Snow Day: Our Day in Pictures and Poetry

woke up to snow and checked online: NO SCHOOL (to my dismay!)


so Pres played the Playstation he got for his birthday


and Kell watched Care Bears in a chair where she lay

while not a hair was brushed all day

and Mitzi slept, with an occasional break to play

and Daddy toasted marshmallows after his long workday

but we ended the day with s'mores - hooray!

What's that you say?

My poetry is gay?!

Ha! You read it anyway!! :)

7 Years Old!!

Preston turned 7 on Saturday and we held his Transformers-themed party here at home. We started at noon with pizza and pop, followed by presents, a pinata, and we finished off with cake and ice cream. The weather turned out beautifully - a (very) bright, "balmy" 60+ degrees! Many of our guests only traveled down the street, but it was nice for our out-of-town guests not to have to fight nasty weather. Some of the kids were even able to eat on the deck, which was nice since there were 17 of them to seat! Too much backlight made for not-so-great pictures (need to figure out how to adjust my camera), but it was a great party and Preston was thrilled!!

Nana & Papa watch the kids float balloons before the party


most of our little Transformers pose for a pic


Breckyn, Reagan and Lucy eat pizza


opening his gifts

he got lots of cool stuff!

taking a swing at the pinata

the Birthday Boy and his cake

it tasted good, too!

mmm, cake and ice cream to finish things off!

Ice Skating with Dad

Yesterday afternoon, Paul and Preston went to the local ice rink for our church's Boys' Club skating event. They had a blast! Preston fell several times, but jumped back up everytime and kept going. They have both really enjoyed going to Boys' Club this year and doing fun "guy stuff" together. In the coming weeks, they'll be attending a bowling night, pinewood derby, campout, and other activities.

ready to hit the ice


keeping it steady


some of the boys sit for a photo op

Big Day for Preston!

Preston finally lost his first tooth yesterday, so this morning he awoke to find that the Tooth Fairy had left him two dollars to add to his growing stash! Tomorrow is his 7th birthday, so this afternoon Breckyn, Mitzi and I took cupcakes to his class to celebrate. The kids loved meeting Mitzi and she wagged her little nubby tail the whole time, so I'm guessing the feeling was mutual! Unfortunately, my camera battery died after only a couple pictures, but I'll be sure to take plenty tomorrow at his party. We're planning on 19 kids - should be fun! ;)

FINALLY! And the new one is almost in already!


the class munches cupcakes while Mrs. C holds Mitzi


mmmmm, chocolate!

Too Cute

Today Breckyn informed me:

"Mom, when I go to Heaven I want to take a picture with Jesus. But not yet - when I'm bigger."

Kellyn and Mitzi snuggle up

This dog loves the bath!

It was a little chaotic since the novelty of having a dog in the tub was pretty great for the kids, but we got through it! Every time we got Mitzi out, she tried to jump back in. I even brought her out into the living room but as soon as I put her down, she went tearing back into the bathroom and tried to get in again! It was a hoot!!

We're in LOVE!!!

Mitzi has stolen our hearts in just a few short weeks! She is the last thing the kids want to see when they go to sleep and the first thing when they wake up. The "new" has definitely not worn off yet and it doesn't look like it will! She is just the best little dog - very active and playful and a sweet, loving lap dog all rolled into one. She's doing really well with crate training and doesn't cry anymore when we put her in it at night. She's also doing well with potty training as long as we take her out often; she hasn't figured out yet to go to the door when she needs to go out. We took her with us to Tulsa to visit Mitch and Christal this past weekend and she traveled great and had a blast playing with their two dogs. I can't believe we waited so long to get a dog, but she has been so worth the wait!


half-asleep on Daddy's lap



Mommy's 4th baby


taking a bath

snuggled up and warm

playing with her new friends Biggs the Boston

Terrier and Bella the Bulldog

Biggs licks his chops in anticipation of a tasty snack!

curled up in her basket

Summer Dreamin'. . .

Yesterday was a beautiful and sunny 60 degrees and we spent all afternoon outside enjoying it. It was such a nice reprieve from the snow and freezing temps we've had for so many weeks and it got me to thinking about summertime and how we never blogged about our 10th anniversary vacation to Mexico last summer. So here are some pics that highlight the main points of the trip: sand, sun, food and fun! We absolutely loved our resort and the ease of the all-inclusive package. I'd go back in a heartbeat!!! Uh, Paul? You reading this?. . .

view of Cozumel from our airplane window

view from the resort's open-air lobby

our room: top left in the building on the right

inside our room (checking on the kids!)

from our balcony; view of the ocean beyond the

row of palm trees in the distance

from our balcony looking to the right; ground

floor rooms had private slides into the pool!

from our balcony at sunset

the beach

the beach from a restaurant's patio

our hammock; we spent a lot of time lounging there!

10 years ago on this day we were married!!!

a delicious Italian meal on the patio to celebrate

Paul snorkeling while I lounge

I got to play volleyball on the beach!

gorgeous sunset on our last night

WELCOME 2008!!!

We rang in the new year down the street at Trey and Chas's house. We had a great time pigging-out on finger foods, singing karaoke, playing Battle of the Sexes (and beating the men!), and watching the ball drop. The kids even managed to make it all the way to midnight! Happy 2008!!!

Trey plays Twister with the kids

Something about this hat gave Paul the con-

fidence to humiliate himself in front of friends

Sarah, Dave, and Chris W. sing some tunes

watching the ball drop on a brand new year!

Our little artists

Yesterday morning, Daddy had to go in to work for a few hours to finish up some end-of-quarter business and the kids were soon bored with me. They talked me into getting the paints out and had a blast creating some little masterpieces. Paul finished up a little earlier than he thought he would, so we picked him up on our way to McD's where we met some friends for lunch. We sure have enjoyed our nice hiatus, but it's back to the ole grind tomorrow for Kellyn and Thursday for Preston. How long til Spring Break?!