it to anyone with kids of any age. You get a pretty good idea of the vastness from our pictures. I used a slide show since there were so many great pictures to share.

My Lego man...

2008-12-29T14:09:00.003-06:00

I gave my aunt and uncle the suggestion of getting Cooper some Lego's for Christmas in hopes that this would be something he would be good at, and would be challenging for him. I asked them to get the 'kit' type one's that have step by step instructions on how to build it. I wasn't sure if he was old enough for them, but when we had some quiet time while his brothers were asleep...I got it out for us to work on together. I had to try not to tell him what to do, and just let him look at the instructions and do it on his own. He did GREAT! There were several times that I had to correct one of the steps he had missed, but on the majority, he followed the instructions just right, and when I had to step away for a few minutes, I came back and he was done!

I always sort of knew that Lego's would inevitably be part of my future, but it use to seem so far into the future. Seems like a weird milestone, I know, but this is just another step for Cooper being a bigger boy. I know I shouldn't be so surprised at how well he did. He tends to catch onto things pretty quickly, and this was no exception.

I guess this means that I'll be stepping on these little suckers for many years to come...Yippe!

The goal...

One piece at a time...

Working very meticulously...

So far...so good!

The finished product! So proud of himself!

Diaz Family Christmas...

2008-12-26T19:59:00.001-06:00

We spent the first part of our day with Day's family. It was great to see everyone and catch up. Here are some pictures of the whole gang.

A serious pose...

A silly pose!

Let me back up....again:)

2008-12-26T19:38:00.001-06:00

I forgot to post about our annual playgroup Christmas Party. As most of you remeber from previous playgroup posts...we've grown exponentially, but still manage to have fun! The kids had a book exchange and the mommies did a gift exchange for the first time. This was just another reminder of how blessed we are to have each other and our kids happen to have fun too:)

Playing 'musical books'...didn't go quite as planned, but everyone ended up with a book they could enjoy.

Ben and mom checking out the new book.

Luke and Ethan working on a "Look and Find".

This was the best shot I was able to get. Not everyone is looking, nor super happy about having their picture taken...(Conner, Chance, Jackson)but you get the idea.

Conner and Mabrie getting in their hugs goodbye.
God love'em!

Christmas has arrived!

2008-12-25T22:00:00.007-06:00

I love this face! That's what it's all about! Pure joy!

Conner stood in awe!

Cooper jumped for joy!

Carter checking out the hockey set that Santa left.

He didn't care about anything else. We had to force him to

sit down and look at the goodies in his stocking.

Conner getting a good look at his loot!

Getting a good game of hockey going!

Cooper knew he loved this, but had no idea what

it was...too funy!

My look of total shock when I realized that Day

had gotten me tickets to see Celine Dion on the 5th

of January. This was a anniversary/christmas

combo gift, and I was totally surprised! He bought

the tickets back in Feb. when they went on sale. He's

pretty good at keeping a secret, I'd say! He had even more

surprises up his sleeve, but I'll save that for a later post.

This was the scene after all the fun was said and done.

We had a great morning and we are blessed beyond

measure to be able to give our kids a Christmas that

is so full of joy!

Christmas Cookies w/ Mimi and Pawpaw

2008-12-24T16:53:00.003-06:00

Last year we made cookies for Santa in Alabama, so we continued the tradition this year at my parents house. Carter didn't quite get it, but enjoyed eating all the icing off his cookie. It was lots of fun and the older boys did a great job! This will be another tradition we hope to continue for many years to come.

Carter's ready to roll! -------- Everyone hard at work.

Happy bakers! ------- Carter, where's your dough?

Showing off their handiwork!

All done baking...now time for the decorating!

Carter doing his best ------ Then sharing some with Pawpaw

A little sprinkle here, a little blop there...

Taaaa Daaaaa! Aren't they beautiful! Santa will be very impressed!

On Christmas Eve they get to open one gift which is always matching pj's. Here they are putting out their yummy cookies for Santa. Couldn't you just eat them up?

Gingerbread House Tradition...Year 2

2008-12-24T15:21:00.002-06:00

This was our second year to build and decorate a gingerbread house. Granted, it all came in a kit..pre-made and all I really had to do was add water to the icing mixture. But around here, the less work the better! Last year Carter wasn't old enough to help, but boy did he 'help' this year! We finally had to strap him into his booster seat to help avoid any 'mass destruction's'. He was very anxious to help, but very wild in his attempts to put candy on and was mostly in charge of putting the gum drops on the bottom of the house. Cooper and Conner did a great job at following my directions and have not stopped asking when we can eat it. I have a feeling it will be more fun with each passing year.

Getting the roof all iced up...and no Carter isn't wearing any pants, but at least a diaper.

Carter getting a little angry at being seat belted away from the action.

Now doing a great job at placing the candy on the roof.

Carefully and methodically placing the colored balls

on the swoopy pattern mommy put on the roof.

They really did have a blast and it turned out great.

The finished product!

Chirstmas Preschool Program

2008-12-23T16:47:00.003-06:00

Day and I had discussed if we should actually attend the program due to our fear that Carter would be that kid that was running all over the stage/auditorium, but he shocked us all by singing all the songs and doing all the motions. He even did better than Conner who just stood there like a statue during most of the program. Even still, they were both adorable and I was bursting with pride!

Can you spot my cutie pies?

Conner singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.

Carter ringing his bells.

Carter knew all the motions!

What a precious little angel!

Let me back up!

2008-12-21T21:21:00.001-06:00

In my rush to update my blog, I forgot about some Thanksgiving picutes I had. Cooper and all his kidergarten friends put on a very cute Thanksgiving program. He had been teaching me a new song every night and he did a great job! Our camera started acting up around this time, but thankfully another mom got a great picture of Cooper.

Cooper's good friend Caden

(They joke that they are twins...they do look a lot alike.)

More pics from the Gaylord...

2008-12-21T17:06:00.004-06:00

I wanted to add a few pictures from our trip to the Gaylord. My mom had her camera, so I've had to wait until I could get them from her. I just have to show off my cutie pies.

I'm still alive...

2008-12-13T21:10:00.009-06:00

I know that I have such a huge following, and you've all been worried sick wondering where I've been. The truth is there's several reasons, the least of which is that our camera's been in and out and back in the shop. We finally got it back today, so I promise to get back on track asap! Until then, I will have to update you with little to no pictures.

The highlight of my week had to be when my mom and I went to visit my grandfather in the hospital. Here is the short(ish) version that I sent in an email, I think it sums it up best...

First I wanted to thank all of you who have lifted my grandfather up in prayer the last few weeks. I wanted to also update you on his condition and some of the answers to those prayers as well as some new ways you can pray. Here is a quick re-cap of his condition:

After falling and breaking his hip, he had to have surgery on it. While recovering from that, the Dr.’s realized that he was having issues with his bowels (which he’s been dealing with for months if not years) so they ordered a colonoscopy. It was through this procedure that they discovered that he had colon cancer. They then decided to do another surgery to remove the tumor and run further tests on it to see the type and severity of the cancer. We are still waiting on the pathology reports from those tests. That was almost two weeks ago. He was recovering well enough for them to send him to Health South late last week for rehab care. It wasn’t long after that he began having trouble breathing and they discovered on Tuesday that he now has pneumonia. They were very concerned for him and were afraid he wouldn’t make it long.

My mom and I went to visit him today and bring him some pictures that the boys had painted to cheer him up. My mom has been burdened with our lack of assurance regarding his salvation and asked me to pray before we went into the hospital. I prayed that he would be alert and able to communicate with us with a clear mind. I prayed that he would be receptive to what we had to say and that his heart would be ready to receive Christ. He was raised catholic but never really even a half-hearted committed Catholic, had a very difficult childhood and spent much of it in an orphanage, and has been very hard and closed minded about our evangelical faith. My mom has tried on several other occasions to share the gospel with him, but his response has been anywhere from a blunt ‘I don’t want your Jesus’, to ‘That’s nice for you, hun.’ But, lately we’ve all seen a little softer side of him as he seems to be realizing his mortality.

My mom began talking to him, and presenting the gospel in a pretty straight forward way. She was trained with the “Roman’s Road” evangelism many years ago, and was doing a good job, but I was afraid some of the terminology was lost on him. After letting her talk for a few minutes I walked over and asked him what he thought about what she was saying. He answered by saying, ‘Well, I think I have a lot of changing to do.’ To which I said “Why do you think that? Do you feel like you’re not good enough for the grace that she’s talking about?” ‘Well, no..I guess not.’ he said. I went on to explain to him that it didn’t matter what he’s done in his life, that there’s no difference between him and a five year old coming to Christ. A five year old hasn’t done much in the way of sins, at least not compared to someone who’s been around 80 years or more, but God comes to you and forgives you the same way he would that five year old child. He loves and accepts you just the way you are. All you have to do is ask for his forgiveness and He will do it. I asked him what he thought about what we were saying and he said something like, ‘Well, that’s good.’ And my mom asked if he would want to pray right now and he said, ‘Okay’….I was in SHOCK! My mom lead him through the prayer, and we were able to lead him to Christ, right then and there! It still seems a little sir-real to me, mainly because I never thought he would be that receptive, that willing to listen, let alone actually pray the prayer!

