Our Little Reader

Tyler has been reading with us a lot this week. It makes nightly reading time so much fun.
We just worked on two books together this evening, and Tyler told me to take a picture of him with his books. I'm just proud him and I pray that he always has a love for reading. I think a trip to the Library is in our very near future.

Wordless Wednesday

Surprise Visit

We were surprised on Sunday afternoon with a very special visitor! The kids jumped for JOY and squealed when Ghee told us she was on her way to see us. I might have done the same!

Ryan left early Sunday morning for a School Administrator Conference in Austin, so Ghee coming was perfect. I have loved the company and extra help. Tyler and Georgia Kate have also loved having some special time with Ghee, too. 

Tyler wanted to take Ghee to the Dog Park on Sunday when she got here, so we did that and also made a trip to the park. A perfect Sunday afternoon. On Monday Ghee took Ty to School and then we enjoyed a Girl's day. Yesterday, I finally got my flu shot and Tyler's. I can't believe we waited so long, but I'm so thankful we got it done. I have really accomplished so much with my Mom being here. It feels great!

Ghee was planing on leaving today, but with the bad weather we got her an extra day. 

We have loved the past few days with Ghee and I really appreciate her being here while Ryan is gone. We really have had so much fun with Ghee and we are truly blessed that she took the time away and came to stay with us. We love you, Ghee! You have made this week so much easier for me and I can't thank you enough for all you do. You are the best. 

Bad Weather Day #2

That's right we are home from School again today. I really don't think this is typical for our area but we have had some fairly cold weather this year. Still no snow just sleet and ice. Tyler has been slightly disappointed all day that there is snow.

We have been trying to keep ourselves entertained today. Tyler worked on his homework, we did some puzzles, played games.... well, you get the point. Lots of cold weather activities. But, by the end of day we are all getting a little stir crazy. And we thought that stuffing blankets and sleeping bags under our shirt was so funny! Is is bedtime, yet? ;)

I hope this is the end of bad weather and we can all get back to weekly routine. It is fun to have a break every once in awhile, but I hope this is it for bad weather days! 

Back To Normal

We are wrapping another 3 day weekend. I really enjoyed the surprise bad weather day. It is fun having some extra time with Tyler, but tomorrow we go back to our normal weekly routine. I am going to miss our biggest, and I know someone who is going to miss him, too.

Tyler and Georgia Kate can fight and get made when something is taken that was theirs, but deep down they love each other so much. Their favorite is bath time. It is so fun to watch them and I spend a lot laughing while I'm soaping them up. So thankful for these precious children who always put a smile on my face. 

Slam Dunk

Basketball Weekend! Good news is we WON!

Bad Weather Day

We did not get snow, but we got rain and freezing Weather. Basically, we got ICE!

What does that all mean.... School Cancelled. Ryan and the Superintendent made the official call at 4:45 am. Therefore, I got up with Ryan as he made some phone calls. All the Districts in our area made the same call with their Schools. We of course went back to sleep for a couple of hours which was nice and Ty was thrilled when he heard the news of No School.

Unfortunately, we did not have any fun pictures of Snow, but I of course had to get bad weather pictures. Probably the best of the day was Tyler eating his school lunch for lunch at home. I make his lunch every night and since we did not know about the cancellation Tyler's lunch was made. Well, Tyler thought that was so much fun! And, yes he was still in PJ's at 12:00. Lazy Morning.

Ryan ended up going to his office around 10 for a few hours. Ryan always enjoys working with no one else around. I will admit it is nice to have a random day off and we get another long weekend. The only down side is we have to make this day up. Oh, well. We had a nice day. Now it is Ice Cream and a Movie. 

 

 

Family Reading Night

Last night, Tyler's School hosted a Family Reading Night. The turn out was not as great as they were hoping, but our temperatures dropped significantly yesterday. We braved the cold and rainy weather, and I'm so thankful we did. We really had a fun evening watching Tyler soar in the area of reading. He struggled at the first of the year, and it broke my heart. I felt very discouraged with myself and also the Private School where he was at last year.
 I struggled so much in school and I really did and do not want that for Tyler. I seriously have tears in my eyes looking back at these pictures. I'm just so proud of him and his determination.
Regardless, with extra help and care from Royal ECC and Tyler's awesome Teacher something finally clicked and he is truly soaring in all areas and it is so fun watching him get excited about learning!
Last night we went to three different reading stations, and of course Georgia Kate was right behind. She does not like to be left behind. The first station was a sight word drill, and Tyler had the most cards and won a Word Families game.
I am so thankful we were apart of last night! It was such a fun family night and I always love a fun family night with my bunch.

