Celebrations

Abi's 6th Birthday Celebration: This year when offered a party, Abi came up with what she really wanted this year. She was very specific in her request: She wanted her and Luke (her very best friend and her betrothed) to get their faces painted like tigers, go to the Rainforest cafe, and then see a movie. We had to wait for so long because she wanted to see 'How to Train Your Dragon', which didn't come to theaters until March 26. Austin joined us also and wanted his face painted like a monkey.

Walking into the restaurant- Abi and Luke were holding hands!! It was cute at first but then we had to break them up!

Abi and Luke with their rightful pack!

Who needs birthday cake when you can have a VOLCANO!


Luke got Abi an Alive mini Tiger cub- She LOVES it!

We also celebrated Mark's 31st birthday on Saturday. Unfortunately, he spent the majority of it working!

Next stop, Easter!!!!

Perfect Ending

The rodeo has been a perfect ending to a great week. We went to church this morning, then came home, took a quick nap, and headed down to Reliant Stadium. Tonight was the finals for bull riding. They also had muttin' bustin' and the calf scramble. Travis and Becca went with us on our adventure, and everyone had a great time! Selena Gomez rocked the house, but we left before Justin Beiber came on stage.


Selena on stage- also a fellow Texan, she sang a tribute to the 'Selena' and her family

Abi. Becca and Austin

On the way out

Spring Break is well on it's way out the door. It has been a good one, but now it's time to get my game face back on. Before that, here are the highlights from the past couple of days. Again, I forgot my camera: the kids and I discovered a new park today. Not really new, but new to us. We went and the kids had a blast. They ran and got a lot of energy out. Then when we came home, the kids donned their swim suits (they have been asking to play in the sprinklers all week!) and I drug out the mopping bucket. Who says mopping can't be fun? I really needed to get the floors mopped, and the kids really wanted to have some fun! So, we put the two together. We had tons of rags, some warm water, and dawn dish liquid. Austin kept yelling, "Man, I didn't know we were going to have so much fun today!" as he was sliding around. It was a lot of work, but now my floors are clean, and the kids are happy! By the end, they were sliding on the stomachs!

Thursday wasn't a big ta-do either. We hung out around the house and played outside a little. Abi drove around in her car until she decided it was too sunny out and went back inside. Austin refined his skateboarding skills. He's teaching himself how to jump up, make the skateboard bounce off the ground and then land back on it. Alex, his best buddy, was watching and trying too.

Unfortunately, tomorrow there is a 90% chance of rain (BOOOO) and the temperature is supposed to drop back down to the 50's for a couple of days. I can't say that I am pleased with this forecast, our rodeo outing is still coming up! I don't think that I have ever gone to the rodeo on a day that it wasn't cold or rainy...or both! We will have to wait and see what the weather has in store for us.

Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

We have been up to all kinds of things! I haven't written about them because it's just a small blip here and there. On March 6 I had to take a test for school, but Mark was able to participate in our church's community service day. He chose to work on the 'Feed the Children' project where they boxed food for families. He said that it was a cool experience, and the group that attended boxed quite a bit of food. Although he couldn't take Austin and Abi this time, he hopes that maybe we can plan a day with our small group and take the kids to help then.

the group that attended 'Feed the Children' project

Next, I posted a happy birthday wish to Abi on her birthday, but haven't said what we did. That morning, Abi woke up to my awful, raspy version of the 'Happy Birthday' song, and came down for her choice of breakfast. She wore a dress to school (with jewelry!!) in honor of her special day. I would have liked to eat lunch with her, but I had to turn in a paper for my class. I read to her class on Friday to make-up for missing lunch. She got off the bus wearing a pink paper crown and a big smile! When she came in the house she found her cupcakes, flowers, and present! She and Austin ate a cupcake on our way out the door to have dinner with Aunt Marie, Deve, and Lala (Mark's Aunt, cousin, and sister) at Chuy's. When we came back home, Grandpa, Wendy, and Kenzie came over for cupcakes. This year Abi opted for a bigger (more expensive) gift instead of a party, she wanted the purple Hannah Montana PSP (it can play games, music, and movies- great for car trips!). This year she wants her and Luke, her very best friend, to get their faces painted like tigers, go to the Rainforest Cafe (because it's like a jungle where tigers live) for lunch, and then see a movie together. Because there aren't really any kid movies out right now, we have to wait until "How to Train Your Dragon" comes out on the weekend of the 26th. Coincidentally, that is Mark's birthday weekend as well.

