Who is on vacation anyway?

This is Bella playing with Choco the neighbor dog.  The kids got to go swimming so Bella did too!  Leah said that Choco was a tennis ball bully...I laughed...Bella needs someone to give her a run for her money!!!

 Our super awesome, spectacular, very kind and wonderful friends the Daileys agreed to keep Bella while we are on our vacation in South Padre.  We dropped her off this morning on our way out of town.  Look at these pictures...who is really on vacation anyway?  That dog is going to be sooo spoiled!!  She is getting to have a little fun of her own while she is at the "Dailey Pet Resort".  (seriously Leah is a saint!...2 horses, 2 dogs, 1 cat and the occasional mouse!)  Kyler especially appreciated seeing these pictures!!!  He cried for the first 20 mins we were driving because he was going to miss Bella.  (oh please)  Shawn loved seeing these too...you should've heard him trying to give Mary instructions this morning about all the love Bella needed and all the pampering she needed!  (oh please again) 

Leah...when I get back I owe you a BIG bag of Ghiradelli chocolate chips!!!!!  I was going to bring them when I dropped Bella but I ran out of time!  :o)

Overcoming my Insecurities!!!

  So seriously not trying to be conceited!!!  Although there is really no need to explain myself...this is MY blog after all and I can post whatever I want for whatever reason I want!...right?!!  I just feel like maybe 2 posts in a row with me in the pictures (for me) is a little "Tara-overload".  I am trying really, really hard to not be such a pill about having my picture taken!  The kids are always asking "Why aren't you in any of the pictures?"  Well for me that was an easy answer...I don't photograph well...fat just doesn't!  No matter how hard you try to hide behind people or props!  So since I have been losing weight and feeling better about myself I am trying, really for the sake of my kids, to be in more pictures and not fight them when they want to take a picture of me!  Someday they will want to look back through their scrapbooks and I assume they would like to remember they had a mom!  :o) 
  So this is me....getting past my insecurities about being photographed and then letting them be viewed by the public.  Even as I type this my hands are sweaty, my anxiety is reaching all new levels of high and I am thinking I don't have to hit the post button when I am finished typing and reading and rereading this to make sure it's perfect!  (I have no OCD issues, really!!)  

  This picture was taken by Kailee...wanting me to pose in all different kinds of ways. (the way I make her do)  Out of a bazillion pictures this was the only one I liked ( and even this one I think my arm looks awful and posting this is just crazy to me!!)  We also learned I do not have that acting ability to "pose" for pictures....apparently I know 2 looks...smiling and not smiling.  Kailee is trying to teach me how to be comfortable in front of the camera....I have a loooonnngg way to go!  :o)   

Photoshoot by Tyson

 Tyson and mom....on our way to the Astros Game

So the boys and I were on our own this last week.  Kailee was at Girls Camp and Shawn was in the Turks and Caicos Islands on vacation...I mean "work"!.  We woke up Tuesday and I thought what can we do that's fun today!  I surprised the boys by getting tickets to the Astros Game for that night!  (Mom of the Year right here people!)  We decided to stop at Freebirds for dinner on our way to the game.  (seriously one of my most favorite places to eat!!!)  But before all of that happened Tyson wanted a photo shoot.  He wanted to practice is photo skills!  You will notice as you look through that he really took to heart the artistic side of photography and took tons of photos with the camera at an angle.  (almost so much so you have to tilt your head sideways to see them!)  He did a great job!  The only exception was the picture above which Kyler took.  (It's not the best of Tyson but I look pretty good in it...so it's goin' on the blog!)

 This one was taken while I was looking upstairs to talk to Austin...sneaky Ty

 bein' silly...at the photographers request

 Austin joined in on the fun too

 Kyler wanted a solo shot and so the photographer agreed!