It’s like I told my mom…even if he doesn’t have full comprehension of what that commitment means, I believe that he heard, understood and received God’s grace and forgiveness. This was also the first family member that I’ve had the privilege of being a part of their salvation process. It’s not something you can put into words.

I know this has been long-winded, but I hated to just say he received Christ and leave it at that. Please continue to pray for him as he thinks on what his decision really means and future conversations we hope to have with him.

I'm still in shock when thinking back on this whole scene. I am thankful beyond words that I was able to be a part of something so amazing. I'm sort of ashamed to admit that this is truthfully my first time to really "witness" to someone and then have them make a decision right then and there. You see, I've always thought of myself as the "live by example", "witness to everyone, and if necessary use words" kind of Christian. But when it comes right down to it, I'm terrified of literally presenting the gospel to people. Even in this case, after I'd said all I could say, I tried to let him off easy and was like..."Well, you just think about it, and talk to God about it and he'll tell you what you should do next." or something to that effect. But my mom was like..."Would you like to pray right now?" Oh, if I could have a tenth of her boldness! Now he has an eternity that he might not have had if left with my-don't feel pressured, take as much time as you need, don't want to push him too hard-approach. The craziest thing about it was, it all came so naturally, flowed right out of my mouth and the things I was saying made perfect sense. Looking back on it, I realized how present and real the Holy Spirit was! Giving me confidence, clarity of mind and a way of explaining exactly what he needed to hear. I give myself none of the credit. All I know is...now that same spirit is alive and active in my grandfather's heart and life and nothing is ever going to change that! Praise the Lord!

My prayer is that not only did the Lord plan this divine appointment for my grandfather's eternity, but that it was also to create in me a new found confidence and willingness to share my faith with others.

UPDATE: As I was working on this post I got an IM from my mom. She said that my dad was at Kindred (the new long term care hospital he was moved to) and was able to see the doctor. He told my dad that his pneumonia was improving rapidly and that he should be able to go home in two weeks to a month. This was shocking on several levels for my dad. First because we were told that it would be unlikely, due to his aggressive form of cancer that he would ever be able to live on his own again, that he would need constant care up until the end of his live. Because of this fact, my dad and uncle had just moved all my grandpa's belongings from his apartment at the assisted living place, back into his house that they were in the process of cleaning out in hopes of selling it soon. So now they will be moving him back into his apartment...he was super thrilled about that prospect.

Now for the most shocking and amazing part...After hearing this news, my dad asked when we were going to be getting the pathology report(s) from the oncologist? "You won't" he said. "What do you mean, why not?" my dad asked. "Because there is no cancer. The oncologist has been taken off of his case." WOW! Our God is AWESOME! From what I understand, the tumor and the cancer were self-contained and after numerous tests, there is not cancer in his lymph nodes nor anywhere else in his body! Crazy huh!

When my mom saw him a few days later, she asked him what he thought about all this good news. He said, "Must have been all those prayers and Jesus." I'd say that would be a great increaser of my faith, only days after putting my trust in him! Thank you Lord and thanks to all of you for your continued prayers for him.

Even though that is a tough act to follow, here are a few highlights from the past several weeks, and a taste of what's to come;

Day worked with Cooper on learning to ride his bike w/o training wheels. He did pretty well so long as he didn't have to turn or slow down;)

Off to a good start!

Look at him go!

Needing a little pep-talk!

Practice makes perfect...

Finally I wanted to share our picture with Santa. We have a tradition of going to the Gaylord hotel to visit Santa and take in all the beautiful sights, lights and trains. I believe this was our fourth year to go. I thought you'd enjoy comparing this years to the one we took two years ago. We all look pretty different, I'd say! We didn't get to see Santa last year because he had already gone home for the day.

2006

2008

Trick or Treat

2008-11-09T14:12:00.001-06:00

Halloween was very tricky this year. Somehow we've gotten away from the traditional trick or treating and it has become something very different all together. We didn't really start "doing" Halloween until we had kids, but even then it's always been at a church 'carnival' or something similar, never the door to door knocking, etc. I know that most of that got lost in fear over tainted candy or child predators, but it seems now that it's a little safer than it once was.

Well, now our church has stopped having their annual carnival and challenged their members to get out in their community and meet their neighbors and invite them to our church using special made candy boxes. Our Sunday school class has taken it a step further and for the past two years, we've organized our own little mini-carnival at a couples house that's in our class. We have a bounce house, carnival games, candy (of course) and this year we had cookie decorating and a photo-opp set up for people to get a cute picture taken in their costumes. We handed out nearly 200 boxes and met lots of new people, and took those opportunities to invite them to our church. This was great and a good opportunity to share Christ with others, and yet I feel like the kids are missing out on the novelty and tradition of Trick or Treating...but I also think it's important to teach them to serve and care about others. So my delima is, what I will do next year...we'll just have to see.

We also try and visit my grandma and grandpa who both live at an assisted living center and cheer up all the old people. This was also tricky this year and we didn't actually make it over there until Sunday night. (Two days after Halloween...oh well, most of the people who live there don't even know what day it is, so they were thrilled to see them in their costumes.)

So, maybe next year we will just pass the candy boxes out door to door as we go trick or treating? We'll just have to wait and see. Until then, here are some pictures of Sir Cooper the knight, Super Why (Conner) and Carter my sweet little candy corn (this was Trinity's costume that Tracy made for her a few years ago.)

Super Why to the rescue!

Don't you just want to eat him up!

My Knight in shining armor!

Too cute to spook!

Conner and G.G's dog Kiki

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

2008-11-05T14:39:00.005-06:00

I had to make a special trip to the pumpkin patch this year so that Cooper could be in the pictures. I had matching outfits and everything:) Anyway... I think we moms should get paid extra for attempting to capture adorable pictures of our kids. I stole an idea from my friend Carrie's blog where she cofessed to using smarties...one at a time...to attempt to bribe a smile out of her little one. So with a butt-load of smarties in tow, off we went to the pumpkin patch.

Carter will forever be my difficult child, and this was NO exception. I must have picked him up and set him back down at least 30 times, and his blood sugar levels were most likely off the charts by the time we left, but by golly we got some cute pictures.

My favorite part was listening to the other moms nearby, using any tactick they could think of, talking in octives that only seeing eye dogs can hear, trying everything short of standing on their heads to get their kids to smile. We just looked at each other with armloads of sympathy, and yet an expression of "Why the h#%* do we do this to ourselves" looks on our faces.

Oh well, I did get some pretty cute pics, dispite the yelling, threating, making a complete moron out of myself, my kids are actually pretty stinkin' cute!

Field Trip To Green Meadows Farm

2008-11-03T20:14:00.004-06:00

Cooper had his first official field trip last week, and Day and I both were able to go with him. He was so excited that we were going with him, but he was super excited about the fact the he would be riding a REAL school bus!!! AWESOME!!!

Anyway, we spent the day at Green Meadows Farm, which is right off of Joe Pool Lake. It is a really nice facility, that is basically just a huge petting zoo of farm animals...oh, and one random zebra. Each type of animal had it's own pin that you could go inside of and chase, pet and feed them. There were chickens, ducks, goats, pigs, horses, baby ducks, baby pigs, baby cows...and a zebra. Needless to say, we used gallons of hand sanitizer, and yet were filthy from head to toe.

Mostly I enjoyed watching Cooper interact with some of the friends I've heard him talk about. I also got to know some of the other moms a little better. The weather was beautiful and we all had a great time. Cooper's favorite part was getting to milk the cow. He wasn't to sure at first, but he was brave and thought it was really cool.

I couldn't help but using another slide show, just because there were so many pictures...hope you don't mind.

Fall Fun at the Dallas Arboretum

2008-10-29T14:45:00.002-05:00

On Monday we took a trip to the Dallas Arboretum. This was our third year to visit during their pumpkin festival on Mommy and Me day. They had a small petting zoo, face painting, carnival games, and endless beautiful landscape! It was a little chilly at first, but it warmed up to be a beautiful day! I had so many pictures that I had to use a slide show. It was a little sad to do all of this fun stuff without Cooper for the first time, but I also enjoyed having some more focused time with the other boys. When Cooper got home from school and saw the pictures, he actually started crying, saying.."I wanted to go there tooooooooo!" He was very upset that we went without him, but I reminded him that he had a field trip coming up on Wednesday that we would be going with him on. (Post of that soon to follow.)

So, enjoy the great pictures I got of my beautiful boys!

My sweet little angel, Conner!

2008-10-27T15:53:00.002-05:00

I had to share about a conversation that Conner and I had yesterday.

