Updating the blog (without pictures)

I haven't blogged in almost a year due to probably Facebook and also instagram.  I have a little bit of time while I am here in Prague before going to dinner.  I figured I would try and update what has happened in the last year...

The end of last year we celebrated Halloween with neighbors.  Thanksgiving we spent time in College Station with some of Corey's family.  After Thanksgiving, I celebrated my birthday and then I had surgery 5 days after.  Corey was a great husband who was a rockstar taking care of me and the kiddos.  Surgery went well but it kept me from being able to exercise for awhile...not my thing to be sedentary.  Christmas was a quiet one as I had just had surgery was limited to what I could do.  It was nice that it was a quiet one at home.  Corey was home with us the whole time the kids had off and we just did little things around town and around the house.

2014 started out great.  January the kids went back to school and Corey went back to work.  He traveled just about every working day of that month and was only home on the weekends.  We celebrated Sadie's 3rd birthday that month too.  We also experienced 2 ice/snow days that month in which no ice ever made the streets iced over near our house or school.  But the kids were happy to not to have to go to school and instead played on the ice that covered our trampoline.

February is a blur for me as I don't remember anything really happening.  March we did our annual camping trip during the last half of Spring Break.  It was a super fun time!  This next Spring Break we are trying to decide on going to a different location all together since some of the original families that helped coordinate these moved away recently.  We also figured it was a perfect time to get a bigger house and so we did some stuff to our house in Cinco Ranch and put it up for sale and bought a brand new house just about a mile away in Silver Ranch of Katy.  Our house sold for over the asking price and in 2 days!  We feel so blessed.  We love our new house and the space it holds for our family but I dearly miss our neighbors we lived by and the elementary school we grew to love. Luckily I keep in touch with teachers from back at that school and our neighbors too!!

April we spent the month celebrating birthdays.  Ashlyn turned 10 and Grant turned 12.  We also spent Easter weekend with Corey's siblings in Galveston for a day over Easter weekend.

May is always jam packed full of end of the year things at school.  We went to Kindergarten Graduation for Brady and 5th grade graduation for Grant.  Both made me sad!!  Brady's teacher is by far the most outstanding teacher.  I love her.  She was so perfect for Brady and I can't thank her enough.  Grant spent his entire elementary time at Odessa Kilpatrick Elementary school which is the most AMAZING school.  He graduated to the loudest applause of all the 5th graders and I was deeply touched by the staff and kids at that school.  There really is no other school as great as OKE.  Ashlyn finished out her 4th grade year doing amazing and is doing well at our new Elementary school in Katy.

In June when school got out we sort of relaxed and the kids did wonderfully just being together.  A couple of weeks in Grant and Corey headed off to scout camp just west of New Braunfels for an entire week.  It was so quiet without them.  Then Corey had to go out of town just a few days after that for work.  He got home on a Friday and then we headed to Destin the following Monday.  We love Destin.  We had the perfect weather and we all got plenty of sun!!!  It is the perfect drive from Katy and the beach is amazing.

The Monday after our week in Destin...I sent Grant off to Camp Journey for the week!  He had a blast and the woman who runs it is probably the MOST AMAZING person I know with kids with Special Needs.  While he was gone, I had Ashlyn and Brady doing a soccer camp.  Ashlyn's friend Abby also did soccer camp too and it turned out to be a super fun week for the three of them.  The rest of July we spent swimming and just doing things around town. We also celebrated Brady turning 6.  He sure is such a sweet 6 year old who LOVES Legos and playing sports.  He also loves learning words and is doing great at reading!

August (it seems like each summer goes by faster and faster as I get older) we did the back to school shopping, finish hanging out with friends, and spending the last little amount of time not having a schedule that was hectic.  School started the last week of school and by then I was ready to really send them back because they were all tired of each other.  Grant started 6th grade at Woodcreek Jr High, Ashlyn started 5th grade at Keiko Davidson Elementary, Brady started 1st grade at Keiko Davidson Elementary, and two weeks after those kids started school...Sadie started preschool in September on Monday and Wednesdays! She goes to Treasure Cove Preschool.  I love it there!  Sadie loves it too!! So on Monday and Wednesdays I am KID-FREE!  I love it but the time sure goes by fast!!!
That pretty much gets me up-to-date....

