First Day of School - Price

Price's first day of Kindergarten! Where has time gone? I can't believe that he is "in" school now! He was so very excited about it, and unlike Rylee - didn't change his mind once we got there. He already has a best friend whose name is Jacob. He was a little concerned that his "tote bag" that he has to carry looks like a purse. He said that it looked like a girls. I had to assure him that it was a book bag not a purse and that all of the boys would have them! Here he is - all dressed in his uniform with his "book bag".
Here's Price with Chris outside of school on his first day.
Price with his teacher, Mrs. South. She is a true blessing to us as it is so evident that she genuinely loves and cares for all of her students. She is such a sweet lady, and Price adores her! She had to remind Price to give his mommy a kiss and a hug the first morning. Of course, I was a little teary, but I managed to hold it together. He has done GREAT at school - even learned his first 2 memory verses rather easily. It took us a long time to decide where he should go to school - public or private and which private. But we feel sure we made the right decision and we couldn't be happier!

First day of school - Rylee

Rylee's first day back at Mother's Day out! She was very excited!
Until we got there... then she had a change of heart! This is the face I got!!


















She finally warmed up to the idea as she saw some of her friends from last year!

Rylee's 3rd Birthday

Here's my Rylee - all dressed up in her "party dress". I can't believe how grown up she looks in this picture. When we went to order her cake, she was so excited to pick it out. But when it was time to leave, and we were leaving without a cake... on her actual birthday.... her little lip puckered out. She tried not to cry, but she couldn't hold it in. Chris couldn't stand it. We tried to explain it to her, but she kept saying but it is my birthday! So, we got some cupcakes for that night. We had a great time celebrating her birthday with friends and family. I can't believe my baby is 3!!! Below are pics from our little party at home and then the big party with her Hello Kitty cake.

2008 Summer Vacation in Texas

Contact info for Wendy and Brian

Here is Wendy's email address: shackleon@aol.com
and here is their new mailing address: 1615 Cole Mill Road Durham, North Carolina 27705-2407
I copied and pasted the following from their caringbridge site. It is a way to send a telegram directly to their room... fast, easy, and free!

"Another way that we can receive contact that is relatively easy is by going to Dukehealth.org. Check the Patient and Visitor Info Tab to the left column. Check the Send a Card Tab and then click on Duke University Hospital. Brian’s room is 4206. This is a quick and easy way to send sunshine to our room. They deliver the telegrams with a smile- for FREE! We are finding all the "little things" mean so much."

Brian and Wendy Update and Website

Here is the link to Brian's website: http://www.caringbridge.org/

There will be a blank where you need to enter the website name. The site name is brianleonard - no spaces and all lower case letters.


I have received a couple of emails from Wendy since my last post. I emailed her a list of all of you guys who have asked me to relay your thoughts and prayers to her. I have been overwhelmed by how many of you have contacted me, and I know it means alot to her to have so many of you all praying for them - even if you have lost track of each other over the years. She asked me to thank you all for the prayers and good wishes.

I know all of you who know (or knew) Wendy well - know that there is just something special about her that draws people to her. You just can't help but to like the girl. She always had this inner strength about her which is so apparent now. What a blessing that is for Brian! And Brian - well he and Zach were the first 2 people that Sheri and I met at Harding at Student Impact. Sheri and I always had a great time with those 2 whether it was driving to Little Rock for the UAPB game at War Memorial Stadium or just going to TCBY. They made us laugh so hard at some of the crazy things they would come up.

Please continue to pray for both Brian and Wendy, their families, and their friends.

Prayers for Wendy Shack and Brian Leonard

Hello all,

Unfortunately, today's post is a dismal one. For all of you Kojies and HU people, Wendy Shackelford Leonard and Brian are in need of our prayers. Brian has been fighting a brain tumor for the past 10 years. They have recently moved back to NC for chemo at Duke. During his treatments, he contracted bacterial menengitis. They have had a very hard week and has been on a respirator and feeding tube. I believe he is off of the respirator now, but he still has alot to overcome. His tumor is now a stage 3. Please pray for Wendy and Brian. Wendy is so strong - she always has been.

Also, please pray for Sheri and Zach Jacobsen - Zach and Brian have been best friends since middle school.