A friend of mine, Jessica, is nearing the end of her battle with cancer. I keep up with her and pray for her through her blog. Yesterday I was reading some letters that some family and friends had written to her three young daughters, and was crying. Conner noticed me crying and this is how the conversation went from there...

C: Mommy, why are you frying?

M: One of mommies friends is very sick and she's about to be with Jesus in heaven.

C: Is she going to die?

M: Yes, baby. (And I held him up to the computer to show him her picture with her daughters.)

See..I said, this is my friend and these are her little girls.

C: So, there not going to have a mommy anymore? (Sounding very sad and concerned.)

M: (Fighting back even more tears) That's right baby, isn't that very sad. We need to pray for them so they wont be too sad. Wouldn't you be sad if mommy wasn't here anymore?

C: No. (Very matter of fact, and without a second thought, he says...) I would ask God to give me wings and I would fly up and get you and bring you back home.

M:(Not speaking at all, just admiring this precious gift from God, thanking Him that I'm not leaving, at least not today, and squeezing his little heart out!) (More tears...)

As I've been sitting on the far sidelines of Jessica's battle (she and I are not close friends, more like acquaintance), I am heartbroken over the thought of leaving my family behind. I know that God is equipping them with every strength they need to make it through the next breath, and yet I am devastated at the thought of myself being in her shoes. I could ask the questions, like why her, she's an amazing woman of God. Why those precious girls, they need their mother. Why will her husband have to carry on without her, that's just terrible. I could ask many more questions, but my answer would be the same, even if it were me instead of her. Our God is awesome and powerful and mighty and paints on a canvas so much bigger than the small picture we see. I trust beyond any form of understanding I could muster that He is doing His best in Jessica's life. That no God of mine would bring about such hurt, heartache and pain without having a much bigger, more glorifying plan in mind.

Oh, Conner, how I know that Jessica's girls wish it were that easy, to just put on some wings, fly up to heaven and bring their mommy back home! I love that you would think to come up to heaven for me! I love your honesty and simple way of seeing the world. You made mommy feel like no one could be more loved on this earth! And yet...I feel like I couldn't love anyone more.

Please lift up the Kaylor family today and take some time also to squeeze the ones you love most!

Playgroup Halloween Party...

2008-10-22T17:29:00.006-05:00

Several of my other playgroup friends posted this picture, so I had to follow suit!

btw...mine are the two cuties front and center:) That's C3 & C2, from left to right ;)

Here they are...all 16 of them (actually, you'll notice that there are only 14 in the picture, but we are missing baby Christian and baby Claire who were too little to join the chaotic scene:) Our Halloween party was very crazy this year. We try and maintain traditions like having parties at each others houses, but after this one...we may have to rethink our 'traditions'.

For some reason there was lots of screaming (not crying...just random acts of screaming), loud playing of various instruments (ie...guitars, harmonicas, etc.), fighting over pretty much anything we felt like yanking out of someone else's hand, strawberry stains on the stairs (thanks to my sweet Carter, using the strawberry to help him crawl his way up the stairs), and the not so gentle roar from them just having to get louder to hear each other over all the insanity! It was a day to remember, that's for sure.

We sat around and joked about the 'good ole' days' remembering when we'd just lay them on the floor, let them roll around and the only worry we had was them drooling or puking on the carpet or on someone else's toy. Back then, there were only 5 or 6 kids each week. Now that we've all added to the digits of our family, it's no longer the playgroup of ole'. I personally love the chaos, it didn't seem to bother me this week at least. Maybe it's because I now realize how fast the days go by, and come next fall we will lose 3 more of our friends to Kindergarten. This will be the largest our playgroup will ever get...pending anymore surprise baby's in the next year:) (better not be me!!!)

Yes, it was loud.

Yes, it was crazy.

Yes, our husbands would have checked out after 2 minutes.

No WAY would I trade it for anything!

Just in case you were wondering how many moms go with this brood of babies...there were seven of us. That's a pretty good ratio, I'd say!

UPDATE: Actually there are 8 moms...I somehow forgot to count myself. That makes for two kids each. Actually, I have the most with three, but Cooper is no longer a playgroup friend, so I'm left with two...still a weird feeling, I might add.

WW-Coming or Going...

2008-10-22T09:03:00.004-05:00

On Monday I had to get a picture of this hilarious scene! Conner had put his shirt on backwards and then headed outside to play with Carter. They were both wearing the same shirt, and while I was watching them play I started cracking up thinking how Conner looked like either his head was on backwards or he was running backwards. So I had them stand next to each other, and it was too funny to see them side by side. Who's coming & who's going???

Check out more Wordless Wendesday at 5 Minutes for Mom

or Wordfull Wendesday at SevenClownCircus

Carter Turns Two!

2008-10-21T16:54:00.006-05:00

Well, it's official...no more babies at our house! Now he's not only sleeping in a big boy bed, he's a two year old! Although, he is still wearing diapers, I guess that still makes him a baby, but that is the last milestone we have to cross to be a true "big boy"!

We celebrated his birthday on Saturday, where we had a fall carnival themed party at our church. Complete with pumpking painting, face painting, a bounce house and a few other carnival games. The kids seemed to have a great time, and it was pretty layed back and stress free! My kind of party!

Here are some pictures from the day!

Musical Beds...

2008-09-30T18:50:00.004-05:00

Well, we had several milestones come about this past week. All revolving around beds.

Some wonderful friends of ours (Jeremy & Kristin) are expecting their first baby (Miss Sydney) in early November and I had always hoped that I would find a loving home for my beautiful crib and changing table...so I was thrilled when they announced they were pregnant and the due date matched up perfectly with Carter needing to exit the crib.

Anyway...they came over last week and we played musical beds in our house. The crib was taken apart and the pieces moved into the Hemphill's car, then the bunk beds were taken apart and moved into Carter's room. Then the mattresses that the Hemphill's were giving to us, were put into Cooper's room. Yep, he gets to have his own room! He was very excited! At first I worried that he would miss sharing a room with Conner and protest, but he never said a word about it. Now this also means that Conner has graduated to the top "bunt", which he also thinks is super cool! And that leaves Carter who has graduated from the crib to his big boy bed on the bottom "bunt".

It is really no surprise that Mom and Dad were the ones who had the hardest time with all this "graduating". Ultimately it means that we no longer have any babies in our house. This was a harder pill to swallow than I expected! Carter is no longer a needy, helpless infant, nor is he even a wobbly little toddler, he's somehow creeped into little boyhood without me even realizing it. He has actually done surprisingly well with no bars to contain him in his bed. He's really only gotten up once each night, then with the threat of a spankin', decided that staying in bed was the safer choice!

Although, last night we had a pretty hilarious exchange. Back when we first put Conner in the bunk bed with Cooper, Cooper would sit up above, convincing Conner to perform all kinds of illegal acts, like getting toys and throwing them up to him, or telling him that it was perfectly fine for him to be out of bed reading books...knowing full well that this would guarantee him a spankin. Oh the joy of being the big brother.

Well, last night Cooper passed the torch to Conner, who was up on his new found thrown, convincing Carter to cook him a three course meal in the "kitchen". Carter doesn't realize that using a metal spoon to stir up "food" in a metal pot is not the sneakiest of methods. Day stood outside the door only to hear Conner telling Carter to "Go get that!" And Carter replied with a confused "huh?", only to be officially busted in every sense of the word!

So we'll see how tonight goes, until then here are the pictures of everyone in their new beds. I also included a few of Carter in his crib for the last time:(

Carter's last night in his crib.

The last morning to wake up in his crib.

He does look very grown up to be in a crib, much to my dismay!

All tucked in for his first night in the big boy bed!

Conner making his way up to his top "bunt".

"Mr. Top Bunt"

Cooper's face says it all! He's in hog heaven!

The many faces of Carter...

2008-09-18T22:12:00.005-05:00

Carter has always been full of expressions! Even from very little, he's made some of the most hilarious faces and now that he's old enough to understand, and make them on command, I got them on camera. Just had to share. Unfortunately, this 'photo shoot' took place while eating, so I hope you don't mind "see food." :)

"Surprised Face"

"YIPEEEEE! Face"

"Luscious Lips Face"

"Pouty Face"

"You can't say "No" to this face, face"

"My just plain happy face!"

Jr. Jag of the Day!

2008-09-12T08:46:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday, Cooper was the Jr. Jag of the Day! He was so excited on Tuesday, he already knew he was next and could hardly wait for Wednesday to get here. They are going in alphabetical order through each child in his class, to have their chance to be Jr. Jag of the Day. They get to wear a crown, and they spend a good bit of time talking and learning about that child. They count how many letters are in their name, how many vowels, consonants, syllables, and word wall words you can make from the letters in their name. Then they let the child tell something about themselves and they write a short (very short) story about that child and illustrate it. Then each child writes that same sentence on a story tablet and illustrate it themselves. These all come home with the Jag of the day in a little book. He was very proud of himself and came home all smiles. Here is a picture of him with his crown and the "story" they wrote with all the things they learned about Cooper and his name.

