Field Day 2010

Kylee's favorite day of the spring semester finally arrived-FIELD DAY!! She was so excited. It was a beautiful day and pretty hot so all the water that they played in was extra appreciated. The PE coach spends so much time getting this day ready and making it so fun for the kids. There is no real competition more fun activities and lots of exercise running around. Kylee's favorite thing at field day were the water slides and this Survivor like game where they are putting a puzzle together while they await the arrival of water being dumped on them. The only drawback to field day was the allergic rash she got from the sunscreen on her face for the next 5 days. Kylee wanted me to add that she had an awesome time and that no one was absent that day:)

Daisy to a Brownie

This past month Kylee has had lots of fun with Girl Scouts. She has been promoted from a Daisy to a Brownie. They did lots of celebrating for this. They had a gymnastics party to mark the end of Daisy's and then they had the bridging ceremony where they received their Brownie sash and got pinned for Brownies. Kylee has enjoyed Girl Scouts and the little girls in it are all in 1st grade at her school so it if nice to get to know them and their parents. She is still going to do it for at least one more year and I know she is excited about that.

Mothers Day

I had a great Mother's Day. The girls were so excited about this day. Katie infact really thought it was my birthday and insisted that we sing Happy Birthday several times. We tried to explain it to her but just decided it was her fun way to enjoy the day. I was greeted with two smiley girls with gifts at 8 am sharp. Charley said it was hard to keep them out of the bedroom till then. They had made me fun cards and Kylee's was very extensive and long! They got me a "fancy" (Katie's word) dress and CD. I loved it all. We just relaxed and got ready for lunch where we met my family for lunch at the Gaylord Texan. It is so yummy and nice. This is our 3rd year to go and I love it! The girls love the chocolate fondue fountain or mountain as Katie calls it. I love all of it. We had a great time and took tons of pics and the ones below are the best it gets with that many people. After lunch we came home and I took a 2 hour nap!! It was so perfect. I love being a mommy and the two little girls that made me a mommy with all my heart. Not every day is easy or great but it is the job I dreamed of my whole life. I am so thankful for a husband who supports me as a stay at home mom and tells me all the time what a great mom I am. I couldn't enjoy a day like this with out thanking the ones that make this day possible and rewarding. The day ended with me cuddling my sweet girls and a couple times of Happy Birthday sung to me:)

Baby Shower for Kylee's Teacher

Kylee's teacher is having a baby in July and we threw her a "surprise" baby shower during teacher appreciation week. The kids were so excited to do this and couldn't wait for the shower. To say it was a surprise should be used very loosely and it really bugged a couple of the kids that some of them had told her about the shower. It was fun and Kylee was so excited to celebrate the day. The deco was very girly and the kids ate cake, played guess the baby food game and pass the paci (hot potato), and watched gifts be opened. It was great!

Katie's Preschool Program

Katie had her end of the year preschool program a couple weeks ago and she did such a great job. She had told us weeks ahead of time the song but said we had to wait until the program to hear it and see the hand motions. She did a great job and did all the hand motions and smiled a bunch. My favorite part was when they had to act cool and fold their arms. They also said a verse with motions first: "I will always praise the Lord."Psalms (it's in the middle) 44:1. She had practiced that a bunch with us and we thought it was adorable esp. the it's in the middle part. After the show we went to her turtle class and had snacks and got her ABC book. She was very proud of it and being a turtle this year. We love our little turtle and can't believe the year is over. Way to Go Miss Katie!

Daddy/Kid Camping Trip 2010

This is my annual opportunity to take over Lana's blog and tell about our Daddy/kid camping trip. This trip started with a few Dad's and our kids and has increased to 13 Dad's and 25 kids this year. The girls always look forward to this event. I have to say I do as well. I am in need of sleep when we return, but it is worth it. We left after our soccer game on Saturday and headed to Mineral Wells State Park. This was our first year to have our own tent. If you know me well, you know I am not handy. The joke for the first few hours was whether or not I was going to be able to get my tent up. Thankfully, with the help of a few good friends, I did it (and it stayed up all night long!!). We went hiking, fishing, and exploring around our campsite. The girls love being able to freely run around our campsite with their friends and just do something they don't get to do that often (be unsupervised, just kidding - be out in nature). We came together around dinner time. Chez Brenda (Brandon) made hot dogs (which Kylee said were the best she ever had) for the kids and fish tacos for the Dad's (I know, we were roughing it). We followed that up with S'More's. Kylee eats the full S'More while Katie just kept walking by the table and grabbing another Hershey's bar when she thought nobody was looking (thinking she had about 2 full bars before the night was over). After S'More's, we went to the amphitheatre to see a presentation of all the different sounds in the woods. One of the Park Rangers put on a presentation that lasted about 1.5-2 hours. We made it through about 45 minutes before the kids decided they were done. Kylee and her friends were busy chatting with each other, and Katie was fast asleep in my arms. We woke up the next morning to homemade donuts and bacon - who could ask for anything more. We then went fishing, which always ends up as swimming! We had a blast, and I look forward to this trip more and more every year.

My favorite part of the entire trip is just before we go to sleep and right when we wake up. I get the chance to cuddle with my two favorite little girls and talk about the day. It is like God allows me to hit the pause button on life and really appreciate the two blessings they are. I tend to get so busy that I don't often appreciate the time to just pause and enjoy my little girls. There is a line in the movie Enchanted, where the daughter says, "Dad, I am only 6," and the Dad responds, "Yeah, but you won't always be." As I look at my two little girls, I am so thankful for the opportunity to do things like this with them, to pause real life and just spend time focused on them. I get small moments to build a deeper bond with them. I also enjoy getting to watch them enjoy time with their friends and enjoy nature. I realize they won't always be 7 and 4, so I am thankful for these moments when we create bonds that will last well beyond 7 and 4. God is good for these moments, and I realize how much He loves me as I watch my two little girls play, eat, and sleep.

I love you both and thank God for you daily. God made you to do amazing things, and I am proud and thankful to be called your Daddy. I can't wait until next year.

Love, Daddy

Happy Mothers Day to My Mom!!

Happy Mothers Day to My Mom!! I have never devoted a blog post just to my mom but I know she reads my blog so I wanted to surprise her with this post. I have always told my mom she will have angel wings in heaven one day. She is truly the kindest, most selfless person I know. She still takes care of me, my dad, my sister, now my girls, my sisters kids, and visits the elderly regularly. It really is her gift. When we were kids my granny, her mom, lived with us and my mom took great care of her then my dads mom lived with them and she took great care of her. She really gave up her own needs to care for others and continues to. My mom drops everything when I need her. She always sees the good in others and doesn't remember wrongs. I think it is funny because my sister and I tell her remember how much we fought and were bad and she has no memory of that. I talk to my mom daily and sometimes many times. It has been the biggest blessing to have my parents close by. My mom really is the best and is living out the Proverbs 31:28-31, "Her children arise and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praises her. Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. " I am also amazed at all the times I call my mom and when I ask her what she is doing she has been reading the bible and praying for her prayer list. What a great example of how she is using her time. She also loves my girls so much and they love her so much. She spends lots of time with them and they love their special dates with my mom, esp trips to Target. She really is the best mom and I love her dearly and am thankful the Lord blessed me with letting her be my mom!! I LOVE YOU MOM!!!