I'll post his caring bridge site here later.

Cheer Camp

I am at University of Tennessee - Big Orange Country - at cheer camp. We are tired, sore and pretty much ready to have the long bus haul home over with! We have had a great time - but I may be getting too old for this! My legs are so sore because for some strange reason I decided to actually learn the hip hop dance. This dance is something that girls between the ages of 14 and 21 should have no problem with - but at 33... I just can't seem to move the same way I used to without severe muscle soreness!! Oh well, tomorrow supposedly I have to do it on stage with 2 other coaches! Ha - that should be on yout ube within a day or 2. Good grief!

I miss the kids - but know they are having fun. Mom said they are trying all kinds of new food some of which I think I are disgusting!! Oh well, at least they are open to try new things!

7:00 will be entirely too early for me tomorrow - so I better get to bed!

The first few weeks of summer

Well, I can't believe what I just did. I just hugged and kissed my 2 babies and put them in my parents' van and watched them drive away. I have officially allowed my parents to take my children for 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS~!!!!! July 2, I will fly home to get them and fly back with them. I am still shocked that Chris and I let them leave. We went to dinner with friends tonight and have returned to a very quiet house. I don't like it ... at all!! I don't think I know how to exist without 2 sweet little ones to bathe and feed and tuck into bed at night. I miss them so much already it is ridiculous!!!

Okay, so on to what we have been up to. Chris and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. We spent a weekend without the kids this past weekend (we wouldn't have done that if I had known the kids would be leaving!!) We just stayed at the Hilton here. We went to dinner with some friends of ours Friday night. Sat morning we got up and ran a 5k. Chris and I have both been running again, and it is fun to have a hobby that we both enjoy. It was a very hilly course with 2 long hills near the end that like to have killed us both! But we made it and we were both excited to have the first of many behind us! After a quick shower, we decided to go do some shopping and then we ate at Paula Dean's new place. We decided to just go to a movie - we saw The Incredible Hulk. I loved it. The next morning we got up, ran to get some donuts and met his mom at the house to get the kids ready for church. My parents drove over and met us at church that morning. It was nice to spend Father's Day with my daddy. The kids gave both Chris and my dad cards where they had recorded their voices saying "Happy Father's Day - Love Price and Rylee We love you." It was very cute - even though it took me about 80 times to get them to say it at the right time, without the phone ringing in the background, etc... We took the dads out to Texas de Brazil Sunday night for dinner. We were all surprised at how much Price and Rylee ate!!

We enjoyed my parents being here this week. The kids have really loved seeing their MiMi and Papaw. Rylee and Price kept talking about going with them. I haven't decided if mom and dad brainwashed them of it or if they were really just wanting to go. Rylee even said, "If momma misses me, I will not cry." Either way, it is good for them all. They don't get to see each other much since they live a good 20 hours from here. I am sure this will make memories for all of them! If I can get through it!!

I am off to cheer camp Mon - Fri of next week so I will be keeping busy. Then I will be home for just a few days before heading to get the kids. I know I will be very ready to see their sweet little faces. Chris will be bacheloring it here at home ... completely alone!

10 things I will NEVER do and 10 things I would LOVE to do...

1. I will never live in Alaska - or anywhere else that is FREEZING!
2. I will never jump from an airplane - unless my life depends on it.
3. I will never like raw fish. (Adina has introduced me to fru fru sushi - and I admit that it is pretty good, but that's as far as I can go.)
4. I will never get used to being away from my family. :(
5. I will never stop being in awe with my kids and my husband. They ARE AMAZING!
6. I will never be able to go to the movies without wanting popcorn.... salty, salty popcorn. (Frances is the only person who can outsalt me!) Same goes with passing Sonic without a getting a drink.
7. I will never stop being annoyed at chewing gum on the bottom of my shoe or on my clothes for that matter.
8. I will never stop worrying about silly things that I should not worry about!
9. I will never have an indoor pet - except for a fish - which we do have!
10. I will never stop craving sweet tea... even though I don't drink it anymore.