I thought this would also be a good time to update you on how he's been doing with kindergarten... Each day has most definitely gotten better and better. Mostly his struggle is in the mornings, being woken up, pushed to get ready faster, etc. He's very used to moving at his own pace and does not appreciate being pushed to move faster. I've started out with the strict rule that he cannot watch TV or play the computer until he's TOTALLY ready for school...that means; eat, dressed, teeth brushed, shoes on, and hair combed. It didn't take long for him to realize that the faster he got ready, the more time he'd have to watch a show or play a quick game on the computer. This has helped immensely! Now he's waking up on his own, and yesterday he told Day..."I'm not going to waste any time today, so I can play the computer." I guess a little motivation goes a long way!

They are having a book fair this week and last night at dinner I told Cooper we'd go early and let him pick out some books. I got home from the gym at about 7:25 and Day said he'd been up since 6:30 and dressed since 7, waiting for me to take him to the book fair. So, like I said, it's getting better. He always has a smile when I pick him up, and tells me several things he did each day...I make him tell me at least 3...otherwise it would sound like this...

Me-How was your day?

C1-Good.

Me-What did you do today?

C1-Nothin'

Not surprising, I know, but now he has to tell us three things at dinner so that we have some idea of what happens in his life:)

Here are a few Cooper funnies that he's come home with that I know you'll like...

C-"I got my name tag pulled today"

Mom- "What does that mean?"

C-"It means I was talking during silence at lunch, and they pulled my name tag."

Mom- "What happens then?"

C-"You have to sit out for five minutes at recess, but five minutes goes by REALLY FAST!"

(Good to see he was so affected by his punishment!)

Many of you know that Cooper has a tendency to be a little girl crazy. He has a girlfriend in every class he's in...one in his Sunday school class, and apparently, one in every kindergarten class. He informed me the other day that he had 5 girlfriends at school. I tried to calmly explain that one girlfriend at a time is more than enough to handle. "No, I want to have as many girlfriends as I want!" Then I asked him how many husbands I had. "One." he said, sounding very dejected and annoyed all at the same time. Later, Day asked him if he had made any new friends. He told Day that he has a friend named Riley, that she's really nice and he wants her to be his girlfriend. Then he said, "Yeah, I follow Riley around all day, and she doesn't even know it!" He said this with a sneaky grin on his face, like he was so proud of himself. He cracks me up!

That's all I can remember right now, but I'm sure he'll provide me with new material soon!

More firsts...

2008-09-10T10:07:00.006-05:00

This past week marked a few more firsts for our family. Carter got to go to school for the first time on Tuesday. He was very excited, despite the fact that he had no idea what was going on. He got to school and all he wanted to do was play in the water fountain. His teacher Ms. Dede said, "Looks like we might have to bust out the baby gate." All I said was..."You were warned!" Day and I have been telling them since before we left for the summer last year that when Carter showed up, they would either kick us out or raise our rates. But thankfully he did fantastic and even took a nap. I was shocked, since he's never slept anywhere but his bed or the pack and play. And the thought of keeping him contained on a rectangle mat for two hours sounded like a nightmare...but he does great for other people I guess. I was very relieved to hear he had a great day, and he's done great ever since. Yesterday they told me that he just keeps trying to go into Conner's class and wave and say "Hi, bubba!" If that's the worst of it, then we're in pretty good shape!

Conner also started school in the big boy three year old class. He went right in, no problem and had a great day. It's so fun to watch him saying hi to his friends from last year, and interacting with others. He's most defiantly growing up.

Sending them to school feels very different than sending Cooper. I think mostly because I know the people that are loving on them, and that they are in a Christian environment that I can trust. I can't say that at all about Cooper's school, but I can say that the same God that takes care of Conner and Carter is taking care of Cooper and guarding his heart and mind, while I'm not there to do so. (That's what I've been specifically asking Him to do lately.)

Here they are, ready for a great day at school!

Tuesday was also a first for me...my first day without ANY children in FIVE YEARS!!! Now, there have been plenty of days that I've had to myself, thanks to my mom, Day or various friends watching them for me, but this is somehow different. I don't have any guilt about inconveniencing my mom, or anyone else, since I'm paying for the younger two to learn, play, and have so much fun, and Cooper is in good hands too. My mom asked it it felt weird, and I said; "No, it feels WONDERFUL!" I spent the day working in our flower beds, getting all the weeds out, putting newspaper down to keep any more weeds from growing and planting some edging plants. I think our yard looks the best it has in a LONG TIME! I've for some reason decided to work really hard at keeping it looking nice and Day has done a great job at keeping the yard looking nice and the shrubs cut back. I even took a picture, since it may never look like this again!

On Thursdays I am leading a small group for a Beth Moore Bible study at our church, but I'll have noon until 2:30 to run errands or whatever else I need to get done. It will be so nice to get in and out of the car...all by myself, walk into the store and not fight anyone about how, where, or if they're going to sit in the cart, look at WHATEVER I want to and never have to visit the toy dept. or the fishies. It's amazing how much more I can get done.

Again, it is bittersweet, because I know it's just one step closer to me having all day, every day to myself, and that is an adjustment I'm not ready to make. I love having my boys at home during the day, to read books, play games, eat at Chick-fil-a, go to the zoo, the mall, the park. I am learning to cherish each moment as though it's the last one.

On that note...I'm going to get off the computer and get on with lovin' on my boys!

Cooper's Big Day!

2008-08-25T20:05:00.011-05:00

Yes, it happened today, no matter what I tried to do to stop it. Cooper had his first day at Kindergarten. He started to morning off feeling very anxious and acting out by saying, "I'm not wearing ANY shoes!" He drug his feet and scrunched up his face until we finally had to push him out the door. He insisted on riding his bike, so we went along. Anything to distract him from his worries. It seemed that each rotation of the tires released a little more of his stress, because by the time we made it to school he had a smile on his face. He was quiet when we got into his classroom, but seemed to fall right into place. We found his seat, his locker and his nametag and he was ready to start his day.

It was beyond words, all the emotions I've had today. Fear, Sadness, but mostly I just realized how much I'm going to miss him! To all you moms who are sitting at home with babies who are throwing up, pooping, screaming all over you and you think you'd rather be anywhere but there...pick up those babies and squeeze them tight. Put down the phone, shut down the computer, stop folding that laundry and play, play, play with your little ones, right this minute! I just keep wondering...did I read enough, play enough, sing enough, hug enough, encourage enough, laugh enough, do enough? Was my time with him well spent? Have I done a good job? Because if not, I'm out of time.

Then the Lord reminds me that he chose me to be Cooper's mother before I was ever born. He has equipped me with every good thing that he needs, and maybe even the bad stuff too. For whatever I'm lacking or whatever I may have missed, He will do more than I could ever ask or imagine in Cooper's life! I'm so thankful that I have HIM as my safety net, to pick up any slack that I may have left and to fill me each and every day with everything I need to raise and minister to these boys!

Thanks to everyone that was thinking of and praying for us today! It has been a very emotionally draining day, and I'm off to take a LONG bath and go to bed!

I'll leave you with a letter I decided to write to Cooper today...you might need a tissue or box, followed by some pictures from today.

Dear Cooper,

Today is the first day that you start slipping out of my fingers. I’ve held your head up, when you couldn’t hold it up on your own. I’ve held my breath watching you sleep, thinking “I could never possibly love anyone this much!” I’ve held your face in my hands to say countless words of love, discipline and just plain silliness. I’ve held your hand; to cross the street, to calm you down, to attempt to show how much I love you... And now, I have to hold that hand, and place it in the hands of someone else.

No one told me that loving could hurt this much! No one told me that letting go could feel like someone ripped a piece of your heart out and you have no say and no stopping it! No one told me that you would have to dig so deep inside to find the faith to trust God to keep this precious child safe, loved, cared for by someone you’ve only met for five minutes and have no clue who they really are.

As you begin this new and exciting journey in your life, this is my prayer for you;

I pray that each day would bring new and exciting things to your eyes. Things that amaze and entice you to want to learn more!

I pray that God would lead you to lasting and uplifting friendships that will grow your faith and walk with Him!

I pray that your light would shine so brightly, that each person who came in contact with you would notice and seek out the source of that light, and I pray that you would be bold to tell them that Jesus is the light of your life!

I pray that you would find confidence and success as you learn. That you would be a person who preservers when others choose to give up.

I pray that you would never doubt that mommy and daddy are here to support, love and cheer you on as you find the highs and lows of life are not always easy to manage on your own.

Letting you go, means letting you soar! As hard as this day has been for me, I trust that the Lord has spectacular things in store for you! You have so much to offer this world, and I would be selling the world short to keep you home with me until you’re 35. You are insightful, articulate, kind, joyful, intelligent, hilarious, strong willed, a natural leader, you are…my son, and I love you more than any man made device could ever measure or capture or contain.