Things we hope to do this Summer {2011}

Things we want to do this summer...the kids and I came up with this list.  We will add to it as we figure out more fun we want to have!!
We thought it would be fun to keep track on the blog!  Maybe we will see how much we accomplish and make it through the whole list!!  Here goes...

go to South Padre
  -Schlitterbahn in Padre
  -turtle rescue
  -Pirate Ship Cruise  (it rained the last 2 days we were there and so we didn't get to do this)
Schlitterbahn in Galveston
Natural History Museum
Astros Game...one  two  three
Drive-In Movies
send Kailee to Girls Camp
paint the Laundry Room
get the boys beds painted
get vinyl finished for Ty & Kyler's room
Pirate's Bay in Baytown
get Kailee into and through Driver's Ed....which also means I have to add
get Kailee her driver's permit
see all the movies on our list
  Transformers 3
  Mr. Popper's Penguins
  Cars 2
  Zookeeper
  Monte Carlo
  Kung Fu Panda 2
  Harry Potter
  Pirates of the Caribbean
  Soul Surfer
  Captain America
  The Smurfs
  X-Men First Class
send Austin on High Adventure
Shawn to take the boys camping or canoeing
Ty & Kyler going to OLC Camp
Kailee and Austin going to EFY
go to the Car Races
go to Ritter's
take the kids up to the temple grounds and have a picnic lunch
clean out and organize the closet under the stairs (if nothing else happens but this I will consider it a successful summer)
get Austin's wisdom teeth pulled
get Austin's braces on
everyone needs their teeth cleaned
have a read in
go to a concert
lots and lots of swimming  (we are doing great with this one!)
Miller Outdoor Theater
go boating at Lake Conroe

Pack Meeting

 The Wolves were in charge of the Flag Ceremony...Kyler is way back there...he got to carry the pack flag!

 Kyler earned his Bobcat!!!  AND is it any surprise that the very first award he earned as a Cub Scout was the Video Game Belt Loop!!!!  :o)

 Kyler liked pinning the Bobcat Pin on me! 

 Tyson earned quite a few awards too...he is on his way to earning his Webelos!!

(The pics aren't great quality...we just used our bloggie and it was dark in that Primary Room!)

End of the School Year

 Kyler is finished with 2nd grade!!  I really can't believe it!!  (When we moved to Katy in 2005 this was how old Austin was!)  How did everyone grow up so stinkin' fast?!  His teacher Mrs. Smith is the lady in the far left of the picture.

 Giggling with Jacob before their names were called to go on stage and get their awards!

 This is the new principal at King, Mrs. Wilhelm.  Kyler was such a great student this year!!!  He earned the Academic Excellence Award (which means all A's all year long), he received the Knightly Citizenship Award, (teachers choose a few of their students who show signs of great citizenship throughout the year), he also got the Royal Court Award!!  They only choose 8 students from each grade level for the whole year!  See the picture below to see the message his teacher wrote as to why he got this award!

What Mrs. Smith wrote.....Kyler has been an excellent student this year.  He has shown integrity and has been someone who can always be counted on to do the right thing.  He has been such a pleasure to teach.

Hug from Robert the Lion (this day it was Mr. Whitman, the PE teacher who my boys just LOVE!!!)

 Kyler also was chosen to be on the cover of the Awards Program

 The 4th graders playing their recorders!  Tyson loved that about 4th grade! 

 Can you believe that sweet little face is going to be in 5th grade next year!?  He will rule the school!!  He is the first one of my kids to go all the way through one elementary school!!!

 Tyson won some awesome awards this year too!  He received the Knightly Citizenship Award from his teacher.  He was also 1 of 2 students in all of 4th grade to get an Art Award!!  His favorite award is the one he got from his teacher, Mrs. Serna-Fraga for being a great helper!  His favorite thing to do was help her in some way around the classroom!! 

 Tyson also tried out for KBC (King Broadcasting Channel) The school's news that is run by the kids.  He made it!!!  He is very excited to be on the news every morning next year!

 Every year Robert the Lion is there to give them a hug and congratulate them!!  One of these times I will have to post all the pics from every hug throughout the years!

Doesn't Austin look excited!!! 

We are very proud of him and Kailee and all their accomplishments this year too!!  Austin made a change to his schedule and will be doing Theater Tech next year instead of band!  Austin also won 3rd place in the district wood show for his desk and chair AND 3rd place at Katy Jr. High too!  Kailee made Varsity Choir!!!  WAHOO!!!!!!  2 kids in high school in the fall!!!  WOW