1. I would love to live in Texas again - closer to family and Steph. Wouldn't it be fun to raise our kids together!!??
2. I would love to run a marathon.
3. I would love to be able to eat whatever I want, whenever I want... and not worry about the scale or the mirror.
4. I would love to go back to grad school - and will someday very soon!
5. I would love to have our cabin and boat back.... why did we sell it again?
6. I would love to have a bigger house!!
7. I would love to be better at taking pictures and documenting my kids growing up!
8. I would love to go back to Harding for a week.... like really go back to say... 1995 with all of my friends and acquaintances and of course the body and carefree life that I had then. I have lost touch with so many friends! Wouldn't a reunion like that be fun?!
9. I would love to be able to sing, but I can't - so I try not to torture those around me.
10. I would love to have more time with my grandparents and family members who have passed away... so they could meet my kids, etc...

Time to catch up!

Well, I am sufficiently behind in blogging several important things from the month of May. I have a video of Price riding his bike for the first time without training wheels, pictures of his school program and graduation, pictures of Drew Livia - my brother's beautiful baby girl, and Mother's Day. I don't know that I will ever catch up! Here is a picture of Drew. She arrived on May 15th weighing 8lbs 10oz. I went to Little Rock to help Tara and Darold over Memorial Day weekend and to see the cute little girl. She is PRECIOUS!! Just absolutely beautiful. Price and Rylee are so excited about Baby Drew. They say their prayers at night and thank God for Baby Drew, Uncle Darold, and Aunt Tara. It is so cute to see them so excited about their new cousin. I'll have to catch up with pics and videos on the other events from May in another post.

Price said the funniest thing this week. He came into my room and said, "Mom, we need to take Rylee back to the Baby Shop because she keeps fighting with me. Let's take her back and get a new baby. This time - let's get one with red hair and a ribbon on top of her head." Rylee's quick response was to take Price back instead. Price said that he was a boy - not a baby and could not be returned! Too cute!

On another note, it has been so fun to watch the 2 of them become friends. They love to play with each other now, and it is so much fun to just sit back and watch them. I'm trying to document the cute things that they are doing so that I won't forget.

We have finished our first full week of summer, and we are gearing up for week 2! We spent the 1st week just relaxing. We went to the park (in the rain) with the Hutchins and spent the end of week in the pool! VBS starts tomorrow for Price at our neighbors' church. I know he will have a blast. We also have swim lessons the next 2 weeks for both Price and Rylee, so we will be busy. But it is more fun that way. Chris and I will be going to a wedding this weekend in Oxford. We are looking forward to having a "date"! We are also taking a mini vacation together for our anniversary. It'll just be a long weekend, but kid free! :)

I have officially started training.... again. I have a friend who I have convinced to run as well. She has never really run before, but I think I do better having someone who I feel like I have to push and who is relying on me! I have to have a partner. Otherwise, it is too easy to rationalize not going. We did 2.5 miles tonight. It feels great!! Traci and Marli, we have really got to get together for a half this year!

I'm going to try to be better about updating! I'm off to catch up on all of you!

Tagged

I am... a tired mom of 2 beautiful kidos and a wife to a great man!



I think... best late at night... often in the shower or bath tub, usually with chocolate or something sweet!



I know... hmmm - what do I know? All I can think of is "I know, I know that my Redeemer lives ..."



I wish... I got to see my family more often.



I dislike... pretentious people.



I miss... my family. (Do you see a theme here!?)



I fear... losing a loved one.



I feel... sorry for Carol Parker.



I hear... Law and Order... and Rylee snoring every now and then.



I wonder... what tomorrow will bring.



I love... my family, chocolate, cheerleading, and of course the beach.



I ache... for those who have lost children.



I always... wear my seat belt!



I am not... going to get everything done this week!



I sing... any and all 80's songs!! Loudly. In the Car. Out of tune.



I cry... not very often! I usually let it build up for a good ole sob session.



I don't always... take time to smell the roses.



I write... not as often as I should! I used to keep a journal ... now this is my journal!



I never... say never.



I listen... to 80's music!



I need... to go to bed!



I hope... for the best for my kids.



I tag... anyone who wants to do it!

Tagged again

I've been tagged by Traci R!