So you go out there and knock one out of the park for me! I have no doubt that you will make mommy and daddy so proud! You are the joy of my life and I am so proud of you!

My love always,

Mommy

(And yes, you have to call me mommy until your 35!)

No shoes! No Way!

Can you see his excitement!

Still not really feeling it.

Mimi, praying for a great day!

We're finally on our way!

What? Is that a smile???

It's a good thing you can't see my heart!

Cooper and Mrs. Redmond

One last look...and he's off to a great day!

My Last Week With Cooper...

2008-08-22T21:53:00.012-05:00

Just to be saying it is hard enough, but the thought of walking him up to that door and walking away has placed a permanent lump in my throat! I decided this weekend that I would make this week all about him, and spend some quality time doing the things he loves! Having two other boys who need my time has made if very difficult to find the time to spend much one on one time with Cooper, so whenever possible it was just he and I, or us and Conner. Carter is still at the buzz kill stage, so he has to stay with whomever is willing and available to help me out:) (Thanks to Julia, Tracy, Jenn, Mom & Carrie for making this week possible by watching Carter and Conner!)

Okay so now on to our week of fun. I don't have pictures of all of it, but you'll get the idea anyway.

Monday we went to Ridgemar Mall just me and all the boys to play and have lunch, then while Carter slept at Julia's, we went bowling at Alley Cats with Mimi. Mommy won one game and Cooper won the second game. They loved that!

Tuesday Cooper and Mimi had a special date and went to see Space Chimps. He said it was really funny, and of course "we have to get the DVD".

Wednesday was just Cooper and I, so I planned a day at the ballpark. My plan was for us to meet Daddy for lunch at the Rawling's All Amercian Grill inside the ballpark, but apparently it doesn't open until 4 on game days, so we went with plan B and headed to Jason's Deli. After lunch and saying bye to daddy, we headed back to the ballpark to check out the Legends of the Game Museum as well as take a tour of the ballpark. He really loved looking at all the old jerseys and baseball cards and he loved playing the games up in the Learning Center. Then we went on the tour. We got to see the press box, a few of the luxury suites, the tunnel under the ballpark where the locker room is (we didn't get to go in there because it was a home game day, bummer; but I did let Cooper peek through the crack in the door.), the batting cages where they practice and best of all the Dugout. I told him he could sit in the same spot that Michael Young sits. He thought that was really cool! My camera battery died before I could get a picture of us in the dugout, but a nice man on the tour with us from Boston took one of us w/ his camera and said he would email it to me in about a week, so I'll add that later:) After the tour we headed to The Children's Place where he got to pick out a new backpack and lunch box for Kindergarten. Overall, we had a wonderful day together and I hope that he will have memories of it when he's older. Even if he doesn't remember each moment, I know I will and I'll cherish it, along with every other moment I've been blessed to share with him these past five years! (sorry...wiping my sloppy face off, brb.)

Cooper & I in the press box.

Cooper being silly in the City of Arlington Suite

He loved this picture of the fireworks.

Dressing up like "Pudge"

(even though he doesn't know who that is.)

As you can see we had the whole place to ourselves;)

Do you recognize those players?

Cooper took this one, I love it!

He wanted to stay all day and play these games!

The next morning Day took Cooper, Conner and Ethan for a morning of fun at ASI Gymnastics. This gave me some one on one time with Carter, which was really great. He and I went to the park and played until it got too hot, and then headed home for lunch. After lunch I took Carter to Mimi's and headed to pick up the boys and meet Claudia for a trip to the Fort Worth Museum to see an IMAX move, Dinosaurs Alive. The boys had lots of fun playing with the hands on exhibits and Conner LOVED the huge train set they had there. The boys were a little scared during the movie, but overall I think they liked it. I just forget how the movies are more of a documentary and not the kind of movie they're used to. This was a very busy and very fun day. I'm afraid Cooper may be getting a little rotten from all this fun! As soon as we’d finish anything he’d ask, “What is our next fun thing?” They learn fast, I guess!

Peek-a-boo!

Wheeeee!

Carter & Mommy!

What a big boy! He struck this pose on his own.

Creating their paper cup whirly birds.

Watching them fly!

Ethan putting a dinosaur puzzle together.

Conner shopping for groceries!

Three Scary Dinosaurs!

Friday was the day we had Cooper's last playgroup party. You know how much I love our playgroup (if not, click here to read the post about it:) and these guys have been together since before they could walk. The idea of this being Cooper's last one, accept for maybe during school breaks, was really sad to me! Tracy was great and got him a cookie cake that said "Good Luck Cooper". He loved that and it really meant a lot to him, and to me! She also got him a book called "Off to Kindergarten"...so very thoughtful!

All our playgroup friends!

Silly boys!

Cooper and his cookie cake!

And we're "Off to Kindergarten!"

Then on Saturday, Day took the older boys to Hawaiian Falls for an afternoon with daddy. They had lots of fun their too.

I know it was a lot to pack into one week, but I will make this a new tradition for each of the boys to have a week of fun before they start kindergarten. Cooper doesn’t get to be the center of attention very often, nor do any one of the boys I guess, so he has earned his moment in the spotlight! Who knows when I’ll get this chance again! I’m sad to see my little boy growing up, but very proud at the same time to see him becoming an independent young man. He’s my pride and joy!

A wild "HAIR"!

2008-08-17T22:12:00.008-05:00

So I had a "wild hair" tonight as they say, and decided to try and cut the boys hair for the first time. Several of my friends w/ boys (Jennifer G., Carrie M. and Natalie) all cut their boys hair, so it got me to thinkin'...If they can do it, I can do it! I started on Conner first, since Cooper will be starting Kindergaden on Monday, I thought best not to start w/ him. I just used the clippers with a "two" on the bottom and a "three" on the top. I was SHOCKED at how great it turned out. Next came Cooper and Carter. GO ME! I have saved us $30! Day was at a meeting at church so I also did this all by myself! We stripped down in the backyard and then hossed off after we were done! I've started a new trend, that's all I know! Day said I get the $30 for doing myself! Whoo Hoo! Here is a look at my handywork!

That is actually an attempt at a smile on Conner's face!

Destin Vacation...Final Day of Fun!

2008-08-14T19:10:00.014-05:00

We packed as much as we possibly could into our last day in Destin. We had promised the boys they could ride on the Go Carts earlier in the week, so we headed to “The Track”. It turned out they had a buy one ticket get one free special until noon, so we got enough tickets to let the boys ride some of the kiddie rides they had there. Carter surprised us all and got scared on all the rides. He’s usually pretty fearless, but he wasn’t crazy about anything but the carousel, but he would only do it if Day rode w/ him. They older two were able to ride next to us on the go carts, and Cooper got to ride twice, once w/ Cory and once w/ Day. Conner rode w/ me, and was less than thrilled w/ the ride. He had a very tight grip on my arm the whole ride. But once we passed Cory and Cooper and “won” the race, he was thrilled! We had a lot of fun!

Don't we look so cool!

Conner LOVED the Choo Choo!

Carter was excited at first, but you can see...he becomes less and less thrilled with the whole flying thing!

We came back from The Track and headed straight for the pool. We got in as much swimming as possible. You may remember the boys had tried to go for a night swim earlier in the week and a storm came and ruined their plans. So we promised the boys we would swim before we left. After dinner we packed up everything but our swimming suits and headed to the pool around 8:45 and swam until 9:45, packed up the car and left around 11:45. This trip was such a blessing to spend time with Papaw and Jean and to watch the boys experience new things. God has truly blessed us to be able to do these kind of things with our family! We’re already planning next year’s trip!

Carter just "chillin" with some hot girls at the pool.

Carter finally got the nerve to jump on our last day!

Enjoying our last night of swimming!

Conner getting some air!

Carter getting some air!

"CANNON BALL!"

What a fun bunch of fools!

Destin Vacation...Beach Pictures.

2008-08-14T19:10:00.003-05:00

I know I used some of these for my wordless Wednesday, but wanted to show all the ones we took. They didn't turn out as great as I had hoped, but I plan on working some Adobe Photoshop magic on them at some point. They are wonderful memories none the less.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-13T14:35:00.007-05:00

My boys on the beach!

Destin Vacation...fishing with daddy!

2008-08-11T22:21:00.002-05:00

Day and Cory took to boys fishing off a long peir that goes about half a mile out into the ocean. They rented the poles and the bait, but it turns out that the fish just prefer a metal hook. They spent about half an hour using bait ranging from squid to shrimp with not a bite. So, they just threw the hook in and caught 3 fish back to back to back. The boys had a blast and are saying it was their favorite part of the trip!

