Saturday, March 31, 2012

Bluebonnets 2012

Last night we ventured out for some bluebonnet photos.  I've had my heart set on this abundant patch for weeks now....just minutes from our house.  Due to the drought last year we never found a great bunch but you can view our 2010 pics here!




 "Pray without ceasing." ~1 Thessalonians 5:17 :)



Monday, March 19, 2012

Strawberries, anyone?

This morning we made our third (and final) trip to the nearby strawberry patch.  Take a look at our 2011 visit and 2010 visit.  Can't believe how much the kids have grown *tear*!


This time the kids were pros.  They hunted diligently for the perfect juicy berries to stash in their baskets!!




Here's what we took home :)

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Spring Break 2012

The kids and I were SO excited to have Jarrod home and all to ourselves for the past NINE days!  In fact, it was the first time (in six years of education) that he has been completely free over Spring Break (and it couldn't have come at a better time).  One highlight of the week was taking the kiddos on an overnight trip to Fort Worth, which included (two) kolache stops, lots of shopping, a trip to the biggest Target I've ever seen and a fun trip the zoo!  It ranks as one of the top five zoos in America, and now we know why!  The weather was gorgeous.


The animals and their designed habitats were simply amazing!  Here are some close up photos I captured with our newest Nikon lens:


Giant gorilla ~ this big guy could be viewed from afar as well as up close through glass


Gallant giraffes ~ these tall creatures were a lot of fun to watch!  They were definitely Emma's favorite exhibit :)


Jubilant Jaguar ~ this beautiful cat paced all over the place, not quite sure of the crowd!


Tremendous tiger ~ this guy was relaxing and unconcerned with the world around him.  This was the best shot I could get!


Emma and the flamingos ~ all dressed in pink!


Owen informed us that the rhino was taking a bath (look closely in the bottom RH corner)!


The enormous elephants were also amazing to see!



The piney woods and reptile exhibits were great.  The kids loved this gator statue (yikes!)


Owen begged all day to ride the "choo choo".  We enjoyed the train ride back to the main enterance.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Eight is great!

Last week Jarrod and I celebrated EIGHT years of wedded bliss (March 6)!  It was the first time we weren't together the day of, but we were sure to celebrate (Valentine's day, anniversary and the new job!) with delicious food and conversation at Cheeves Brothers Steak House in downtown Temple the weekend prior.   


"The highest happiness on earth is marriage".  ~William Lyon Phelps

Friday, March 9, 2012

Rough and tumble

Our Owen is ALL boy. He is completely rough and tumble and is a total daredevil!  I often joke that he needs a full time body guard.  I have learned to always stay a step or two ahead of him :)  He loves to practice his balance beam skills on our porcelain bath tub and to see how far he can jump off of the couch.  Yesterday at Target I noticed that he wasn't following me on foot as close as he should have been.  I glanced back to find him kicking an innocent 12 pack soda box....just because he could.  While on the card aisle he felt called to punch every price poster with all his might.  While browsing in the clothing department he often loves to snag price tags and hide in the racks.  It seems as though he was born knowing how to mimic sounds of dump trucks, airplanes, trains and guns.  He is very physical, which could very well stem from the fact that he knew how to make the perfect football tackle before his second birthday.   He is in a huge throwing phase right now.  In fact, this week I walked in to find him chunking each piece of fresh fruit (and the bowl) across the kitchen.  While we are traveling in the car he will launch his sippy cup to the front seat upon its completion.  Sweet Roxie knows to keep a safe distance from him as he sometimes gives her a mean kick.  Owen constantly stays BUSY which is proabably why he is still such a great napper!!


Rough [ruhf] : acting with infraction of the rules, turbulent, rowdy, ruffian,
to give a beating to


Tumble [tuhm-buhl] : to topple helplessly down, end over end,
to roll or twist, to perform gymnastic feats of agility, to throw,
cast, put, send in a hasty or rough manner


Daredevil [dair-dev-uhl] : recklessly daring


Monday, March 5, 2012

Giddy up!

This weekend we enjoyed a fun pony birthday party celebrating a fellow coach's kid!  Emma & Owen LOVED the pony rides!




(Cody & Emma)

Saturday, March 3, 2012

The Draft

This morning Emma was in the T ball draft.  This will be her third season but this level gets pretty serious!  Look closely and you wll see her at bat:


And here she is running to first base....


We were so proud!  We should find out soon which team she is on.