What I was doing 10 years ago:
*Teaching math and Spanish and coaching cheerleading at a private high school
*Dating around .... not realizing that I was about to meet the man of my dreams (June 98)
*Spending every spare minute at Pickwick waterskiing, shopping, or laying out at the pool - totally living the single life.
*Living in an apartment with Leslie Miller

Five things on my to do list for today:
*Take the kids to MDO
*Spa appointment
*Laundry and clean house
*Tball game
*Return phone calls

I would do if I were a billionaire:
*Share with my family and friends.
*Pay off the house.
*Take a vacation.
*Give to my alma mater (VCHS)
*Find a way to make a difference in this world.

Three of my bad habits:
* Staying up too late.
* Eating too late.
* Procrastinating.

Five places I have lived:
* Alamo, TX
* Searcy, AR
*Jackson, TN
*Addison, TX
*Memphis, TN

5 jobs I have had:
*waitress (HS and 1 summer of college)
*cheer coach and choreographer
*RA at Harding
*teacher
*sales rep for Varsity

3 people I would like to learn more about:
Holly
Marli
Jennifer F

Randomness

This is going to be random. Nothing big going on, so I thought I would share some of the little things that have happened the last few weeks....

Well, Price is now riding his bike without training wheels. I never thought this would be as easy as it was. He literally learned in about 15 minutes. He's becoming braver every day going up and down some pretty steep driveways in our cove. Rylee is quite the daredevil. She likes to sit at the top of our drive on her tricycle and ride it down. Our driveway is REALLY steep. She laughs the whole way down. I know she is going to wipe out one of these days. She's really good about wearing her helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads when she is on her tricycle. I didn't see the need for them until she decided to go down the driveway! Now, I'm glad that she thinks its cool to wear them.

We have our first tball game tomorrow night. Price is so excited. The first 2 games were rained out so this is 2 weeks of anticipation for the first game. He really hit one pretty good at the last practice... it went all the way to the outfield. He was so proud. He loves to practice catching "pop ups" and "grounders" as he calls them. Chris is coaching his team and I am so glad. It's fun to see the 2 of them interact on a team. Plus - I don't think there's a better coach out there than Chris... and of course, I am not at all biased. :)

My neighbor Mark said I had to mention his name in my blog... so there it is Mark Hall. Seriously, we do have some of the best neighbors. I think our kids haven't figured out that we are just neighbors bc they are more like family. The kids enjoy spending the afternoons riding bikes, playing in the backyard, playing kick ball, football, baseball, races, etc... They have a blast. We eat together at least once a week and usually twice. We have become great friends and really enjoying our kids growing up together. About the only thing keeping us in this house is our neighbors and our whole backyard set up. When we finally do move, we are going to have to find 2 houses next door to each other!I think that is all that has been going on lately. I'll post pictures of the Tball game if we actually get to have it!

Tell it girl!

Jenny: Telling It Like No One Else Will

This is a great video that I stole from one of my blog buddies. Just some insightful information for you all!

Random things

I have been tagged by Traci Busby... oops Johnston. Traci and I were in Kojies together at Harding. I am so bad at married names! Sorry, Traci - I think you will always be Busby to me!! :)

Okay- so 7 random things about me:

1.) I am bilingual. I grew up in South Texas - literally a few miles from the Mexican border. So, I do not remember ever "learning Spanish" - I just have always known it. So, I guess Mexican food goes with this one... I LOVE TRUE AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD!!! Yummm. (And no, Taco Bell does not qualify as real Mexican food. For the Taco Bell lovers, you may want to sit down for this one, there really is no such thing as a "cheesey roll up" in Mexico. :) )

2.) I am a big Daddy's girl. Always have been. I love my daddy!! (I love my mom, too!! and I love shopping with Mom and just spending girly time together... but I have always been a daddy's girl. Dad, do not tell mom - it will only hurt her feelings.)

3.) I used to sell cheerleading uniforms. Sounds cheesey, I know. I was a Varsity rep for 6 years and actually handled the nation's top accounts such as University of Memphis cheer and pom squads, Houston HS, Germantown HS, etc... I loved my job. I traveled to some cool places and made some great friends!

4.) I have been on ESPN every year for the last 8 years. Usually just me jumping around acting crazy after my cheerleaders were on the nationals floor, but it was still me! They did interview me once in 2006. I LOVE coaching competitive cheerleading - especially coed.

