Happy Easter....

Its been a great one at our house! On Saturday we started off the morning at an Easter egg hunt. There were so many places to choose from. Last year it was really nice because an elderly couple in our ward planned and executed an Easter egg hunt at the church, but this year there were no festivities planned by the church. There were advertised hunts all over Crosby and Kareena and I wanted to find one that didn't have a huge mass of kids. We decided to try the one sponsored by one of the firestations here in town. While we were waiting for the hunt to start we were able to nibble on snacks (cookies, cupcakes, and juice). Then the Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny came out and the kids were able to take pictures with them and Mrs. Bunny gave them a treat (Keegan got a glider airplane and Mya got a jump rope)

Jacob didn't want anything to do with the happy Easter couple. He had a very similar response to a couple months ago with a jolly guy from the North. He was super excited to get involved in the hunt though. He got more eggs then Mya and Keegan did...but look how many kids Mya and Keegan were up against. They had one of the biggest groups there that day.

After the egg hunt they had one of the firestations out so that the kids could climb inside and investigate it. Overall, it was a good experience except it would have been nice if the kids got a couple more eggs. Poor Joely that went with us only got 2....next year we will probably have to go to one of the Hunts that advertised they had over 1000 eggs!

Jacob's Birthday!

Jacob turned 2 on Friday! It was a beautiful day and the kids were out for Good Friday so we decided we were going to take the kids over to the Splash Park and have cupcakes. A really simple Party!

I don't know why he was giving me such weird faces....but as you can tell he is one of the most animated children we have...he is soooooooo expressive! There is no guessing if he like or doesn't like something.

When I hear about all the snow up north, it really makes me grateful that we have such beautiful days that we can spend outside. And I absolutely love that they have put this little splash park in the Newport subdivision....though I love the Gene Green Splash park only 15 minutes away....it is really convenient to have one in town :)

Happy Birthday Jacob! Its been a great 2 year....here's to many many many more with you!

Have You Been Wondering?

I know its been awhile....I could use the excuse that I have two jobs, or that my husband is the Bishop, or that I had two kids in sports.........

But really, I shouldn't have taken a two month break from catching up.

Lets start with January.

It was full of basketball practice twice a week and two games on Saturday. Both Mya and Keegan LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!! It was the best idea. There is a program called Upward Basketball that is given through one of the local churches here in Crosby. One of my favorite things about the program was that they emphasized the importance of learning skills verses pushing competitiveness.

(This is a picture of Keegan on the bench)

There were numerous times when the ref would stop the kids in the middle of a play to tell them what they did wrong and make them re-do it. Since Mya and Keegan were both in the smaller age group they didn't even keep score.

(Mya lining up before the game started)

It was really good for Keegan to be on an almost all girls team so that he could get out of his shyness and I was actually impressed with what he learned and what he was able to do. There were some people that were impressed that it was only his first year. HOPEFULLY we will have a scholarship or two when it comes to that time of his life :) Mya was on a mostly all boys team and it really helped her because she had to pick up on skills faster then normally because most of them had been playing for two years already. She was frustrated at first but picked up on things quickly. It was such a fun fun season and we cant wait to do it all over again next year!

In January we also had a primary kick off party.....

It was a super hero theme where the kids learned that super hero's Choose the Right (CTR) the theme for the year in Primary this year. Even Jacob was excited to be able to be dubbed a super hero.

And as if January wasn't full of enough basketball for girl scouts Mya was able to attend a Houston Rockets Game. My friend Kareena is her girl scout leader and she asked if I would be able to drive the girls to the event. It was POURING rain that night and the 5 girls that went with me were super excited. For most of them it was their first time going to a professional basketball game. One of the girls was sooooo nervous about going up the LONG escalator and clung to my leg saying that it was to high. And another girl said that she thought she was going to fall when we went to walk down to our seats. (That's when you know you have great seats!)

I honestly don't know the date when we went to Old McDonald's farm for Earl Jr's birthday....but I had pictures on my camera of Mya and Keegan riding the horses there. This was their favorite thing to do. I remember when they were both terrified the first time we went to Old Mcdonald's farm....sigh...time is going quickly.

Jacob was fearless with riding the horses that day too. I just couldn't take a picture of him because I had to walk beside him and hold on to him while he was riding the horse because he was so small. It was a super fun birthday party! And Keegan is excited to go back tomorrow when they go for the kindergarten field trip.

In the month of February Keegan had a school performance for president's day. It was soooooo neat! The teacher's here in Crosby are wonderful!

Here is a video from Keegan's performance and one of his basketball games.

The Month Of December

OK, I can finally admit it....Its super hard to keep up with a blog and our crazy lifestyles, but at least I am trying and that's what counts...right??? The month of december has been super de duper busy!! Im sure that many of you can say the same thing. Where does the time go?

To start of the month, Keegan was picked to be the student of the month :) which means that mom had to make a poster. He was soooo excited.

