Pre-k pomp & circumstance

After three years of preschool, Ben has graduated and is moving on...
They had an adorable singing program and he was awarded 1st place for his space station! Must have been our day at NASA, or all the Star Wars that gave him the edge ;-)

Although I have questioned the decision we made last year to wait on kindergarten, I am so proud of him. He has really matured and I am confident that he will be a model kindergartner!

A day at the park

Wordless Wednesday

Bowen is 15 months old today!

He has 10 teeth, perfectly healthy ears, and eyes the color of denim.
This is what he loves:

Head butting
His sister's PB chair
Wagon rides
Pizza, blackberries & chips
Climbing
Balls-any size, any color
Clapping
Being pulled in a storage bin
Music
Throwing things in the trash
Playing in the dirt

Us
I think we'll keep him.

Better Late than never

Oops, I missed my blogoversary!
It was one month ago today. I'm celebrating 2 whole years of blogging, which I started on a whim just so I could stop sending out mass emails of pictures to family & friends...but I fell in love with it !

So to honor the (belated) occasion I thought I would post a list of things you may not know about me. 35 things to be exact - one for each year of my life, sound fair enough?

1. I'm trying to become a runner.
2. I hate my knees and pray my kids don't have them.
3. I collect souvenir pennies - the ones you make by putting in 2 quarters and a penny into the machine and cranking it, yep I have those from all over!
4. I used to be blonde, very blonde.
5. I want to go on a East Coast fall foliage cruise.
6. I don't know how to ski.
7. I'm not a morning person.
8. I always fold my clothes straight from the dryer. They never sit in a basket.
9. I'm an excellent domino player.
10. I'm so happy Bowen is a boy & love the birth order of boy, girl, boy!
11. My last professional pedicure was about 9 months ago.
12. My favorite movie is Legends of the Fall.
13. I couldn't wait to be a mom! It was my only consistent goal.
14. I might have a facebook addiction.
15. I don't get scared being home "alone", except the 1 time I did I called the police and have never lived it down.
16. I use Latisse.
17. My favorite ice cream is Braum's rocky road.
18. I love that my boys are opposites - brown hair, brown eyes & blond hair, blue eyes.
19. I started drinking coffee this year.
20. I was captain of my drill team (dance) in high school.
21. I wake up early to read the Word...okay, well I try to. Please refer to #7.
22. I use cheap drug store make up.
23. I never go to a tanning bed anymore but will still sit out in the sun without sunscreen, on purpose. And yes, I am scared of skin cancer.
24. I think it should be illegal to smoke anywhere but your own home, and never around minors.
25. I saw the first Twilight movie but wasn't hooked until I saw the 2nd (New Moon) then ended up reading the last 2 books.
26. I NEED chocolate.
27. I have watched American Idol every year up until this one.
28. I bake at least every week.
29. I haven't gotten a new pair of sneakers in 4 years.
30. My favorite (only really) reality tv show is Housewives of OC and New Jersery.
31. I can't play a single musical instrument.
32. I love Paul Newman & Robert Duvall...but I swear I don't have a thing for old men!
33. My favorite color is blue...or white, but white's not really a color, so it's blue.
34. I don't have a degree.
35. I'm not a salesperson, but recently became a Thirty One consultant because I felt absolutely compelled to be a part of this company!

Okay, there ya go...any surprises?

Please, leave me a comment and tell me something about YOU!

Adoption

I'm not sure if you've ever thought about adopting. I have!
But this post isn't about me...

I know a special family who feels called to adopt a little boy from Ethiopia.
They have love.
They have a happy home.
All they need is some help.

Please follow this link to Stacy's blog and enter to win a gorgeous handcrafted cross and change a life forever!

A Mother's Prayer

Help me dear Lord, as a mother, I pray
And bless these hands folded in prayer today;
May they be ever strong as they guide, as they teach,
Beings never too far for a child to reach.
May they never, with selfishness, try to dissuade,
Nor too quickly punish, nor too slowly aid.
May they point out the pleasures in laughter and song,
And may they show, wisely, the right from the wrong,
So that one day I'll know that I've helped all I can
To make her a woman, to make him a man.

- Mary A. Loberg

No more shark boy!

We had a big "First" in Galveston when Ben lost his first tooth!

We were worried that professionals would have to do it (and where's the fun in that?) but nature finally took it's course.
Ben had permanent teeth erupting behind his baby teeth, essentially creating 2 rows of teeth...ya know, like a shark.
But, thankfully, they put enough pressure on the baby teeth and he has lost both bottom teeth since Galveston!

My popsicles

"Your my Popsicle...
from the very first time I met you,
you captured me"
NKOTB

These are a few of my favorite things...

Okay, I'm no Oprah...but I have favorite things too!

I guess I've been adventurous lately, because I keep trying new products.
Starting with these Sandwich thins by Oroweat. Since we're in what I call "sandwich season" I look for ways to it spice up and I highly recommend these, they are only 100 calories and have tons of fiber. Plus, my sandwich looks fancy like it came from a deli.








This one I was sooo excited about because I hate handling meat/eggs then touching the soap because our kitchen dispenser is used often, by everyone. So, I had to have this- Lysol No Touch auto soap dispenser. The only complaint I have is the amount it dispenses, which is about twice what I would normally use. They have to sell refills somehow, eeh? So for that reason they will not by all my sinks.









And this last item I bought on a whim because Bryce likes Sun Chips and they go well with sandwiches! It's the new Peppercorn Ranch flavor and I have to say I got them for the "peppercorn" not the ranch and I really likey! Also, after getting them home, I realized the bag (which is the loudest bag in the history of bags!) is the "worlds first 100% compostable chip bag". How awesome is that? Go Sun Chips!

Space Center - Houston

NASA was our last stop.
I think we left it unscathed.
Bowen was all over the place, even running under the railing and getting about a foot from a rocket before I caught him!
I just knew sirens were about to go off, lol.

We started with a tram tour and it was fun, even if we didn't get to actually go into Mission Control (sorry Bryce!) we saw some really cool stuff, like the training shuttles.
And hey, cones are interesting too ;-)

Rest assure Brinley's gymnastics classes are working!

We played, ate, laid on a bed of nails, landed a shuttled...ya know, astronaut stuff.

More Galveston: Kemah boardwalk & Lonestar Flight Musem

Okay, this isn't a very cute collage and really doesn't do Kemah's boardwalk justice because it was a great place to go!
Maybe more of a night time thing, plus we were off season but at least it wasn't crowded :)

The kids rode rides, drove little remote controlled speed boats, played in the "fountain" and we had a yummy lunch with a beautiful view of the bay...followed by shopping and ice cream of course.

The Strand, Galveston

One evening we ventured to "The Strand" for shopping...and by shopping I mean going in any shop that sold toys or candy, courtesy of Aunt Lindy ;-)

But the weather was great, the kids had fun and loved the giant chess board!

Galveston beach

We didn't spend much time at the beach.
The water is pretty chilly this time of year, which Bo can testify to since a wave knocked him down :(

And that ended our morning at the beach.

Ironman 70.3

I promise this collage showed up on my end!
...but something happened and obviously it didn't post.
So, here are a few Ironman pictures....