5.) I'm married to a giant. Ok - not really a giant. But he is 6'8". Yes, he did play basketball his last 2 years of HS and for a year in college, but his true love is baseball. He was a pitcher all 4 years of college.

6.) I was addicted to sweet tea. I have been off of it for approximately 14 and a half months. I now drink unsweet with Spenda or Sweet-n-low. (When I say addicted, I mean ADDICTED. I would have at least 1 Route 44 Sweet Teas every day from Sonic.... sometimes 2!) When I was pregnant with Rylee, I actually drank a whole gallon of sweet tea in 1 day!

7.) Random things I love ...... laying on the beach, Texas A&M football (all Aggie stuff for that matter), traveling, shopping, Chic-fil-A, Sonic, bloomin' onions, the state of TEXAS - even though I now live in Tenn., Frosty and french fries (yes together... you have to dip them and don't knock it til you try it! It's good.) Mexican sweet breads, raspas (sno cones), watching Chris play baseball, Suduko, any kind of math brain teaser, reality TV, Desperate Housewives, Grey's, and ER, and cudding up with my family on Sunday afternoon especially if I actually get to take a nap.

So here's the rules
--Link to the person who tagged you.
--Post the rules in your blog entry.
--Share 7 random, or weird, facts about yourself.
--Tag 7 random people at the end of the post, linking to them.
--Leave a comment on their blog so that they know they’ve been tagged.

I am tagging:

Shannon
Amy
Karla
Tesney
Leigh Ann
Traci R
Jen M

Pet peeves

So this is kind of random - and I am completely aware of that! As I have gotten older, I have discovered that I have pet peeves as a mom that I never seemed to have in college or even after school but before kids. This post is about one of those pet peeves... people who drive too fast in neighborhoods.

So, yesterday we were outside and Rylee was riding her tricycle in the cove. A guy came flying around the curve driving entirely too fast! I motioned for him to slow down and waved. Well, the guy decided to come back and inform me that he was not driving fast and he didn't know why I told him to slow down. Are you kidding?? I asked him if he was aware that this was a 20 mph zone. He said I was going 20 (NO WAY!!!) and you don't have a speedometer, I do - so how do you know how fast I was driving. (If he was driving slower than 50, I would be amazed!!!) I realized at this point that this guy was either crazy, delusional, or just one of those that is never wrong. I told him that we have had 2 neighbor kids hit on our street by cars and I hope he could forgive us for asking people to slow it down a little. I told him he would get over me asking him to slow down alot faster than he would get over hitting a child. Of course, nothing I said was right to this guy. So, I finally just got Rylee and walked away.

So that's my pet peeve for the day. I could go on about other people who are indignant if your 2 year old is .... well a 2 year old... in a family friendly restaurant, but I'll save that for another day.

World Autism Awareness Day

Today is World Autism Awareness Day. If you know someone who has a son or daughter with autism, please give them a hug today. Chances are they will need it!

Just some facts to know about Autism:
Did you know…
•Autism affects as many as 1 in 150 children and 1 in 94 boys
•Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the world
•More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with diabetes, cancer, & AIDS combined
•Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
•There is no medical detection or cure for autism, but early diagnosis and intervention improve outcomes
•Autism does not discriminate by geography, class, or ethnicity

We've all seen these facts a million times, but until you know someone or you are personally directly affected, those words don't mean alot. Hopefully there will be a day when everyone is accepting of those with Autism.

Traci, thanks for letting me copy and paste from your blog.

Friendships

This is just a little something that I have been thinking about alot lately, so I thought I would write about it and that is how friendships seem to go with stages of your life. It seems that in every stage of your life, you develop friends that meet your needs at that particular time (HS, College, young married, new parents, etc...) It is odd how someone who you are so close to at 1 point in your life can completely drift off the map when your situation changes. I regretfully admit that I have allowed this to happen with some of my close friends. I have really enjoyed blogging as it has allowed me to reconnect with some HU friends who I think the world of. It seems that college friends have a special bond that even if you haven't spoken in 10 years, you can just pick up where you left off. I just love that!