Some of the things on the paper....
favorite food.....pizza
Lives in a....house :)
My Pet....We don't have any (my kids are deprived!)
I want to be a.....fireman....when I grow up

AND I LOVED THE DRAWINGS OF HIMSELF AND THE FAMILY!!! None of us have bodies, just faces, hands, and feet. Hahahaha!

Mya is also involved in girl scouts and this year they made their own skirts and shirts and then went and modeled them while they caroled at the annual Christmas Celebration at our community center

Its awesome to be able to go and do this every year...its kind of turning into a tradition. They will have entertainment, pictures with santa, a craft for the kids, hayrides, and this year they even had train rides. The video is of the girls singing, notice how all the girls are holding their music to hide their faces, but mya gladly holds hers down and sings loudly for all the hear. SHE LOVES TO PERFORM!
Here are some pictures on the hayride...we almost didn't go because the group before us got drentched with a 2 minute downpour of rain. But it stopped we got on and enjoyed a dry ride. And Gerald didn't want me to take his picture, but I had to capture that everyone was there that night :)

During the month of december Mya also won a bike at school. I was so green with envy because I NEVER won anything like that when I was going to school. When she first told me about it I thought that it was going to be one of those things where everyone does the work and then they put all of your names in a hat and draw out one lucky person's name. NOPE!!! They had all the kids in the school set a reading goal, and then they tested them every month and once they made their goal they earned their bike. Everyone in the school was able to win a bike. They set up the time to pick up the bikes on the saturday before Christmas so that they could enjoy them through the christmas break. What an exciting thing for all the kids to be able to do. The second picture is Mya and her best friend Anoi....they are BFF'S and do everything together. If they haven't seen each other in 2 days they are going through withdrawls. Good thing they are in the same class this year!

WARD CHRISTMAS PARTY!

The ward christmas party was a lot of fun. They had snacks and a real hot chocolate bar....yummmmm! We made christmas cards for the wounded soldiers and there was entertainment. Mya and I sang a duet of Mary's Lulliby from the children's song book. We were going to sing the round during the chorus and practiced it like that but something happend during the actual performance :) It was fun to be able to sing with Mya. What a great thing to be able to do as a mother and daughter. I am so thankful for the opportunities that we had to practice together and the fun that we had.

I didn't get any pictures of Mya and Keegan with santa clause this year. They were too fast and were gone by the time that I made it to the stage. Don't worry....the moment was still captured by our proffessional photographer in the ward (Ursula Williams) I just didn't get it on my camera. But I had to capture Jacob's "JOY" of sitting on Santa's lap.....

Waiting in line...doesn't know what is going on but still happy about whatever it is....

Screaming....why are you making me sit on this scary mans lap????

I think everyone has to have the 1-2 year old screaming like they are going to die picture on sata's lap! PRICELESS!!!!

CHRISTMAS

Christmas was great to be able to enjoy this year. Mya and Keegan are at such fun stages! To them I am sure that the month of december was never going to end! At school they were writing letters to santa clause, and because santa was so busy only the elves were able to write them back (which I am pretty sure were high school students writing as elves for an english project) but still really exciting for both of my kids to hear back from anyone from the north pole! There were projects to decorate ornaments and polor express day where they were able to wear their pajama's to school and watch the polar express. Keegan's teacher even gave them all whistles and let them blow them every time the whistle blew in the movie!

When I was little during the month of december we would read a scripture, sing a christmas song and read a christmas story for the 24 days of Christmas. Kind of a miniture devotional every night. It was something that I will always associate with the month of december. About 4 years ago my mom bought me a 24 days of christmas book with the devotionals in them for each day and this year I pulled it out and started doing it with the kids. Some of the stories were really good for my kids to hear. It got them thinking about things that they could do and how they could serve others. One of the stories that we read was about a little boy that got up early to get all the milking done so that his father could enjoy the christmas morning and watch the kids open up their gifts. The father said that it was the best gift that he ever recieved. We had talked to the kids about how christmas morning we were going to wake up and get ready to go to church and that we would wait to open up presents until after dad got home. I went to go and wake them up to get them ready and Mya had made her bed and gotten dressed already. She said she wanted to be like the little boy in the story....talk about tears....she has a heart of gold sometimes! Then she helped me get her brother's ready so that we wouldn't be late for church.

On Christmas eve we have started a tradition where the missionaries come over and we have a big meal. This year we also had some really good friends of our join us. It was fun being able to make chicken, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, green salad, green bean casserole, and macaroni and cheese. And it was fun to have the house full of people! Sometimes around the holidays it gets kind of lonely for me because I am used to big families....so it didn't seem so lonely this year....it was great!

Mya wanted an I-Pad for christmas, but there was no way I could justify getting a 7 year old a $600 gift! She was so persistant....even after we told her that santa was poor this year and that he doesn't give expensive electronics. She would say things like she would be just as happy if she got the happy feet 2 movie and that it wasn't as expensive....but then she would secretly say I really wish that santa could get me the i-pad. Luckily she is 7...and doesn't know the difference between brands! Her reaction is priceless!!!!!! And Keegan at the end of the movie....after watching mya open up the gift that she really really wanted....bless is heart....still mustered up a smile when he opened up clothes. It was a great christmas, and we were extremely blessed this year.

