Rollin' with the Rooneys

Last Post

2009-05-30T13:08:00.003-05:00

This is officially the last post at Rollin' with the Rooneys.

My sweet husband "freaked" out this week when he just happen to read my blog. It's not something he does on a consistent basis. I had left it up on my computer and then left to do something around the house. So, he helped himself. Due to some recent events around here he was VERY alarmed at my lack of descrection. He would like things a little more anonymous.

After several days of wondering what changes I should make, I've decided to start another blog. This one is more "fairy tale" style and our real names and locations won't be mentioned. BUT the pics will STAY!! HA! So, if you care to join us on our "royal" adventure, send me a quick email!

Adios amigos, for now.

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-26T17:11:00.014-05:00

We had a great weekend. On Friday we had our usual "movie night", complete with movies and pizza. Saturday was spent just hangin' out around the house. We decided to grill fish and opted to eat dinner outdoors. It was a beautiful evening filled with great food and many family laughs!

The kids would eat some and then go play on the swings.

I meant to have a picture of Michael at the grill, but instead ended up with this one. No Michael. Just the grill. (He and my dad built this last year. Turned out pretty nice.)

On Sunday we enjoyed a wonderful patriotic service and then headed home for a day of rest and relaxation. We had several storms come through so it made a great stay home day.

Monday we headed out early for Six Flags. We got there just shortly before the rides opened. So, the lines were very short. Yea!!

Ethan was really excited about his first ride...the TRAIN!

Kate and Connor really wanted to sit at the front so they could "ring the bell". I'm sure you can tell that Mason is just THRILLED!

After the train, Kate headed for the swings (she was the only one)

...and Connor headed for the planes.

Kate and Connor then rode this...(don't remember the name). It's like a mini "Superman" ride for kids. Its hard to tell in this pic, but they are crackin' up! Sooo cute!

Connor was in a really great and daring mood. So after the children's rides, he insisted on riding the Tony Hawk roller coaster.

Then Connor asked to ride ANOTHER coaster. This was his first time on the Judge Roy Scream.

The first time he rode with Mason and I sat directly behind them with Kate.

They loved it so much they wanted to go again. This time Dad went and he and Kate got in the front. (Have I mentioned that my new camera has an AWESOME zoom?!?!)

Next was the parachutes. Kate rode with Mason.

And I rode with Connor.

Kate begged Daddy to ride the "balloon ride". It goes up in the air and spins around like the tea cups. I think this is one of the last rides for Michael!! :(

Connor insisted on taking a picture with the Bat mobile.

Mason wrode "crazy legs" solo.

Michael, Kate, and Mason wated to ride Aqua Man before we left. This is them coming down.....SPLASH!!!!!!!!!!!

When they got off the boat, they stood on the bridge and got splashed by the next boat.

And they went home COMPLETELY drenched! As Kate said, "Daddy....my panties are wet....."

I guess she thought only the outside got wet??? She learned quickly.

And as we were leaving the old "six flags guy" was hanging out takin' pictures. Too funny!

We came home. Cooked hamburgers outside. And had a red, white, and blue dessert. (White chocolate pie with chocolate dipped strawberries and blueberries. YUMMM! )

Catching Up - Show Us Where You Live....

2009-05-23T16:36:00.015-05:00

Several weeks ago, Kelly started "Show Us Where You Live Friday". Each Friday on her blog she posts pictures of various rooms throughout her house. She's asked her readers to do the same and then link them back to her blog. I've never looked through ALL of the links, but I've enjoyed some of them. It's neat to look at different styles of arranging furniture and decorating. I didn't start several weeks ago, so today I'm playing catch up. So far, they've looked at the kitchen, living room, and dining room.

I've posted several pictures of my kitchen recently after we painted the cabinets. (You can see the transformation here) There hasn't been much change since then. I'm still waiting (eagerly) for new granite countertops. I know they'll make a huge difference! Until then...

The kitchen leads directly into our breakfast nook, and then to the living room.

Our living room is a large open room. We love the "open-ness" (is that a word?). However, trying to make it feel warm became a challenge. After living in our home about two years, I found a friend-of-a-friend who makes custom drapes. She gave me the idea to use the drapes to brind the room "down" to just one level. I think she did a fabulous job. Adding the curtains made a HUGE improvement.