There is one thing in life that you can never have too many of.... and that is good friends. I'm talking about the kind of friend who never judges, never criticizes, is always there for you whether it is the happiest day of your life or the worst day. The kind of person who will tell you the truth about what your behind looks like in a pair of pants without ruining your self image forever. The kind of person who really does wish you to succeed in all that you do. The kind of friend who supports you when you make difficult decisions, who is there to listen when your heart is breaking or you are worried about your children. The friend who even if she lives hundreds of miles away, you feel like you have been neighbors all of this time. I have been very fortunate to have several good friends in my life at every stage of my life. However, there is one that just always seems to know exactly what the right thing to say is, one who always takes the time to keep in touch, one who wouldn't care if my house was a wreck, or judge me for my thoughts, feelings or beliefs - even if some of them are a little crazy. (And trust me, I know I can be a little out there on a few things!)


So, I just wanted to say a special thank you to Steph - for being there for me through some dark days especially the past 3 years, but really ever since the day that we met in the elevator of the Business Building at HU and became instant friends. For all of those trips to Heber with Ace of Base playing (I know, I know - but it was cool at the time. I promise! Look below and you'll find it in the playlist :)) ), or the spur of the moment bike ride or roller blade outing in college (why is it that I always seemed to get hurt on these outings?) Anyway, thanks for listening to me vent about anything and everything, for comforting me when my world fell apart, for reassuring me when I needed it, and for making me take a girls trip when I needed it most.... Thank you for being a true friend. I just wish we lived closer to each other so that we could watch each others kids grow up! (And I can't wait to find out if your having boy #3 or a girl !!! ) I love ya and miss you!!

Disney Vacation!

Every Feb. I go to Orlando for HS cheer nationals. This year, we decided to take the entire family. Although, I was busy with cheer nationals for several days of the trip - we had a couple of days of family time. My dad flew over to help Chris with the kids, and my brother, his wife and 4 kids came over from Tampa. Price and Rylee had a blast. They went swimming and loved playing with their cousins! We visited all of the parks and had 2 character dinners. My favorite memory from this trip is when Price and Rylee saw Cinderella at dinner the first night there. They look on their faces was PRICELESS! They were so cute each time they saw a different character... it is definitely a "magical" place. The Garden Grill was a great choice for dinner the last night (Thanks, Adina!). It was nice to just sit down and enjoy visiting with my dad and the kids loved seeing Chip and Dale and Mickey.

We had a great trip and we made some awesome family memories!

Rascal Flatts Concert2

Pickler opened.....

Our seats were AWESOME!! (Thanks, Dan!)

I can't believe that in the 10 years that we have been together, this was our first concert together!

Happy Birthday, Chris! You are the most amazing dad, husband, and friend. I love you!

More snow pictures

Price's snow angel

The snow was a little too deep for Rylee's boots!!

Snow pictures

Price and Rylee Friday afternoon.

Rylee's first snowball.

Chris, Price and Rylee in a snow ball fight with the neighbors!

The biggest snowball I have ever seen!

6 inches of Snow in March??

I wrote this about 2 weeks ago - and thought I would get around to getting some pictures.. So, here it is. Pictures will follow!

I cannot believe it. It actually snowed in March!!! We had a total of at least 6 inches ... maybe 7! Price and Rylee had a blast playing outside while it was still snowing last night. You know you have a great husband when the neighborhood kids are all waiting for him to get home to have a snowball fight! He took a bag of trash out and they all let him have it.

The kids were all outside by 8 this AM. They went sleding down the hill, made a snowman, had a snowball fight, made snow angels, and made a 4 foot tall snow ball that was so big - we couldn't move it! Rylee wasn't too sure about the being cold part. We had to keep coming in to change clothes and warm up! The snow actually was deeper than her boots, so she kept getting her pants and socks wet - which of course, made her miserable. (She is definitely like her momma! She does not like to be cold!) I'll post pictures as soon as I can!

Price

Here is Price with Chris at Destin this Fall. Price is like a "Mini Me" of Chris and Rylee is just like me (personality and all!)