Abi and Austin March 11, 2010

This past Friday, we watched Grace and Meredith overnight so Mark and Naomi could have a date night (those are super important when you have kids!!!) We played outside for a little while; Grace drove Mer around in Abi's car until the battery finally ran out! Mer was laughing hysterically the whole time!! They both had a lot of fun!

Because I am a huge slacker...I forgot my camera for Jimbo's (my brother) baby shower! I woke up around 3:30am this past Saturday and drove to Dallas for it. I got there around 9, just as my brother and the rest of the family was waking up. Jimmie and I went grocery shopping for all the food for the shower, then came home and set up. This shower was mainly for family, so it wasn't that big. Other than Jimmie, Rita, and myself, there were only ten other people. On our side: Mom and Alisha (my sister), Aunt Lulu (my mom's sister), Ronda and Cheyene (my cousins). It was so good to sit and visit; I had been a while since I have had a chance to see my aunt and cousins. I also was a slacker in the gift department. I am sewing a very special quilt for my new niece (due date moved to May 5 from the 17th). I didn't finish sewing it before the shower, so I had to give Jimmie and Rita an IOU- I have since finished it, and will post pictures after I ship it.

Also on the sewing front, I found some fabric that I fell in love with! After spending much time toiling over what I was going to make with it (had to be special!) I settled on making a boutique style outfit for Pacey. I want to list similar outfits like it in my shop on etsy.com

Unfortunately, it is already Thursday of my spring break; so, I'm not sure how much more sewing I am going to get to do. I should be doing homework, which I guess it why I am so motivated to sew! If I could just make this week stretch a little bit more! We have nothing on our agenda which helps the time pass by slower...I like that! We have loved being outside in the beautiful weather!!! The kids adopted the box that the lawnmower came in and have made it into a shop, house, clubhouse, tiger cage, and I'm sure many other things. They have played outside every day this week, except Tuesday when it rained. We had a picnic yesterday with the Benders at their playground. We will end the break with a visit to the rodeo to see Selina Gomez. The kids are excited, they love watching her on Disney. After that, it's back to school. For all of us.

Happy Birthday!!!!

It was on this day 6 years ago that our family was blessed with a beautiful baby girl.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABI, we love you!

Blind Sided

It has been a while since I have blogged, I've been blind sided by all of my school work this semester. I actually should be using this time to do, yet, more work...but I just can't conjure up the motivation to keep going today. As a result of having to do too much at one time, I have fallen in love with Audible.com. I bought two of my books on mp3. Now, I can sew and listen to the books I am supposed to be reading at the same time. I love multi-tasking! Mid-terms are coming up, I can't wait to get them over with!

We just passed 'Go Texan Day' (February 26). Austin and Abi of course have to dress the part; after all, they are Austin and Abilene for a reason (they are all Texan!) They looked too cute in their gettup! As a result of all the compliments, I decided to list their outfits on my etsy store.

Austin and Abi on Go Texan Day

I also missed blogging about Austin's and Abi's 'friendship' parties (aka Valentine's party). We woke up at Grammy's house on Valentine's day, which the kids LOVED! They love visiting Grammy's house.

Austin and Abi at their Friendship parties

Mark and I have made the decision to homeschool for sure next year. An issue that we had with Austin about 2 weeks ago, reassured us that we are making the right decision. The incident was as follows: Austin gets off the bus and comes to the front door, his two friends trailing not far behind him. One they got close enough, one of them said, "Austin, you and Pedro made Jacob cry!" Of course, mommy mode kicks in! I start asking questions, "What happened Austin?" Austin proceeds to tell me that Pedro started laughing at Jacob and saying that he had to go to DMC (in school suspension). Austin was laughing at him and teasing him as well. Any of you that know my Austin also know that this is not the same sweet boy that he was before public school. After Austin told me that he teased Jacob, I was pretty angry. Austin said that he was just following what Pedro was doing. So, I sent him to his room and told him to write down ten reasons why picking on someone and making them cry is wrong. Soon after, Mark was home from work. When I told Mark what happened, he instantly loaded Austin into the truck and headed to Jacob's house. He made Austin apologize to Jacob and Jacob's mom. During the visit, he also had the opportunity to point out to Austin that Jacob's mom called him 'baby' just like I do with Austin. I think that hit home, because when they came home, Austin came in and gave me a big hug and said he was sorry. A couple of days later, Mark asked Austin if he had seen Jacob at all lately. Austin said "yes, I saw him on the bus today. Pedro told me to punch him in the head." Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of Pedro!

Anyways, I'm already looking for curriculum, and starting to plan. When my classes let up a little, I am also going to start researching local museums for field trips. In the meantime, survival mode will have to work! And I will keep hoping for more times like these:

Austin, Abi, and Peaches watching TV