Above is looking in from the foryer.

Below is looking in from the kitchen.

We had a large blank wall above the fireplace until we found this painting. I love it. Looks like a Kinkaid, but no original $ here!

This small table is a new addition in our foryer.

On the other side of our kitchen, a doorway leads to the formal dinning room. In this picture you see the front door.

In this room the same seamstress made these drapes and matching runner for the table.

Several piece of art in this room we bought on a trip to Paris. We bought them from local artists down on the river (Toi, are you laughing now?! :)I brought them home and added frames and a mat.

This particular piece I got from Toi's mom. We love it because it is an opera house that is located in Paris. And we actually went there during our visit.

Graduation Celebration

2009-05-22T08:05:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was Kate's last day in pre-school. After their graduation ceremony last week, they had a "fun" week. They spent the past two days with outside activities and lots of play. So, they concluded with an ice cream party yesterday.

Kate and her teacher, Ms. Allyson

Kate with Ms. Donelle - her bible teacher and the director of the school.

Our family went out to celebrate last night. We told Kate she could choose where ever she wanted to go and she asked for quesadillas (darn the bad luck! :) So we headed to On the Border.

She had a "graduation" gift from us, Grabbie, and Granda & Granddad

She got excited when she saw the James Avery box. (I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing that she's four and recognizes the little orange box...?!?)

And she was THRILLED that she got a new charm bracelet. Complete with a tiara charm (from Grabbie), a "K" charm from Granda and Granddad, a graduation hat from Mom and Dad, and a heart and cross charm from her brothers.

Oh....and she got some new shades yesterday. She told me these were "the kind you're suppost to wear..." I guess she means they're in style.

Picture Takin' Fanatic

2009-05-20T14:14:00.012-05:00

Hawaiin Falls, the new waterpark here in Mansfield, opened Sunday from 12-7 pm for our church. Although the weather wasn't as warm as we would have liked, we decided to go anyway. Grabbie kept Ethan so he could take a nap. So, Michael and I headed out with the other three. Unfortunately, my Minolta camera is currently having some technical difficulties, so we decided to take one of those disposable water cameras. (Big mistake). We had such a fabulous time! We've always known that Mason and Kate were dare devils, but Connor...,well, not so much. But I will have you know that ALL THREE of them rode every single slide they had to offer. It was so much fun.

On the way home I made Michael stop at Walgreens so we could drop off the camera immediately. However, the machine apparently had some technical difficulties and we didn't get the disk until last night.

I couldn't wait to look at all the pictures. And let me tell you, they look like C-R-A-P. The quality is ridiculous. Here are a few. And believe it or not, this is AFTER I doctored them up with Photoshop.

The children's area was awesome. It's a huge area...too big to fit in one shot.

Michael was racing Mason, Connor, and Brandon (a friend from church) down these slides. This was Connor's first time. I was really worried once he got to the top and realized that he would have to come down on his belly that he wouldn't go. He proved me wrong.

Connor is coming down another slide.

This is Mason on the "shoot" where the slide "spits" you out into a "toilet bowl". It was crazy awesome.

I know it's sad but those were the best out of 27. Seriously. Sad.

Like I mentioned earlier, my Minolta digital camera is having "issues". I've been looking at cameras (casually, of course) since before Christmas. I'm getting ready to take some photography classes (hopefully this summer) and I was hoping to get a new one either before or after I started my class.

I think the whole ordeal with the disposable really set me over the edge. I started seriously researching different makes and models, both online and in various stores. I even had Michael checking stuff out,too.

And I'm so excited that I'm now the new proud owner of:
...... the new Nikon d90.

I really debated between the d5000 and the d90. But it all came down to the lens. With the d5000 I would have bought a second lens. I love the idea of just having ONE.

Oh..side note...Best Buy will honor any current add. So, I got it for a good price (at least $100 - $150 less than current retail.) And after much research, I found that Best Buy also has the most reasonably priced extended warranty. And it just SOOOO happens that right now they are offering 18 months interest FREE! WOOOHOOOO! Give Him some PRAISE!