Christmas Tree

Thanksgiving was wonderful, we have so much to be thankful for as a family. I have been blessed with the most amazing family, Gerald has a good job (and in this economy thats a huge thing to be thankful for), we have a beautiful home and the gospel. I really couldn't ask for anything more! We were so blessed to be invited to a friends house for Thanksgiving dinner and the food was amazing! It was also nice to be able to spend the day with the missionaries as well, they bring a peaceful spirit with them that is so refreshing to be around.

So now it's time to start thinking about Christmas.....yikes, this time of year comes so fast.
Mya and Keegan are sooooooo excited.

We pulled out the decorations because today was going to be one of the few days left where everyone is going to be home to help. We have a famous WHITE christmas tree and this year when I pulled it out of the box this is what I found......

I don't know what happend. We have had this tree for three years and I have never had this problem. I believe the tree soaked up the brown from the box that it was being stored in. It looked horrible! Because I am a cheap skate, I wanted to salvage it.

I braved black friday at noon when all the crazies were in bed sleeping and went over to Walmart to get five cans of spray paint.

And then the kids helped to put all the balls on it. Look at all the joy and excitement in his smile!

It took me about 2 hours to put tape on the lights so that they wouldn't be spray painted, and then it took me about another 2 hours to take all the tape off. It would have been really easy to go and buy another Christmas tree, but I think that it turned out great. Don't get me wrong, I definately don't want to do this project again next year, I am going to be investing in a GREEN christmas tree when they are all on sale AFTER Christmas :) But this year, we will still be enjoying our non-traditional one, thanks to a couple cans of paint!

A Family Theme

I have been trying to tackle this project for some time now.....I have a big blank wall that has been staring at me since we moved into the house three and a half years ago. I have always known that I wanted to fill it will the theme...so to speak...of our family. I just couldn't ever find the perfect thought/idea that fits our family. Then it came to me..... (and this theme is not just because of my husband's calling as bishop!)

AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD

Now, I'm sure some of you are saying.....that's really simple....and so easy to do. But the more that I thought about it the more it seemed like such a good theme for our family.

Be patient with me as I try and explain..... I was never scared of storms until I came down here and experienced just how strong a wind storm could be. Powerful Hurricains can take down large trees and destroy homes. Water is not stopped by front door and can easily take individuals off gaurd. When those powerful storms or rain start to come I cannot calm down until every individual of our family is home from school or work....it's hard to describe the feelings I experience as our family is gathered home, and the storm continues to rage outside....and I love it! Everyone is safe; we are all together. Sometimes it seems like that is how it should be all the time, my family together and gathered around me, protected, and shut off from the storm that is outside.

Now, I'm sure your thinking where is she going with this? Bear with me....I'm about to make my point......

Perhaps you (like me) have thought how it would be so much easier to withdraw and isolate ourselves from the "storms" of life that we experience all the time. There are many tactics that Satan uses to destroy our homes and families. If Satan can weaken our relationships as family members, he can cause more misery and unhappiness then he could in any other way. This is where I found the "theme" of our family to be "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." My faith and testimony has been strengthened when I go out of my way to share the gospel with a neighbor that doesn't know anything about what we believe. Or when I have my children make a sacrafice to attend family home evening instead of girl scouts, or when Gerald and I take the time to schedule a trip to the temple. I have felt really strongly lately that making those little sacrafices and choices strengthens our family and home. I hope my children will be able to see the importance of serving the Lord like I have!

So now the project.....

Pull out a frame and a can of paint so that it goes with the rest of the decor in the house.

An obstical....pulling the picture out of the frame resulted in a tear in one of my favorite pictures from our wedding day....Thank heavens it was one of my favorites and we had a couple copies of it!

The final product!

Our Little Cheerleader and Dancer

It's Friday Night....and in Texas....That means FOOTBALL!

And for this Friday....Mya was the cheerleader and performer.

For a fundraiser the high school cheerleaders have a mini camp for a week for the rest of the school aged girls in Crosby and then they get to cheer at the football game on Friday. Mya was so excited and kept asking me when cheerleading camp was because she had done it last year. I kept looking for a paper to be sent home from school but we never got one. I asked my friend if she knew what was going on. She called her "resources" and found out that they had forgotten the new school that Mya was at. There was no way that Mya was going to let me out of this one. My solution was to carpool her from school over to another school every day for practice. Then I found a better solution and made sure that Mya's best friend got involved so that her mom could car pool them everyday. Both of the girls had a blast!!!!

Here are the BEST FRIENDS....Anoi and Mya getting ready to go out on the field.

And for this lucky girl...she was also able to participate in the Crosby Star dance fundraiser also!

But that smile makes it all worthwhile....she was one happy girl!

So....I'm sure your all wondering if we won or not?????

Of course we won!

Sample's Of The Night!

CHEERLEADING...

DANCING.......