Hard Day

Well, as you can see the first day back to school just took it out of Denver. This was about 6 p.m. and he had already been out for an hour.

Averi's quote of the day: "Mommy, we didn't have to go meet our teachers this year because we already know them." I guess with all the talk of this being a new year she expected to be in different class today...I don't know.You'll have to excuse the dirty face...she had a hard day too.

The Countdown Begins

We ended the year with a countdown to Christmas. Now we're beginning the year with a countdown to school starting again. I think the first is a bit more exciting for us all. I can't believe how fast life seems to pass these days. I just remember as a child thinking it took forever for Christmas to get here and summer vacation seemed to arrive at a turtle's pace. Now that I am a parent the days pass by so quickly. I have enjoyed these past couple of weeks so much. The house has been filled with so many sounds I hope I never forget. The laughter coming from Denver and Averi makes my heart happy, they have been singing along with their new CD player, they have been running around playing HyperDash (which of course calls for more laughter.) I have so enjoyed snuggling on the couch, taking afternoon naps, and playing the tickle game with them. They are growing so fast and I know soon these moments won't be as easy to come by. I try to cherish each moment and enjoy it to the fullest. I thank the Lord each and every day for blessing me with 2 beautiful children.

Trying to Make Christmas Cards

To Be or Not To Be

This post was originally as long as my arm. I just got on and started venting about everything that frustrates me and after reading it I deleted every bit of it. #1) I felt better after getting it off my chest, #2) It wasn't very positive, #3) who wants to hear me gripe, #4) what good does it do to air my dirty laundry?

I have a job. I have a happy, healthy family. I have a home. I have my health. I have clean clothes (not always ironed, but clean). I have food to eat (sometimes, a little too much). Life is good. May all of you have a blessed day.

I am going to attach some pics of my happy, healthy family. They are random but it's been a while since I have put any pictures on the blog.




Averi and her cousin at Easter.












Miss Averi.















Denver's cheesin' smile.











The 3 amigos, now we have 4 but he came after this photo op...by the way...there will soon be 5.










Probably shouldn't have posted this picture because it's a surprise, but this is only a hint of what's to come. And it's the most recent picture I have of the two together.








Averi made me laugh the day we had pictures made. We have some pretty headstrong individuals in our family and picture day was no exception. We would get one kid to smile and the other wouldn't. Finally get that one to smile and now the first one won't. One would go this way and the other would go that way. Throw in a newborn and well you get the picture. All the while Averi is being so good. She smiled the whole time. She never stopped and probably should have taken a break. I looked at her once and she looked like she smelled the worst smell ever. Her face was all contorted. She was trying to hold this smile and her cheeks just couldn't do it any longer. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen. After it was all said and done we have some wonderful pictures of 4 wonderful kiddos.

Averi's Post

averi poe
cat
denver
4
6
hrc
gina
36

trgf;jogu yhkgbjlkre7i6ytv7oli65frktgbr5mjg4mkbf4tfmg54ik,6jhbgmjviy4rug jht7y6u56t8igyli/u87ou8t56gt7k5uj5bgtr

Averi was begging to type the letter /e/ so I just let her have the keyboard. I think she was trying to type "my mom's the coolest...I want to be just like her when I grow up and I love her more than anything in this whole world." Or something like that.

Be safe trick or treating this weekend. I hope everyone has a blessed night.

A New Gadget

I want to thank Cari and Cheri for introducing me to MixPod. I have just added it to my blog and I must say I have spent too much time searching for songs to add. However, it has given me motivation to actually post something for the first time in 7 months. I will actually be surprised if anyone even reads this because I am certain by this point I have been removed from everyone's friend list due to lack of posts. Oh well, it has been a nice relief from the job I must say. Anyway, as I was searching I came across a video of Judson Laipply. He was a keynote speaker at a conference I went to this summer. He performed a little something he calls The Evolution of Dance. I encourage you to scroll through my playlists until you get to The Evolution of Dance. It brings back memories of those junior high and high school dances. You may even be enticed to get up and dance. Just be careful not to pull a muscle...remember those days of M.C. Hammer and Vanilla Ice were long ago. Evolution of Dance 2 is also pretty funny but I like the Evolution of Dance better. Have a super day and remember to dance, dance, dance!!!