Today, the fourth grade had their big 4th grade party at Camp Thurman. I couldn't wait to go play with my new toy! Infact, I probably went a little crazy.

Here's a picture of the entire fourth grade.

Mason is doing one of the challenge courses.

Ethan loves being outdoors and he was fasinated with this stick. I guess he's gonna be 110% boy!

Mason is rock climbing.

And was the first boy to make it all the way to the top.

I had to get a picture of Addison.

This is the 25 foot zip line that the kids went down. Mason is on the far right.

...on his way down...

...and going upside down....

And of course all of his friends wanted "high-five" on his way back in.

Do they look related?

One Terrific Thursday

2009-05-15T18:37:00.009-05:00

Yesterday the boys had Field Day at their school. I ended up being there a majority of the day so I have many pictures to share.

Here is all of first grade participating in sack races. It was so cute!

Connor with his teacher, Mrs. Waddell.

Mason jumping across one of the inflatables.

Here's Mason and his teacher, Ms. Abrams.

Mason participating in the sack race with fourth grade.

Mason and Addy.Connor's class in tug - of - war. His class ended up the champions out of eight first grade classes!

Connor's first grade class.

Mason and Ryan riding a "twin turbo" ride.

After all of the field day activities, we had a few hours of rest before Kate's pre-K graduation.

Michael and I are so proud of our little graduate!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T22:04:00.007-05:00

After church, we headed to Joe's Crab Shack with Granda, Granddad, Grabbie and Uncle B. And after eating some lobster, crab legs, and shrimp, we headed home.

By the time we got home, Ethan had already fallen asleep, so he's not in any of the pictures below. :(

I specifically asked Michael not to buy my anything this year because I got a massage at the Spa
in San Antonio. That's really all I wanted.

But, he spoiled me (as usual). After the redo of our cabinets, I joked with him about needing to re-buy some of my small appliances. I really wanted to add some red to the countertops. So sure enough he and the children picked out a new red cutting board, electric can opener, toaster, and KITCHEN AID mixer! To say that I was surprised and excited is an understatement.

When I told the children they spoiled me, Mason replied, "Good. Now you can spoil us!" HA! That child cracks me up!

And, a little update on Ethan...

He's been trying to walk for several weeks now. Taking a few steps (3-5) at different intervals, but not really more than that. And I told Michael when we were getting ready to leave last week that I would be angry if he started "running" while we were gone.

And sure enough he DID. He's walking EVERYWHERE. He still falls down some, but gets right back up. And now he gets angry when you try to carry him.

Can you say, "Stubborn"?

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms!!

And a special THANK YOU to my sweet children and precious husband.

We're Home

2009-05-08T12:43:00.013-05:00

Michael and I are home.

We had a super trip. The absolute only thing that could have been better would have been if he didn't have to work at all. But, the job was what brought us to San Antonio in the first place.

I ate more guacamole than I care to admit. YUMMY. (The craziest part is that I never liked the green dip until my fourth pregnancy. And since then I just can't seem to get enough.) I guess I'm just making up for all the years I pushed it aside. HA!

I started reading a new book (Thank you, Grabbie) by John Grisham. It's very good and easy reading with a great story line. Hopefully I'll finish it in a day or two.

And as stated in my last post, I really enjoyed working on some of my digi pages, so here are a few...

We had dinner with Kyle and Terri Medlock last night (as well as their daugher, Amy and her boyfriend, Aaron). It was so great to see them again. After dinner here

(the Hard Rock cafe)

we found this...

and continued to enjoy some great conversation until after 10. An overall fabulous evening!

Here are some more pictures:

This is our hotel. We stayed here on our honeymoon and we've been going there ever since.

It's probably hard to tell in this picture, but these are two baby duck floating with their mother.

I'm Gonna Share...

2009-05-08T09:49:00.006-05:00

Our breakfast was delivered promptly at 7:30 this morning. And since each of you can't be here, I'd thought I would share...

Yummy. Wasn't that delicious? I thought so! And my favorite part was the little candied pecans on top of the waffles! :)

And with the help of GRABBIE, I'm able to share the page I FINALLY completed yesterday. And then a couple from this morning. It's been so relaxing just to sit in the bed, propped up by some over stuffed pillows, and play on PhotoShop Elements!

Finally...