 Listening to a story from Ty's reading Teacher and Homeroom Teacher. They are both amazing and Ty is really lucky to have them. They worked a lot on story recognition and even gave us helpful hints when we read together at home.

 Next up, Ty got to put his reading skills to the test. Of course GK could not be left out. The book was about animals, so she got to help!

I am so thankful we were apart of last night! It was such a fun family night and I always love fun families night with my bunch.

Thankful Thursday

A sneak peak in to our evening. I'm so thankful for the bond that has formed between these two this year. I love and adore my boys, all of them. 

Dog Park

On Sunday while we were out exploring another local park in Katy we stumbled across a Dog Park. Well, Cooper just happened to be with us so we decided to explore our first ever Dog Park. What a fun experience not only for Cooper, but for all us.

Cooper was a little worn out from all the walking we had just done but he was more than willing to take a dip in the Dog Pond. I mean this park had everything a Dog could want and more.

Tyler and Georgia Kate loved looking at all the other Dogs, and I lost count of how many times we heard- Oh, what a cute Puppy. It was truly a fun experience for all of us. Temple did not have a Dog Park, but I think this is a great thing for all Dog Lovers. I think we will go back there for sure.

I love our weekends of exploring and I'm truly so thankful for all the new opportunities and fun places our new City has to offer... well, close enough to our new City. ;)   Especially when we can include Cooper. Ty and GK love when Cooper go anywhere with us.

 

 

Houston Astros

Yesterday we were at HEB doing our weekly shopping trip and we noticed a few Houston Astros Staff Members walking around,  and then a long line of children with their parents. We figured it must be a autograph opportunity. We decided to go about our shopping, because I think our hearts will always have a spot for the Texas Rangers.
As we were checking out two Astros Baseball Players were bagging groceries next to us. Tyler thought that was really neat, but he was more interested in the Astros Mascot. He was so excited about getting his picture with him.
 We did not break it the the Mascot that we are Ranger Fans when he loaded us up with Astros goodies. No worries family we are not thinking of jumping ship. We will go watch the Astros this year, but it will be when the Rangers are playing them! It is all good.

Martin Luther King Day

Today was a Martin Luther King Day, and a School Holiday. I always enjoy a nice three day weekend and some extra family time. This morning we went to Martin Luther King Parade. It was a very small parade, but it had Fire Trucks, Police Cars, and Horses. If you ask Tyler and Georgia Kate it was perfect parade in their eyes.

This morning was foggy but the sun finally started shining through. We took care of some chores around the house and then we spent the rest of day playing ball, riding bikes, and a walk in the neighborhood. We even enjoyed Dinner outside. That was GK's request. Very nice evening indeed.

Today was the perfect ending to a very nice weekend.

 

 

Go Bulls

We had Ghee and Poppy here this weekend and if you ask me those are always my favorite weekends. I love when my family is here, everything just feels right in my world.

 For some reason Tyler and Georgia Kate always seem a little over excited and don't always act right when they are here, but I know they both all the fun and extra special attention they both get when Ghee and Poppy are here.

They got here early enough to pick up Tyler from School on Friday and that made his day, and it is also what he asked for. There was a Art Show at the High School on Friday evening so we all loaded up and went to the Art Show and then headed out to eat BBQ.

On Saturday Tyler had Basketball pictures and then his game. Tyler not only had Ghee and Poppy but our close family friend, Rodney came to cheer him on. What a lucky boy.

After the game Ryan had a Wedding in Westphalia to attend so we all enjoyed lunch, Target, and the park (Well, Poppy and Rodney decided on a movie over shopping) It was a perfect Saturday.

We had a wonderful weekend with Ghee and Poppy. We are so thankful for their visits.  

 

 

Girl's Soccer Season

Royal hosted a Girl's Soccer Tournament this weekend that kicked off on Thursday. Our Girl's team played a game Thursday right after school, so we made our way to field to meet up with Ryan and watch some Soccer.

I have always loved Soccer, maybe because I grew up with a brother that played and the first part of my life revolved around the sport. The weather was absolutely perfect, so it made more a perfect afternoon. I let Georgia Kate bring one of our balls and she ran all over the empty field next to the field and kicked her ball. GK and Tyler both had a blast at the game, and I think there will be more games in our future.

 

We are enjoying a nice three day weekend! Ghee and Poppy came in to town on Friday afternoon so they could watch Tyler play Basketball yesterday. This afternoon we decided to explore a little and found another spot that we are sure to visit again, Cooper really loved it and felt right at home. We all love a nice long weekend.