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!!!

Long time, no post. I wish I could blame my lack of posting on my new job, but those of you who know me know that isn't the case. I didn't post when I had my old job. I have come to face reality...I am just a blog slacker. There, I've said it. I believe I have hit rock bottom. It's pretty bad when you dread checking your friends' blogs because your name is at the bottom of their list because it's been so long since your last post. I can only go up from here.

The only picture I have available is this one of my little cowboy. His kindergarten teacher took this picture and emailed it to me. Thanks, Mrs. K. You are the best!!! It was the day of his Valentine tea party and dance. This is one of my favorite pictures of him. I do wonder what he was thinking about.

My next post will be dedicated to the princess of our house. She is very camera shy. Heck, she is just plain shy. I will save that for my next posting.

Blessings to whomever may read this.

Birthday Boy

My baby is growing up. November 6th was my little man's 6th birthday. I can't believe how much he is changing. We spent the day traveling. His kindergarten class went on a field trip to a pumpkin/Christmas tree farm. How cool is that? Getting to go on a field trip on your birthday. It was quite fun. I believe we will be going to chop down our own tree this year. When the field trip was over we headed to West, Texas to watch Wimberley beat Decatur in a playoff volleyball game. Denver and Averi's Aunt Cari is the assistant coach at Wimberley so we were very pleased with the win. As Denver was opening his gift the team surrounded him and began singing "Happy Birthday." With a slight grin and acting cool, Denver completely ignored the girls. Then after it was over he had his picture made with them. I have to say it was cute to watch him react the way he did.

New Look

My blog designer didn't get the credit she so deserves for this wonderful blog make-over. Shelley Hale is quite the creative one. I love my new look. Thank you Shelley...please check her other designs at www.simplyshelleydesigns.blogspot.com I am certain she can capture the blog that best suits you. She is really great!!!

Coaches Meeting

Denver is having a great time playing t-ball this year. It is amazing how far they come from one year to the next. Anyway, I like to consider myself assistant coach. Well, last night the head coach's family and the assistant coach's family got together for some team planning. Even though it is "just" t-ball we needed to make some preparations for upcoming games. I think we all had a picture in mind. We thought the boys would practice their throwing and catching. The kids had something else in mind. You can see what we got.

Cinderella and Batman

Precious, yet ferocious, Lion and Pterodactyl.

There wasn't much baseball played but fun was had by all. I think we said good-bye at 11:00 on a school night. Yes, we are parents of the year. Even if we did practice I don't think it will matter. Three of our players will be asleep in the outfield because their parents kept them out too late last night.

Have a great day!!!

Slowly But Surely

Well as many of you know we have been working on our kitchen for probably 3 years now. I think the picture below may be an indicator as to why it has taken so long. You never can tell what kind of help you're going to get. "Tykes in Toolbelts" are definitely a cute duo but probably not the most efficient. Once they get started the really get a lot done. Here is our kitchen during demolition. Who would think these tiny tikes could do so much damage?


Here are a few more of the kitchen when it was pretty much gutted.

The little girl liked to sit down on the job a lot. She also had this thing for ballet. It was hard to keep her motivated on the kitchen. Usually a few cookies and milk were enough to lure her back to the job. However, I found her so cute that it was hard to get too mad at her.

But as you can see Tykes 'n Toolbelts did a pretty fabulous job. We still have few cabinets to add as well as some crown molding and base boards but I think you can get an idea of how it's going to look. I am so very excited to have the kitchen pretty much back to normal. And more importantly look at the floor. No more glue crusted cement to walk on anymore. It is great. I have to say the floor is probably my favorite right now because it is the most recent improvement AND we did it all by ourselves. That makes it that much more sweet.

Little Ballerina

Well, Averi had to miss ballet class due to a 104 degree temperature. She has been so sick for about 5 days. Actually, I think she is on the mend now but I was very worried about her for a while. Anyway, after checking Betsy's blog and seeing how cute all the girls were I couldn't wait to put Averi in her dance clothes. She was just as precious as I thought she would be.