I have to begin by telling you about what happened to Price last night. He was in the bathtub and told Chris that his teeth were hurting. Chris told him to let him see it. Well, when Price opened his mouth, there on his tongue was a little bitty tooth! It just fell out! We didn't even know it was loose and just like that, he lost his first tooth!! So, I am glad that I bought him the cute little tooth pillow for Christmas. The toothfairy came last night and left a note that said since it was his first, he could keep his tooth to show his YaYa and so I could keep it for his baby book. It is official, my baby boy is not a baby anymore. He is really growing up!

So here are some things that I adore about Price:

1. The way he knows everything about every Power Ranger, Cars (the Movie), Buzz Lightyear, etc...

2. When he gets his daddy's cell phone and calls our house (from the couch) and has a whole conversation with Chris as if they were miles apart.

3. The love he has for his sister, YaYa, Mimi, and grandpa. He truly loves his family!

4. His crush on Miss Brooke - and how shy and embarassed he gets when he talks to her. (He even proposed to her once in January.)

5. He LOVES to swim - he is a little fish! He also loves tball, soccer, and basketball. He is now into saying that he wants to be big like his daddy. I have a feeling that will be true - at 5 he is 50 inches tall and weighs 59 lbs! (Chris is 6'8'' so he gets that honestly.)

6. The way he asks if we can go to a hotel about once a week. He loves vacation - whether it is Disney or the beach or to my parent's house. He loves to go to new places and stay at new places. We have done this alot over the past few summers as Chris has been traveling to play ball - so he thinks it's something we should do about every other weekend! He also loves flying! Wed. morning he said, "Mom, I have a great idea. Let's go to Mrs. Keas school, then to see Mrs. Kim Sue (his speech therapist) and then lets go to the airport, get on an airplane and go to Disney World. Please, Mom, Please." I wish I could just say Ok and go. It is so cute that he asks the same way he would ask for a cookie.

7. I LOVE the way he cuddles up to me to read a book (now he is reading to me!) and asks me to hold him right before bed. And his prayers, oh his prayers - they will melt your heart.

8. The way he "pretends" to have fun at Rylee's tea parties and bubble baths.

Price is a such a great kid. He has had to overcome alot in his 5 years, but he has done it! I am truly amazed by him. He fills my heart - it is just undescribable! Some day, I will write about all we have overcome, but for now I want to live in the moment and the future and not look back to where we have been.

Rylee

Here she is ... my little girl. She is definitely the joy in our lives. Here are some of the things that she does that I adore:

1. I love when she HAS to wear her pink princess dress. Even if it is over her leggings and sweater because it is 25 degrees outside.

2. The way she always has to have a bag or purse and the way she loves shoes, boots, and especially her flip flops!!

3. The way she is a little momma.... to everyone.

4. Tonight when she busted into song - The wheels on the bus go round and round. Then she came over next to me and started singing the Mommas on the bus go hug, hug, hug. I guess that was her way of asking for a hug.

5. The way she says " I need you", " You hurt my heart", and needs kisses from daddy.

6. The way she hides things and can't remember where she hid them. (This is not so endearing when it involves my cell phone or car keys!)

7. The way she lets Price say his prayers first even when it is her turn.

8. The way she wants Price to hold her hand as they fall asleep at night.

Rylee is a sweet and sassy little girl. Her smile is contagious! I could go on and on. She has been such a blessing to our family and especially to Price. My hope and prayer for her is that she will continue to grow and develop into a kind and loving Christian young lady.

I just wanted to give you all a little insight on our baby girl. I'll introduce Price tomorrow!

My first blog

I know, I know boring title. I simply couldn't come up with anything else!

To catch everyone up on me, I am married to an amazing man (almost 8 years now). We have 2 children - a 5 year old boy, Price and a 2 year old girl, Rylee. They are the true joy of my life. I don't know what I did with myself that was worth while before I had children. I love being a mom! I am a stay at home mom - but I do still coach a competitive cheer squad. That is my only attempt at staying young. I am not sure that it is working though!

I have been reading other people's blog for a while now, and I really enjoy seeing where old friends are and what that have been up to. I have been especially touched by the little things that they recollect about their kids day or new things they are saying and doing. I hope to be able to journal some of the things that I don't want to forget about my little ones as they are growing up.

I guess that is all for now. I will try to make the next post more interesting!