2009-05-07T17:35:00.002-05:00

We (especially me) are really enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of the Riverwalk. Luckily there is a great breeze, because it's actually quite warm down here.

I knew when we were making arrangements for this trip that Michael would be working, so I would have quite a bit of time to myself. And honestly all I really wanted to do was get caught up on some of my digital scrapbooking. So my computer and related components was one of the very first things I packed.

When Michael left this morning (after an incredible breakfast from room service) I thought I would spend some time scrapbooking before I got out of bed. And I will have you know that my dang mouse "stick" was broken, apparently. Seriously. I tried changing USB ports, turning the computer off and on, etc. Nothing worked.

Guess I was meant to get my butt out of bed earlier than originally intended. I got ready, made a walk along the river to the mall to find an electronic store. I know this sounds crazy, but they don't have one...in the ENTIRE mall. Seriously. So, I went by to check on Michael and take him a bite to eat.

Then I went back to the hotel, got in the car and went to town. And I would like to take this moment to give thanks for new phones with the navigation system. I've had one in my car for the past couple of years, and I depend on it heavily. This was my first experience to use the nav on my phone and I was completely impressed.

I found the Office Max. Bought a new mouse. And then, low and behold there was a Rack Room Shoes next door. I took that as a sign the Lord thought I deserved a new pair of sandals since I walked so much earlier. Thank you, Lord.

I tried to insert the page I FINALLY finished, but there's a problem with blogger and I can't get it downloaded.(Maybe tomorrow).

And the children are having a BLAST. Infact, when I talked with Kristi today she said that the kids are doing so great and they're having so much fun that they've decided to have more kids!! But then she said that when they saw how much Ethan ate, they were afraid of having one that ate like him and she said they wouldn't be able to afford it. HA!!! :)

Today...

2009-05-06T13:39:00.002-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen (as if any men read this)...I would like to announce that it is officially WEDNESDAY. Therefore, I am packing my bags to go spend a few awesome days with my Prince Charming in the beautiful San Antonio.

I think I'm gonna sit in silence (with the exception of a few tunes in the background) and scrapbook. And I'll probably read some. And go for a stroll or two along the river. And enjoy some kickin' mexican food!!

If you happen to think of us, please pray for our sweet children. Thankfully Michael's brother and SIL (with their 2 kids) are coming to stay while we're gone. OH - and I can't forget to include GRABBIE!! I know the kids are going to have an AWESOME time and probably won't miss us.

Back to packing..... :)

Performance

2009-05-05T13:59:00.003-05:00

Last week the kids participated in the children's choir musical at church. It was called, "Livin' Inside Out in an Upside Down World". It was sooooo cute! The preschoolers sang a few songs first....

I tried to get a picture of Kate when she was on the big screen. They didn't turn out so well, but I tried...

That would be Kate on the bottom row, center, holding up her hand.
Then the musical began with all of the elementary students. Mason is on the back row, third from the right.

For those of you who know the Salyers, this is Bailey singin a solo. She really did a great job!

Isabelle Grace

2009-04-28T15:59:00.004-05:00

OMG! We had the cutest visitor at our house last night...

This is Izzy...short for Isabelle. She's almost three months old and she sooooo tiny and adorable. She belongs to my cousin, Amy and her husband Zac. Zac was in town for an outpatient surgery and they were able to come spend an evening hanging out with us!

Kate just loved holding this little bundle of joy!

Here's Izzy with her Momma.

And, of course Grabbie had to get her hands on her too!

And before she left, she managed to give us a couple of grins. TOO CUTE!

Scout's Honor

2009-04-27T21:50:00.006-05:00

We went to Shreveport this weekend. My cousin, Austin, was honored at a ceremony where he received his Eagle Scout award.

Saturday morning we took the kiddos to a nearby water way to enjoy the park and feeding the ducks.

Ethan and Michelle enjoyed the swings.

This place was beautiful.

Michelle is admiring the duck and he doesn't seem to mind.

Ethan was having a great time with his MeMe.

Michelle and Ethan enjoyed the little kiddie slide.

My oldest three monkeys enjoy the bars.

Once back at MeMe's house, Michelle wanted to play in the water.

And Kate wanted to join her...she got completely soaked!