One thing we really like to do for cheap entertainment is take funny pictures of ourselves with the digital camera. It provides hours of endless fun. This is something Derek's sister, Cari, started. Anyway, Denver and Averi got a hold of my camera and here are some of the pictures I found.

Aren't they goofy? I love every minute with them. My prayer is that they will always enjoy one another and get along as they do now. Don't get me wrong they argue, fuss, and fight but all in all they get along well. Denver is always quick to defend Averi and she is always there to take care of Denver. It is so fun watching them interact. I never had a sibling as close to me in age so it is all new to me. I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

I Wanna Sing, Sing, Sing

Thanks you so much Shelley. I love that you have gotten so into this blogging. I am envious of your skills. I wish I could figure it all out, but having you is the next best thing. I love my music. I doubt I will ever figure out how to add new songs so I may get very familiar with the 3 that are on my playlist. Anyway, you are awesome!!! Thanks again.

Hello Fellow Bloggers

Hello blogging friends...I thought I would surprise you all with a little post. I hope this finds you all well. I must say that I have the blogging blues. I am terrible at keeping up with my posts and I sometimes feel like a slacker. I asked myself the other day why it is so hard for me to keep up with my blog. I think it is because I see most of you everyday so by the time it's time to post something it is old news to most of you. Then I started thinking about those of you that I see everyday and I always learn something new in your life by checking your blog. So instead of being a blogger burn-out, I am going to continue to blog and hopefully through this I can make you smile the way you all have made me smile as I read through your blogs.

Here is a picture of my new do. It is very short but also very easy to do. I keep telling myself it is just hair and it will grow back. I have found this to be so true. I cut it a little over a week ago and it is already getting too long to fix. This isn't the best picture but you can get the idea. If you look closely in this picture you will probably see a familiar face in the background.

Below are a few pictures of Denver at the stock show. I was so proud of him for getting in the ring with a lamb. His seemed to be the wildest of all the lambs but he held on tight. One of Denver's good friends was standing next to him and I think at one time his lamb started chewing 0n the little girl's hair and her number. I can't believe how fast he is growing.

As for this week both the kids are so sick. They have RSV and it has been an awful week for them. They are both so sweet when they are sick. Denver has used please and thank you more this week than he has in the last six months. Well, he says please and thank you but he often has to be reminded. Not when he is sick...he is so well behaved. And little Averi, she is so sweet. When I told her I had to go to work today her little chin started to quiver and she said, "I just want you to stay here forever and ever." Talk about melt your heart. You don't know how bad I wanted to pick up the phone and call in a sub.

In My Mind I'm Kenyan

Well I did it. Actually several of us did it. We ran in the White Rock Marathon last Sunday. What an experience. The marathon benefits the Scottish Rites Children's Hospital. This year was the largest marathon in it's history. I wasn't prepared for the weather, well I was prepared but at mile 6 I started taking off layers. Little did I know, I was going to need those layers at mile 10. That was when the cold hit. My fingers felt as if they may fall off if something even slightly hit them. I couldn't open any of my energy supplements because my hands were too numb. I remember saying that I would never do this again. Then I saw the finish line and I have to say crossing the finish line took away any pain I may have felt earlier in the race. Now that I have finished, I am already thinking about next time.

Family Reunion

This weekend was the Adams' family reunion. This is Derek's grandmother's side of the family. They are so good to meet every year around the same time of the year and the turn out is always great. It's nice to get together for things other than just funerals or weddings. Don't be confused...Derek is holding his niece, Madilyn. We didn't have another baby; however, if we would be guaranteed one like Madilyn, we might. She is such a great baby.



One of the favorite things for the kids to do is to go down to the creek and skip rocks. Here are Denver and Averi at the creek. Denver looks a little more devilish than his sister. You can tell he is always up to something.

Hamilton Road Runners

Here is our winning relay team. That's right we took 1st place in our division. And the best part is we weren't the only team in our division. We actually won fair and square. The other coed members were probably on walkers but that's okay...we will take a win.All the members of our team are very competitive and do the very best we can when in a competition. However, one runner stands out above the rest. You see LeeAnn and I bowing down to him and his 36 minute 6.5 mile run. It was fun and now I have to prepare myself for the whole marathon in December. Yippee!!!