Destin Vacation...Pictures w/ Papaw & Jean

2008-08-09T07:37:00.000-05:00

Before Papaw and Jean left we surprised him with our matching Cowboys shirts. He is a true Cowboys fan and we knew he would love it! He said he wanted a picture so here they are. My husband couldn't be happier. He just can't wait for football season to start so we can wear our shirts for EVERY GAME! He might even make us wear them to church or maybe even sleep in them the night before, just for good luck!

Destin Vacation...A layed back kinda day!

2008-08-08T16:06:00.003-05:00

We started the morning with another friendly game of tennis, and Cooper insisted on a mowhawk. I love his super cool pose!

Then we headed to lunch at this pizza place called The Mellow Mushroom. The pizza was soooo yummy! It took forever to get it, so we killed some time by taking silly pictures with Mr. Mushroom. He's really mellow as you can see! Luckily the pizza was worth the wait!

After lunch we headed to Fudpuckers to feed the alligators. Cooper has been asking to do this since we got here, so off we went. The alligators never really eat the food that you pay $3 for, but there is always the hope that maybe this time they'll give a crap, but nope...not this time either. We did get to see a guy get in the water w/ them and snag one. Apparently they have to switch out the one you have your picture made with every four hours and it was time for a fresh gator. That was pretty cool to watch.

Jean, staying as far away from the alligators as possible!

Mimi and the boys fishing for gators!

Daddy and Carter fishing for gators!

The boys on the gator! He was a little stiff!

We spent the rest of the day taking naps and the girls went shopping at the outlet mall! We had dinner at home and the boys were going to go for a night time swim, but when they got outside it was lightning really bad, so they had to come back up. It stormed all around us for hours, but never really here. Bummer. We're going to try again tomorrow night.

Destin Vacation...our "Dolphin" Cruise!

2008-08-07T07:52:00.023-05:00

Last night we planned to take the dolphin sunset cruise that we took last year. First the whole fam had dinner at a restaurant called The Back Porch. It was an opened air kind of place with no a/c and it has been VERY muggy the past few days. Thankfully there was a nice breeze so it wasn't too bad. The food was very good, and then it was off to the boat. Last year toward the end of the cruise, there were dozens of dolphins jumping alongside the boat, close enough to touch. I'm not sure if it was the weather, which caused some big waves toward the end of the ride, or what...but we only saw a few dolphins about 50 ft. away at the start of the trip and NONE on the way back in like last year. I was really bummed, but we did see some HUGE jellyfish while we were down below on the lower deck through the glass bottom. It was still fun, and the boys and I got SOAKING wet from the waves. (Mark took a pic, I'll add it later...if he can get his camera to turn back on...it got pretty wet, and now it's not working.) The boys got to "drive" the boat and loved that!

The whole gang! Conner took this...not bad!

Carter and Daddy! Mommy and Daddy!

Our attempt at a family pic. Conner and his funny faces!

My handsome boys!

Crazy Mark w/ Karola The beautiful sunset!

Captain Conner Captain Cooper

Conner gets a makeover!

2008-08-07T07:52:00.013-05:00

Conner has always been fascinated by my makeup and wants me to put some on him, so today I figured, why not! Just fyi, Day is putting up much protest for these pictures even being published, but I think it's priceless, so enjoy!

Just putting on the finishing touches of eyeliner....

...mascara, and some lipgloss.

Admiring himself in the mirror.

What a pretty boy!

Destin Vacation...Our trip to Zooworld!

2008-08-07T07:52:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday we drove out to Panama City to visit "Zooworld". We did a bit of research before hand and we knew going in that this was a very small "zoo" and not to expect too much. It was just going to be a way to get the kids out and maybe see some cool animals. It was a very ma and pop sort of place, but they did have a wide array of animals to see. Cooper was grumpy the whole time but otherwise, we had fun. Here are some of the animals we saw...

"Bye Bye, Zoo!"

Destin Vacation...too much fun for one post!!

2008-08-05T22:05:00.005-05:00

This post will be just random blurbs of the random fun that we've been having the past few days. We've sort of just been flying by the seat of our pants, and going wherever the wind blows us. So here's the pics to prove it!

Chillin' on the patio in our pj's.

Spending the afternoon at the hotel pool.

Playing tennis at the hotel...boy are we good!

Destin Vacation...First day at the beach!

2008-08-04T08:59:00.004-05:00

We got to Destin around lunchtime on Saturday, but our room was not ready for us yet. ( We were expecting this, though). So I had packed all our swimming stuff in separate bags so we could grab them and head straight for the pools. And that's just what we did. I didn't take any pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it:) We swam until around 3 when our room was ready and we got settled in. Then came making a list and heading to Walmart for food. Keep in mind that last year, when just the four of us came, it was September and pretty much a ghost town. So when we got to Walmart and had to wait just to walk down an isle, and with every lane opened for checkout and every lane having at least 8-10 people in it, we waited around 30 mins. just to check out! It was a nightmare!!!!! After that jolly adventure we were pooped and ready to just relax. We called it night pretty early, but had high hopes of hitting the beach on Sunday.

So yesterday, after getting our exercise in, breakfast eaten, a few loads of laundry done, we got ready to start packing up for our trip to the beach. We were getting ready to start making sandwiches, when we realized we forgot baggies to pack them in. So, off Day went to Dollar Tree, which I could spit at from our balcony, which I love! It seemed like it took us 3 days to get all the crap ready to go to the beach, but we eventually left the room only to realize that none of us had a room key. So, off I went to get a new key. Once we FINALLY got in the car it was 11:30 and we were all hungry so we ate under the pavilion, and watched the HUGE waves coming in. There is a tropical storm brewing in the Gulf, and we are catching the heavy winds, but no rain...so we have big waves. And apparently the jellyfish are really bad too. Once we got settled on the beach the "fun" began. Carter was in sandbox heaven, and dumped bucket after bucket over his head, and took great joy in destroying any attempt at a sand castle. We ventured out to the water a few times, but after finding and killing a freaky blue jellyfish we were pretty weary. The guys used their new body boards and me and mom even took a turn. We were definitely getting stung by something, but we aren't sure what. It only hurt for a little while, so who knows. After about an hour, the boys were saying..."I don't like the ocean, I want to go back to hotel and swim." They said that last year too, so hopefully when we venture to the ocean again it will be more enjoyable, but we'll see. Enjoy the pics.

Promised Playgroup Post

2008-07-23T21:27:00.004-05:00

I promised a post of playgroup, so here it is. If I had to use one word to discribe what our playgroup means to me it would be...priceless! There is no amount of money, no family member, no event, bribe or trip around the world that I would trade for my playgroup! Now, let's be honest, the real playgroup belongs to the mommies! We have become like a little village of women, with our objective being to survive this insanity we call motherhood. I have no doubt that I could call any one of these amazing women and they would drop whatever they were doing to help me or my family! That is something that is not promised to any of us, and yet I am blessed to have half a dozen friends that love me and accept me for who I am, even the stubborn, strong willed, sarcastic part of me! (Wait, am I talking about me or Cooper?) Anyway...the fact that our kids love each other just as much is like icing on the cake! Today Cooper asked me..."Mommy when's playgroup?" I told him it was today and that we had to miss it because he and his brothers were still sick. He immediatly started crying saying, "But I miss my friends!!!" As much as I was annoyed by his crying, I must admit, I was crying on the inside too, because "I missed my friends, too!!!" WAAAAAAHHHH!

So, ladies, I love you and couldn't make it a day without you! Can you believe our kids are almost starting kindergarden? I'm glad we can all cry together, it just sucks that I have to go first...all by myself! But, I've always sort of been the "go first" girl, so here I go again. The blessing of having the oldest kid in playgroup. I guess once all of our kids are in school we might actually get to finish a sentence, a thought, a meal and an hour without one of our kids throwing a fit! Hey...something to look forward to! Thanks for always being there for me!
I tried to put the pictures in order, but I'm sure it's a little off. All we care about is our cute kiddos anyway, right?

Bodily Fluids...

2008-07-23T09:08:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I'm officially sick and tired of cleaning up other people's bodily fluids! It started Friday night with Conner throwing up at Hawaiian Falls, followed by a full day of diarrhea. I felt so sorry for the little guy. On Saturday morning he was laying in my bed and he asked me, "Where does throw up come from?" I explained that it comes from your stomach, and whatever food is in your tummy when you throw up, comes out. A little while later, he had "the look" on his face, so I went and got him a bucket to throw up in. I asked him, "Are you going to throw up?" and he says..."I think I just threw up out my bottom." Thus the beginning of more bodily fluids. Carter came down with it on Sat. night and his lovely fluids of the #2 persuasion lasted until Monday night. And as of last night...Cooper was in my bathroom when I heard..."My poop is coming out like water. It's like swoosh, splash, sploosh!" Boys and poop do sort of go hand in hand. Only a boy would think diarrhea sounds were cool. Thankfully none of them have actually acted like they feel too bad. Which sort of makes it harder to make them take it easy.