After an afternoon of play, we headed to Austin's ceremony. This is a table of some of his various awards. He began scouts when he was only six years old. He's now 19. To say that his accomplishments are impressive would be an understatement. It was truly an honor to be there to witness this presentation.

This is the actual Eagle Scout medal. Awesome.

This is me and the kids with the honoree.

Church Picnic

2009-04-22T22:22:00.006-05:00

On Sunday our church held our annual church wide picnic. This is always a huge hit! Especially for the kids because they have over 20 bounce houses! Due to the wind, it was a little cool, but sunny and no sight of rain. We had a great time!

We ate lunch first. And after Ethan ate his hamburger he was REALLY anxious to eat his cookie!

After lunch, the kids were ready to tackle the bounce houses!

This is a picture of Kate with Belle Salyer.

And this is Connor with Pierce. We don't see the Salyers very often, so the kids were really excited to hang out with them for a short time at the picnic.

This is Kate on Michael's shoulders. We were watching Mason's children's choir as they perform.

This is our children's choir for grades 3-6

Kate is chillin' with her daddy.

Granddad and Big E

Our friends, Alan and Terri Stein.

On another note, Connor's first grade class is participating in a study about chicks. They've been keeping chick eggs in an incubator for several weeks, and today the first chick hatched! Connor really enjoyed it! His teacher managed to snap a quick picture! Hope you enjoy!

Just for Laughs

2009-04-16T22:42:00.003-05:00

Today was a big day here in the Rooney household. Kate had "Kindergarten Round-Up" at the boys' elementary school. And Mason's 4th grade class was selected to give tours of the school to all of the new Kindergarten families.

Mason really wanted to give Kate her tour...even though we already know the school like the back of our hand. So Kate and I followed Mason and his buddy, Nicholas, throughout the school. Now, Nicholas is in the 4th grade...he's in Mason's class. But he's very small. He's probably smaller than Connor and only a hair taller than Kate. To be honest, I was shocked that he is as old as he is.

On with the story....once we returned home, Kate and Mason were telling Michael all about the round-up. Mason made a reference to Nicholas...and I commented, "Nicholas is really nice...he's a cute little guy."

And Mason then replied, "Yeah...he's small...but its because he has that thing....where he only gets to have a birthday every four years..."

Oh my goodness....I laughed so hard I cried. I never thought about how leap year would be interpreted by a child. But clearly...my son related this child's small size to the fact that he only gets to have one birthday every four years.

We had a mini lesson on leap year. :)

Easter

2009-04-13T23:19:00.007-05:00

The shower on Saturday was great. I don't know exacly how many people came...but I know we went through 80 plates...yes, eight zero. It was absolutely crazy. And I COULD NOT have pulled it off without my sweet hubs. You should have seen him cutting and serving the cake! Priceless. The cake was three tiers, each tier was three layers. It was a cake large enough to serve 125. We only had three pieces left. There were so many people here. Luckily the shower was come and go. But at one point, there were people in the family room, kitchen, breakfast area, formal dining room, standing in the hallway, and some were even sitting up the stairway. There have never been that many people in this house at one time before. But the bride and groom were so excited. And I really enjoyed seeing them interact with all the guests. I'm so excited for these two and can't wait to go to their wedding in a couple of months!

Despite some yucky weather, we had a wonderful day on Sunday. After we attended a great service at chuch our family came back to our house to prepare for the Easter meal. Granddad, Granda, Grabbie, and Uncle B were all in attendance. We had some yummy food...including my new favorite salad EVER made with fresh cranberries from Grabbie. Again, due to the weather, the children hunted their eggs inside...over 150 eggs for four kids (actually only three because Ethan was sleeping during the hunt). Everyone had a great time!

My boys were troopers to wear their pink shirts! You know what they say...Real Men Wear Pink!

This was clearly taken BEFORE Ethan's nap!

Does Kate look like a spittin' image of her Daddy, or what!?!

Easter is a fun time to have a bunny. Here, Toby Mac is really interested in what Ethan has in his hands. After this sweet pose, Ethan reached down and tried to pull him up by his ears...no kidding.