Update

Well the kitchen remodel is coming along. We now have all appliances hooked up and running. Wait...the dishwasher isn't hooked up but who cares? At least I have a sink to wash the dishes in, I know longer have to bend over the side of the bathtub to wash a pan. And I finally have an oven and stove. We are going to get so fat with all the cooking I have been doing. Derek probably wishes he had done something sooner. I am sure the newness will wear off soon and there won't be so many home-cooked meals but for now I am loving it. I will have to post pics soon. We don't have the floor in and there are still about 12 cabinet doors that need to be installed. These are things I can live without. When you go for nearly 3 years without an oven a floor is least of your problems.

Denver is playing soccer. He really likes it. It is so much fun to watch them. You all know I tend to get a little competitive so this is teaching me a serious lesson. I don't think we have won a game yet. We had a tie score last week so that is good. Denver scored 3 goals, that's not to say he didn't have help from other members of the team but he was the one that got to kick it in the goal. I wish I had pics to post of that but my camera is out in the car.

Averi fell last Sunday after church and I guess it's the first time she has been really hurt. She scraped both of her knees pretty badly. She cried for about 2 hours after the fall. She would finally calm down then the minute she looked at her knees she remembered she was hurt and the tears would come again. She was still milking it at 9:00 that night. It was so funny to watch her walk. She kept her knees bent and her bottom sticking out. She looked just like a little old granny with poor posture. I am sure this is God's way of making me more patient. I finally told her she was just going to have to shake it off. Is this something moms should say to their daughters? Probably not.

Hope all is well with everyone. Maybe some pictures will accompany the next post.

Long time no post

Yes it is me...can you believe it? It has been so long since my last blog I don't even no where to begin. We have a new niece, Madilyn Bryce. I don't guess you could consider her new anymore she was born in May. But like I said, it's been awhile since my last blog. Anyhow, Madilyn is so cute, she looks a lot like Derek. More so than Derek's own children.

Let's see what else has happened. Oh yes, I felt like mother of the year when I looked in Denver's mouth and found a cavity. I wish it had only been one cavity. I took him to the dentist only to find out he had 8 cavities. Four teeth were beyond repair so the dentist extracted those four teeth and put silver caps on the other four cavities. Denver was so brave. The process took four different trips to the dentist and each time Denver was a trooper. I was so proud of him. I felt like scum of the earth for letting his teeth get into that shape, but the dentist assured me part of the problem is hereditary, part is due to the chronic ear infections and antibiotics he took as a baby, and of course part of it is due to lack of parental supervision while brushing. Now that it is all said and done, Denver loves his silver teeth. He loves showing them off and I must say it makes me feel great when he is showing them off to people I barely know. Here he is with his money from the tooth fairy.

Okay other happenings around our place: the kids now have a dachshund puppy (not really a puppy anymore), we are in the middle of a kitchen remodel (it is coming along slowly but surely), I will post pictures of that later (maybe my next bi-annual posting), Denver has started pre-school on MWF. When I dropped him off, I was fine, but as I was walking up the stairs to my school I started crying. He will be going with me next year. I can't believe how the time has flown by. I sometimes find myself wishing the kids were a little bigger so they would be tall enough to ride rides at Six Flags or do the water slides at Schlitterbahn. As I was walking up the stairs that morning I realized that they will be big enough very soon and then I will wish they were younger and smaller again. I then decided to quit wishing for the next stages to get here. I love my kids so much and I have to enjoy the stage they are in at the moment because they will be moving out of one and into the next in the blink of an eye. Here are Denver's first day of school pics.

I know this is a long post but I hate to not mention anything about Averi. She is growing up so fast. I look at her and she has moved out of the baby stage and now looks like a little girl. She loves her new cousin, Madilyn, so very much. She is such a little mommy. She actually takes care of all of us. She helps Denver find things he's missing, she brings Derek his boots every morning, and she loves to get wet rags and help me clean. Right now she has a song book and is singing at the top of her lungs. I have no idea what she is singing (it's a cross of her ABCs and The B-I-B-L-E) but it is loud and pretty. She may even clap every once in awhile. Who taught her that? Anyway, I believe I have posted all I can think of for now. I have to save something for next time.