Needless to say, we've been stuck at home all week and I'm losing my mind. We've missed out on playgroup today and who knows what else unless we can all get well. I'm shocked that neither Day nor I have gotten it yet. Is it sick that I was sort of hoping to get it just to shed a few pounds...yes, very sick. Day did have a good point that at least they're getting sick this week before we leave for Florida next Friday. Vacation can not get here fast enough!

Lifelong Friends...

2008-07-10T19:53:00.003-05:00

I came across the first picture in this slide show and couldn't help but blog about the lifelong friendship that Cooper and Trinity have shared. It doesn't seem possible that five years have passed since they've been friends/born, but in some ways it seems like they've been in each other's lives as long as I can remember. It seems that the older they get, the more they tend to gravitate toward their friends of the same gender, but my hope is that their friendship will last a lifetime. Thankfully they have some awesome mommies who also happened to be best friends, and if we have anything to say about it...they don't have a choice:). I'm so greatful and blessed to have so many wonderful friends in my life, who in turn have been blessing to my children. This post has sent me to the fact that a need for a playgroup post is upon me, so stay tuned!

A Fun Filled Fourth!

2008-07-05T14:53:00.003-05:00

We had a busy and fun filled Fourth of July this year. We started out the day with a trip to the movies with the older boys to see Wall-e. It was a little slow for Conner's taste, but overall it was pretty good. Then we headed over to my grandparents assisted living place for lunch. We had a nice visit with G.G and Dede then we headed home for naps. After nap and dinner we went out to the "country" a.k.a. Phillip and Angela's house to shoot some fireworks. Cooper decided that he would be more brave than last year (last year he sat in a chair with a pillow over his face the whole night because he was terrified of the fireworks). This year he did get a bit scared at first, but warmed up to some roman candles and sparklers. Carter was totally freaked out and cried after each one for about the first 15 mins, but slowly began to warm up. And after seeing Cooper and Conner hold the roman candles, he did one too! Pretty brave, I'd say! Overall, a great and celebratory day!

Potty Training...Day's 2 & 3

2008-07-04T22:51:00.004-05:00

I'm totally blown away at how awesome Conner is doing! Yesterday we went to play at a friend's house and while he was playing in one of the kids rooms, he came out and said..."The poo poo's coming out mommy!" and off to the potty we went! He did have one accident while with the babysitter last night, but other than that...no other accidents. He even went into the bathroom this morning, by himself to go poop. WHOOO HOOO! After I came in to check on things, I asked him if he'd already flushed. He said, "Yes mommy." Then I asked, "Are you sure you pooped?" (There was no overwhelming odor this time:) To which he replied..."Yes mommy, it was a BIG POOP, a YONG(long) BIG POOP! Too bad daddy wasn't there, he'd been so proud!

As funny as it may seem to say...I am so thankful to the Lord for granting me this one blessing of an easy potty training experiance! I can't thank Him enough! Also, thanks to you all for praying and cherring Conner on! Let's hope it keeps up!

Potty Training Day 1! (Attempt #3)

2008-07-02T21:25:00.004-05:00

I just had to take a second and cheer for my sweet Conner. Apparently he and my mom had a little chat the other day about how he's a big three year old now and he needs to go potty like a big boy, etc., etc. I'm not getting my hopes up too high, but it seems that this may have been the motivation we've been waiting for. He woke up this morning and I asked him if he wanted to wear big boy underwear...he said "Yes, and I'm gonna stay dry." And belive it or not, he DID! ALL DAY LONG! I even sent him outside this morning, knowing that in the past, this has been his pooping place while potty training. I told him that if he felt the poo poo starting to come, to run and get me. He had been outside about 10 mins, when he came in and said..."Mommy, the poo poo is comin' out!" So we ran to the potty, he asked me to leave and made a grand deposit in the potty! Not only that, but he flushed all by himself. (I didn't need to see the evidence, the lovely oder gave it away!) He went on to pee all day, and even stayed dry for naptime! We went over to my moms and while playing he ran to me and said, "Mommy, I need to go pee pee!" This is a huge step in the right direction! So, all my bloggy friends, please pray that this time it will stick and I will finally have only one child in diapers!! If someone had told me that someday, I would be beside myself excited about bodily fuctions from a 3 year old, I would have thought...Lord, I hope not, that would make for one pathedic life...but oh the joy I have found from a little pee and a little poop! Not to mention, there is nothing more pathedic I would rather do than devote my life to these precious boys...poop and all!

Diaz Campout...not the best time ever, but memories none the less.

2008-06-30T21:43:00.010-05:00

We decided to take the boys camping for Conner's birthday weekend. Well, let me back up...the truth is, we booked the trip awhile ago, not realizing it was Conner's birthday weekend. Once we realized this fact, Day called to check on other dates. Apparently, by calling to check on other dates, the nice woman on the phone took that to mean that we wanted to cancel our spots. We did not realize this fact until about three weeks out, only to find that all the lakeside spots were booked up, and now we would be staying in an alternative site. Not on the water, but fine...right. We'll sort of. That was our first sign of things to come.

Next, we had planned for us, my mom and brother and Mark to all be going. Mark also has a pop-up and my brother was going to be sleeping in his camper. The day before we are suppose to leave, we find out that Mark has to work and will not be able to come with us, leaving Cory with nowhere to sleep. This was our second sign, but still we persevered.

So, on Friday, after a week of VBS and last minute packing we headed out around 3ish. After the two hour drive to Tyler, we found our spot and began the set-up, unloading process. Next thing we know, the camp "host" came to inform us that we couldn't set up any tents on these sights, so Cory got to sleep in the car that night. I had also made Conner a birthday cake to put icing on and decorate when we got there. During the unloading process, Carter decided the van would be his place to play. The cake was in the van, thus it was full of Carter sized crock footprints and no longer eatable. After a measly dinner of hot dogs and mac n' cheese we took a bike ride and showered and went to bed.

Saturday morning started bright and early, and after breakfast Day made a trip to Walmart to get a neted gazebo to try and keep the insane amount of flies away from us while we're eating and to find a replacement for the trashed birthday cake, and a few other things we needed like milk for the homemade ice cream we were going to make later. While the boys went to swim for the second time, mom and I started getting dinner ready...only to realize I had forgotten to pack the corn and the vanilla for the ice cream. When Day got back from Walmart with the screen, we opened the box to put it together, only to find that it didn't come with the frame, so back to Walmart he went, to return the screen and get me some corn. We borrowed some vanilla from our neighbor, and dinner was on again. Day has spent most of the afternoon smoking a yummy brisket in his smoker, and for dinner we had brisket tacos with corn and cole slaw...this was the BEST PART of the WHOLE WEEKEND. We ate ourselves sick. It was so YUMMY! Then we did a quick decorating job and singing happy birthday to Conner and eating some less than yummy ice cream (I didn't put enough vanilla in, so it tasted like ice milk). After dinner we cleaned up and the boys played baseball before it was time for showers and bed again. (Let me just mention that showering with three slippery naked boys is crazy and a bit dangerous. That floor is really slippery and it was like 200 degrees in there. I look forward to the day they can shower themselves.)

As we were getting the boys in bed, the thunder started to rumble and the lighting got closer together. Right about the time we got in bed, the sky fell out and it rained, and rained, and rained...ALL NIGHT LONG!!! About 4:00 I noticed my feet were wet, my side was wet and my head was wet. Needless to say, it was a very long night.

The next morning, I was less that happy and very sleep deprived, so we packed up and got ready to go home. During the hour long packing up process we had the boys in their car seats watching a movie in the van. They were getting restless, so when we were done we decided to go for a short walk before heading out. We walked down the street to the lake and right about the time we got there, it started to sprinkle, then rain, the pour as we ran back to the car as fast as we could. Needless to say, we were all drinched by the time we made it back. We towled off in the car and got the heck out of there! We made our traditional stop at DQ for lunch and made it home in time for more unloading, cleaning, drying out, and general desaster relief.

We will soon be listing our camper on Craig's List, so tell your friends. So long as they don't mind a few leaks. The a/c is awesome, that's about all I can say about it. Oh, and apparently it can sleep 7 people, if you put one on the floor and large boy and an infant on a twin bed. (Cory had to squeeze in with us during the monsoon.)

So, if you're still reading this long rant, you will see that we had a lovely weekend of ups and downs, but we made some memories and will look back on this and laugh, right? Right? RIGHT??? Maybe someday...until then, here are some pics from the trip. Enjoy and be glad it was us and not you;)

Cooper slid into a charcoal pit...SAFE!

Our short but sweet nature hike...it was too hot!

Daddys' well deserved nap!

Cooper found a girl (big surprise) named Megan and he chased after her all afternoon. (literally)

Conner on his new bike. What a big boy!