The boys were out of school again today. So we met up with Granda and went to see the Hannah Montanna movie. And it was hysterical! Even Mason, who wasn't thrilled about having to go see a "girl's" movie, enjoyed it. And I don't know who laughed more...the kids or Mom and I. Very clean and quite entertaining!

Fondue, Anyone?

2009-04-07T23:08:00.002-05:00

I'm hosting a wedding shower at my house on Saturday. And rather than having a traditional fruit and veggie tray, I decided it might be fun to offer a cheese fondue with the veggies and a chocolate fondue with the fruit.

Monday I started searching online for various recipes. And today I made a run to the store. So, this afternoon and evening I used my family as guinea pigs....we have two winners...

A monterrey jack and cheddar cheese combo fondue

The fondue with only cheddar was too cheesy....

We tried two chocolate fondues...milk chocolate and dark. Michael and Mason LOVED the dark chocolate. But we all agreed that the milk chocolate would be better to serve at the shower.

YUM.

In Case You Didn't Know...

2009-04-06T09:27:00.003-05:00

....it's Monday.

Oh, and by the way, it's already April. AND, it's Easter THIS SUNDAY! YIKES...I am not ready.

And it's going to be quite a crazy week. Kate's preschool is celebrating Easter tomorrow because they are out on Thursday. Connor has a field trip on Thursday. Michael is required to be in Oklahoma City on Friday and since the kids will be out of school he asked me if we would come with him.

Sure I said, but I'm gonna go house huntin' while we're there. (HA!) I think I would like living in OK City. It snows there. Cool.

And can I just take a moment to tell y'all that I had Connor in tears this morning when I dropped him off at school because he WANTS to go to school on Friday and wasn't AT ALL pleased when I told him he'd have a short week. (SERIOUSLY)

On with the schedule....I am having a wedding shower at my house Saturday afternoon. Which means that if I am to go with MJ to OK City I will need to have a majority of things ready for the shower before we leave. And due to the above schedule, I don't know if this quick trip is gonna happen or not.

And speaking of trips....Michael and I were COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY yesterday by an act of kindness...so I will share... In early May (the 7-9 to be exact) Michael has an event in San Antonio that he must attend. (For those of you who don't know we honeymooned in S.A. and it is by far one of our favorite get aways! Hello...La Mansion Del Rio...a.k.a. The Mansion on the River!) Anyway, he asked if I would like to come with him on this trip. (Need he ask twice?!?!) Although he travels often, I rarely go with him due to the la familia responsibilities. And when you have four kids...lets just say we don't exactly have people standing in line waiting for their turn to keep them! HA! Anyway... we learned very quickly after a few inquiries that finding child care for this mini get away was going to be a challenge. After our local family was contacted, we considered asking Michael's sister Kelly and his Mom. Unfortunately, they've already planned another trip to Barbados during that time to visit family. So, we were kinda leaving this at a stand still for the moment.

A couple of hours after talking with his sister, Michael's brother Patrick called. They had just left Kelly's house and were headed home. He and Kristi started talking....and he called to tell us that they wanted to come up and keep the kids for us. JAW DROP. SILENCE. LONG STARE. WHAT???? Seriously?!?! Patrick is going to take off work and bring his family up here so that Michael and I can go on our mini get away. WOW! To say that we were surprised and shocked is simply an understatement.

At first I told Michael, NO. It's not fair that he would take off of work for us. I told him I would call my grandmother (Hi Nanny...yep, you lucked out this time :) Why would they offer to do this for us? I know I have great kids...but this is a little more than they bargained for! They just understand because going away just the two of them is something they never do, either.

Problem solved. We agreed to them coming up...as long as they would allow us to repay the favor. So, this summer we're going to keep their kids so they can have a mini get away. And, we have some air miles stored up, so we said we could fly them somewhere. So....the question for the day...if you could go on a mini get away with your spouce, where would you go? (And a huge THANK YOU to Patrick and Krisit!!!! And to Grabbie who is also going to help out! You guys ROCK!)

MICHAEL is HOME!!!

2009-04-04T21:37:00.003-05:00

It's Saturday and we are so excited at the Rooney household because our Daddy is FINALLY home!!! Michael has been out of town quite a bit this week. And it's espeically hard on the kids when he's gone for the weekend. But he's home now. Infact, he was able to get an earlier flight so we all went out for dinner.