Family Fun

On Saturday afternoon we decided to soak up the nice weather since we had several days last week that were really cold and rainy. We did not have to venture far to find a nice gem close to where we live. First stop was the Stephen F Austin National Museum and then we went right us the road to the Stephen F Austin State Park.
We were not able to do much hiking as the trails still have large muddy puddles. We tried, but it did not last long. Thank goodness we found swings, volleyball, and basketball courts to entertain us. We were even able to bring Cooper with us, so that made both Tyler and Georgia Kate happy.
We had so much fun exploring this new spot and I have a feeling we will hit the State Park a lot during the Spring. So thankful for new opportunities and new family fun spots.

Francesca Battistelli - This Is The Stuff

This needs to be my theme song today. Seriously, I lost my key. Today, on the first day of Bible Study and the day that I was was asked to bring a food item. I was up and had everything ready to walk out the door early. And that can be a miracle some days. Therefore, I went to my purse to grab my key and they were not there so I the next place I looked was my car. No there.... I retraced my steps, but by this time Bible Study was about to start and even if I found them right then I still had a 20 minute ahead of me.
 Tears were falling as I was beyond  frustrated and embarrassed, and the whole time I felt like this was a way that Satan was trying to keep me from Bible Study. I kept praying over and over. As the hours passed I became desperate. I had torn our house and my car apart and still no key.... I even emailed Tyler's Teacher to check Ty's back pack for me, yes. I was one of those crazy parents. ;)  Ryan finally came home at 11:45 to help me look. I had already picked through the garbage several times, but Ryan dumped out a FULL bag of trash and my key was at the very bottom of the trash. YUCK! I'm still not sure how it got there, but it was found nearly 4 hours of looking. Ryan was my Knight in Shining Armor and Hero this afternoon! I guess I needed another pair of eyes helping me look. I still need to find my back up key, but at least one was found.
Some days just go all wrong and even the smallest thing, in my case a lost key bent me all out of shape but to me it was a reminder that even though it felt like Satan was trying to win, God was always there with me even in the most frustrating of days.
Listen to this song. I have played over and over and over today and it just made me put everything in to perspective. You will love it and it might just make you want to put on a tutu and dance. And maybe me and certain 2 year old did just that.      

Pony Tail Blues

Oh my goodness. These pictures are a huge deal because Georgia Kate hates getting her hair brushed, rubber bands, and putting her hair in a rubber band/pony tails. Absolutely fights those things. It is usually a huge fight every morning and evening after bath. I have been known to run around our house with our Detangling Spray and brush in hand trying to get Georgia Kate to sit and be still so her hair does not constantly look like a really bad birds nest and or have bed head all the time.

Well, the hair drama is slowly getting a little better. It took us ordering a brush off of Amazon called "The Wet Hair Brush" A friend told me about this miraculous brush during Christmas and it has truly made doing hair much more pleasant.

 Therefore, on Sunday Georgia Kate let us put her hair in a pony tail for the first time. It might have had something to do with coloring with markers, but at this point I will do anything to get GK to let me put her hair in a pony tail. It lasted for all of 10 minutes, but baby steps. 

But, then again I'm not sure if I like how grown up she looks in these pictures. Maybe we could live with hair tantrums and constant bed head until she starts Kindergarten.  Until then we will just have the Pony Tail blues. ;)  

School Board Recognition Month

This month is School Board Recognition Month, and this evening we honored our favorite School Board Members. Two different PTO programs provided decorations and food for the PTO Members to enjoy a dinner before the meeting. I love having the opportunity to do something special for others, so this evening was wonderful and I love being put to work while serving others.

 I did Salad, Bread, and Dessert. Not to mention I just took a Cinnamon Bread out of the oven for tomorrow Morning. I was in our kitchen a lot today, but it is all worth it. 

Tyler was asked by his Principal to pass out Certificates to the Board members, along with one other little girl from his School. We told Tyler last week when we found out and he was so excited and loved being apart of the meeting. I am so thankful for all the fun and exciting opportunities that Tyler has been apart of this school year.  We were so thankful to Tyler's Principal for allowing him to be apart of this special meeting. He did great job passing out the Certificates. So cute. Georgia sat quietly on Daddy's lap during the presentation, but we made a quick exit after the presentation was over. We did not want to ruin a good thing. Actually, both Ty and GK did really well during there time at the Admin Building. They both love it there and have won over all the hearts of the employees. We are so thankful for a great school Community. Georgia Kate knows who has the suckers and she also knows who will give her candy.

We appreciate our School Board and all they do for our schools and students. Falcon Pride.