Conner's Birthday Festivities!! (White Trash Camper Style)

Conner is 3

2008-06-30T15:31:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Conner's birthday a week early this year, since we will be camping on his actual birthday. So, as far as he's concerned he's already three, but technically he won't be three until Saturday. I spent almost an hour last night looking through three years worth of pictures, blown away at how fast the time has gone. Being the middle child, and the fact that Carter came so quickly after Conner did...much of his first few years is like a blur to me. One thing has not changed, he is still my little sweetheart. Those big brown eyes can get him pretty much anything he wants, and his sweet and tender spirit is like a breath of fresh air in the midst of a stressful and crazy life. His favorite things right now are...his blankie, his Mabrie and anything that Cooper thinks is cool. He doesn't like...to eat, to go potty or to sleep without his blankie. I had to use a slide show for this post...sorry...just too many adorable pictures to share over my little Conner's first three years. To all of you who have help us get Conner this far...thank you, and we love you!

Day's Daddy Day

2008-06-20T07:18:00.010-05:00

We had a Dallas Cowboy's themed father's day at our house this year. About a month ago Day made a flippant remark that he would like the boys to have matching Cowboy's shirts to wear on game days. Little did I know that finding these shirts would be next to impossible, unless of course you want to spend a fortune at the Cowboy's store at the mall...which is what I did. Not only did the boys have matching shirts, but mom got her one too. And for daddy, a Tony Romo jersey. He was in Cowboy heaven!

We are so blessed to have a daddy at our house who, first and foremost, loves Jesus and looks to Him daily, and second who would fly to the moon and back if we needed him to. He is always playing outside, pitching a baseball or pushing a swing. Or he's kissing a boo boo or whipping a bottom. He's not above doing anything and everything we need. I know this is a bit late getting out, but we love our daddy everyday, not just on father's day! Here are some pictures from his day and some that show all the many ways he is a wonderful daddy!

I don't have a picture with all of us together in our shirts, one because Conner wasn't there...he'd stayed at my moms', and two because I forgot. I will do one and post it later.

Here is a picture of the banner I made for him. Notice the boys shirts:)

Here's just a few of the reasons we love Daddy!!!

Spends Quality Time! Gives Lots of Kisses!

Always there to lend a hand! Can handle just about anything!!

WE LOVE YOU DADDY!

Ranger Game with Dad!

2008-06-20T07:18:00.003-05:00

Day took the boys to the Ranger game last week and I got a night off, all to myself! Pawpaw was nice enough to keep Carter for us so that we could both have a fun evening. They had a great time, and Day said that Conner LOVED the peanuts they brought. He work tediously, opening each one and eating the yummy peanuts. He didn't want anyone to help, and he wanted peanuts over cotton candy...Cooper on the other hand, was happy to have the cotton candy all to himself. They even go to give Captain a high five and take a picture.

Cooper with his winning blue dot!
We always root for blue!

Putt-Putt Playgroup

2008-06-09T10:20:00.003-05:00

Last week we went to play at putt-putt for playgroup. I just got some cute pictures and wanted to share.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-06-04T14:36:00.003-05:00

Like Father Like Son(s)!

Nothing like watching tv in your underwear! (diaper)

Hawaiian Falls

2008-06-03T21:28:00.006-05:00

Today was our first full day at Hawaiian Falls. Our friends Claudia and Ethan joined us for a day of fun in the sun! We have seasons passes so we will be there alot. We all got a little sunburned since we were there from noon until around 5. My mom, brother and his girlfriend Briana also joined us. This might make the summer a little more managable. Also, enjoy the video of Carter and his personal water fountain! Yummmmmmy!

My Sports Champ!

2008-06-01T19:49:00.003-05:00

This Saturday was Cooper's last week of Sports 101. He played 4 games of t-ball and 4 games of soccer and Day got to be the coach for both. He did a great job with the kids and taught them a lot. Cooper's soccer team was undefeated, and going into the last game Cooper said, "I think we should let the other team win, since they haven't gotten to win yet." I was so proud and touched by his thoughtfulness. Coach "daddy" on the other hand thought it best to just "let the game play out." Not to mention that when game time came, Cooper had a bit of a change of heart himself. I must say, my boys are quite competitive. Here are some pictures from the "season".

So proud of his trophy!

Showin' his "skills".

Throw in.

Dribbling through the cones.

Cooper's Swim Lessons

2008-05-31T08:34:00.028-05:00

This year we decided to put Cooper in swim lessons at the Mansfield ISD Natatorium with some of his friends. He is learning to keep his head underwater and basic swimming lessons. Yesterday was his last lesson in Level 1 and he is doing great! He can swim to his teacher and is showing no fear! Cooper will be starting Level 2 Lessons in a week!

Getting instructions from his intructor.

Underwater training.

Kicking Lessons

Diving Lessons

Cooper and his swim friends!

Check out Cooper's progress!

Happy 85th Birthday G.G.

2008-05-31T08:34:00.019-05:00

Happy 85th Birthday G.G.

We celebrated my grandmaw's 85th birthday this week by stopping by her assisted living facility and dinning on some fine KFC and Blue Bell! (Her favorites!) They have a beautiful courtyard which they have just put some baby bunnies for people to enjoy. It was the cutest little thing and would come right up and eat out of the boys hands...pretty brave I'd say! Happy Birthday, G.G.! We love you bunches!

I also took this very cute picture of Conner that I had to share! What a sweet heart!

Beauty secrets by Carter...

2008-05-31T08:34:00.018-05:00

The key to baby soft skin and hair is to treat daily with yogurt.

Massage in for best results.

To avoid the ocassional embarrassment from body odor, take large amounts of lavender scented baby power and apply to any skin surface you can find!

Massage in for best results.

Our Little Graduate!

2008-05-27T14:18:00.017-05:00

Well, it's official, I have a pre-K graduate! Today was Cooper's last day of preschool, where did the time go? I can't believe he's on his way to kidergarten! I am going to cherish every moment this summer and try not to think about what August has in store. Here are some pictures from his program today!

The Class of 2022! Wow, that's crazy!

Love the hat!

Mommy and Daddy are so proud!

Cooper and his teachers Miss Meghan and Miss Ginger

Conner's class sang a few songs too and he did great! He is getting too big too! I always feel so torn between being excited about all the new and fun things they can do, especially when it means I don't have to do them anymore! Like how Conner can now buckle himself into his carseat, dress himself, and put his clothes and shoes away! But that also means that he's becoming more independent and before you know it, he won't even need me anymore! We'll I'd like to think that he'll always need me in some form or fashion, right? Anyway, my boys are growing up and I'm very sad, but very proud of the little men they are quickly becoming.

"Hi, Mom!"

"Jesus wants me for a sunbeam!"

Conner and his teacher Miss Dede!

By the way, I hope you like our new blog. Please sign up to be informed anytime we add a new post, and change our address to http://diaztravelingcircus.blogspot.com

Vegas Day 4

2008-04-30T12:42:00.001-05:00

I thought I would share some pictures of our amazing hotel room. I have not stopped thanking the Lord for this opportunity for us to come and have such a lavish vacation. Day and I are always blown away and humbled by the many opportunities that working at Alcon have given us. We do not feel deserving, but hope that we can be faithful and obedient to what the Lord continues to bless us with. Today was much less busy. Day was in the conf. from about 8 until noon, then we met for lunch and he had more stuff until around 3:30. I spent the morning swimming, (the only free form of exercise they offer;) and after lunch went venturing out on my own to find a shoe outlet that I had seen advertised everywhere. I found some good deals and got some cute shoes. Later that night we decided to see the Blue Man Group show since we’re not planning on coming back to Vegas, probably ever. It started out pretty slow, but the last hour was awesome! Being our last night in Vegas and all…we had to try our hand at the slots. We had a $25 voucher from Travelocity, so we couldn’t let it go to waste. I think overall we left with about $40 or so dollars. Not to shabby! I think it’s going to take us a week to recover from this “vacation.” We head home tomorrow evening, so I’ll probably spend tomorrow packing and waiting for Day to finish up. Thanks for keeping up with our trip and thanks again to everyone who made it possible for us to come! We love you all! (Mom& Dad, Janie& Ernest, Jennifer, Natalie & David, Tracy & Charlie & Julia)

post signature

Vegas Day 3

2008-04-29T00:02:00.000-05:00

We had a much more relaxing day today and yet very much fun. We skipped working out all together and headed straight for the breakfast buffet and noticed that the computer nerds were out in droves today! After we ate, Day went down to the conference to register and got to do some things he was looking forward to working on. A few hours later he came back and was now an official computer nerd, backpack, badge and all! Then we were off to the pool for some more r&r. Later on we got cleaned up and headed out to dinner and a Gondola ride. We had a 20% off coupon, but even still it was pretty over-rated. After the sun went down we went down to the Bellagio to watch the fountain show. It was very cool. I’m always in awe of the constant over the top nature of everything here. The hotels, the food, the shows, the entertainment…it’s all bigger, better, more exciting. Crazy really. We had another fun filled day, but now it’s off to bed. Day will be at the conf. most of the day tomorrow so I’ll have some time alone…sounds wonderful to me!

post signature