Well, she is in her 3rd week of preschool and I am on a trip in Prague with Corey.  He is here for a conference and we came a few days early to check out Prague and we went to Poland for a day as he actually helped some guys from Cemex over there.  A guy from a Cemex office over there showed me around and I saw some amazing things and took lots of pictures.  The food there is great too! Prague is a gorgeous city and I am loving it.  I still have jetlag problems after 3 1/2 days here and I have done a lot of walking.  This city is just gorgeous.  Tonight we are going on a dinner cruise with all the Cemex folks that are here in town for the conference (Concrete Roads Conference).  I am excited to see the city lit up as we have a boat tour on the river.  Tomorrow I am going to see a Chateau and then do some more touring/shopping.  Friday I will finish up by doing some shopping and relaxing as well.  We leave EARLY Saturday morning and I am sure I will have major jet lag as we head home.

Wish I had time to put some pictures on here but now with a little free time I probably update the blog more often.

MIA in the last 5 months

Well, I have not blogged at all in the last 5 months...life is busy with 4 kids and I don't find time to sit on the computer upstairs to blog very often.  Today I have happened to find about 45 mintues to give an update on what we've been up to.
May-Our dog Maisy passed away in our garage, Mother's Day was wonderful with my little family, the kids had celebrations of learning, Brady graduated from preschool, Corey turned 35, and I went to Hawaii to see my grandma who is ill.

June-Grant had 11 year old scout camp, we went swimming A LOT, Brady took swim lessons.  I am sure other things occured in June, I just can't remember.

July-We went to Destin and it rained almost the whole time we were there.  We had a blast though and can't wait hopefully go back again this coming summer.  Brady turned 5 and we also visited the Blue Bell Creameries with friends.

August-Ashlyn had some playdates with friends, we celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary, and the kids started back to school.  This school year Grant is in 5th, Ashlyn in 4th, and Brady in Kindergarten!  First and only time 3 of them will all be in the same school.

September-a couple of the kids picked up some sort of fever virus. Corey and I went to the A&M vs. SHSU game in College Station.  Our lives got busier with soccer, tball, choir, and gymnastics after-school.

And here it is half way through October...the weather has cooled off some, we are still super busy, and we are trying to potty train Sadie.  She is being a complete stinker about it.  I hope to have more time later this week to upload pictures to the blog to update it as much as I can.

Dance Recital-Jazz

Well, after 8 months of dance they held their annual dance recital. Ashlyn took dance with 5 people she knew. It was nice that she had so many friends in class. Ashlyn's been taking gymnastics for years so I was sort of nervous with how she would do with dance but she did great. We aren't doing it next school year as she has to decide between soccer and going back to gymnastics. I would love to see her do gymnastics or tumbling but we'll see. The recital and dance they performed was super cute. I thought it was the most fun song of the night. Jazz was a fun class and I am glad that we had her try it.

Her and a couple of her close friends.  Lexi, Ashlyn, and Lynlee! 

Us with our little dancer.  Super proud of her!!!

Grant turned 11!

Where does the time go!? Grant turned 11 two weeks ago and I am finally sitting down to blog. I really can not believe the kid is 11. He is officially in Boy Scouts and has already gone on a campout. He loves his new shirt and I love that I found an easy way to get those patches on. We had a low-key birthday that night and he never even cared for the cake I made. Next year, I will have to buy his favorite cake. We got him some clothes, a new X-box game, and a super nice bike! We love you Grant and are so happy you are a part of our family. I learn something all the time from you!!!

So proud of his scout uniform!

Grant and his cake.  It was delicious.  I shaped the candles to make the number 11.  Not very creative, am I?

Blue Bell Fun Run 10K (4/13/2013)

These are in no particular order. I ran my first 10K and hopefully I will be able to run another one sometime. Not soon...I finished in 66 minutes and I ran the entire time!! That is huge considering there were several hills to have to run. My feet are still sore but I have also kept working out this week which might have something to do with it.

Afterwards.  I don't look to sweaty but I will say I was super gross.  The weather was beautiful for the run!

My lovely snacks afterwards.  They tasted so so good!!

My snapshot of the finish line after I finished and went by the water table. 

Before the run, hanging out in the high school to stay warm.  I ran with my neighbor and it was super fun! 

Coming up on the end of mile 1.  The hills started after that.  I hope to do it again next year!!!

Arrow of Light

Jerry, Grant, Jorge, and Dallin

Last night we had the Arrow of Light Ceremony for the boys who are 11 this month.  There are really 5 boys but only 4 boys were getting their Arrow of Light.  They have completed Cub Scouts and I don't have to attend anymore pack meetings until Brady turns 8!  Yea!!!  These boys are so cute.  I am so happy for each one of them and I love their parents.  Now, they are officially in Boy Scouts. Great job, boys!

Grant on Morning Announcements

On Tuesday this week Grant was chosen as one of the 4th graders to do the morning announcements.  His job was reading the lunch menu.  I heard he was super cute!!  Look at his excitement!!!  I love this kid.  He teaches me something everyday.