My cousin, Krystal and her hubs Matthew are also in town for the evening. They are headed to the NASCAR race tomorrow, so they're staying at the Rooney Bed & Breakfast for the night. They went with us to eat at Ton's Mongolian Grill. YUM! And Ethan made a HUGE mess on the floor with all the food that somehow missed his mouth. I think we could have fed half of Ethiopia with all the food he dropped. I always feel so guilty when he makes such a huge mess when we go out. At the same time though, I'm glad it's not me cleaning it, for a change. HA.

I was hoping to have some more great pics of my kitchen re-do, but I'm afraid I've failed AGAIN. I really want to have the cabinets glazed (outlined) in brown. I didn't do it right on my first try. And after getting a quote that blew me away, I went back to Lowe's to talk to the guys in cabinets and in paint. They gave me some great pointers and assured me I could do this. So, with renewed hope, I headed home to try again. And since Michael's been out of town, I thought it would be really great if I could complete the project before he returned home.

But, like I said, I FAILED. Grabbie even came by this morning to confirm. So, after all the hard work we've put into our re-do it looks like I'm going to have to hire someone in order to get the exact look I want. Anyone in the area know a great painter?!?

Busy Week

2009-04-03T15:51:00.002-05:00

I haven't been on the computer hardly at all this week. I was busy turning this kitchen with stained cabinets.....

...into this kitchen with cream cabinets.

Our project isn't completely finished. I want the cabinets to be glazed (around all of the edges)...but it isn't as easy as i thought it would be. I'm getting quotes on the glazing...and we'll have to see what happens.

Eventually, we'll put in beautiful dark granite countertops...but that's gonna be a little while longer.

Until then, we'll just enjoy the freshness of a "new" look.

I know those of you who consider me "so high maintance" will be SHOCKED to know that Michael and I did all of this BY OURSELVES!!! (with the exception of these two little helpers)

I've always considered myself such an organized person, but after seeing all of the contents without the cabinet doors on them...well, lets just say they didn't look so organized. So, not only does the exterior look new but the insides do too! I've completely gone through and reorganized every stinkin' thing I own in this kitchen.

It's almost like we moved...we're having to re-learn where everthing is..the kids think it's a game. And I feel inspired to spend more time in there. So, send me some new receipes to try!

Have a great weekend!

A Special Evening

2009-03-25T09:43:00.002-05:00

Last night we went to the MISD school board meeting for Connor to receive his award. They took a few minutes to explain the award...after receiving nominations from the teachers, the superintendent chooses a student from each elementary school in our district. The Superintendent Star is awarded to students with exceptionally great character and conduct...an overal super student. So, last night the winners from each of the elementary schools were awarded with a trophy.

Now, when we first arrived, there were people walking all around, talking with each other. A sweet woman, named Liz, came to introduce herself. She congratulated Connor and explained to him what would take place. Mr. Newsome would call their name and what school they were representing. At that time, he would go to the front to receive his trophy, shake Mr. Newsome's hand, and then stay at the front until all of the students from the other schools were awarded. Then they asked that they remain at the front so they could have their picture taken. Their pictures will appear in the Fort Worth Star Telegram and the Mansfield News Mirror.

So, once the meeting was ready to begin, the room got quiet and all of the board members took their places at the front. The room was PACKED with people. And Connor turned to Michael and I and said, "Mom, I don't think I can go to the front to get my trophy 'cause I think my tummy is trying to make me sick."

So cute. How do you explain "butterflies in your tummy" to a first grader? We just told him he was nervous and that he would be up there with other students! And, he did GREAT!

This is our Superintendent, Mr. Newsome at the beginning of the meeting.

He is presenting Connor with his trophy, but you can't see Connor's face (he's in the blue shirt with white stripes).

Now he's checking out his new trophy!

Here's all the winners with Mr. Newsome.

Connor is pictured here with Mrs. Varner, his principal (on the right) and Mrs. Waddell, his teacher (on the left). It was really sweet of both of them to come to the meeting to show their support for him! He has been truly blessed this year with a very special teacher!

After the meeting, we told Connor we would take him to eat wherever he wanted...and you guessed it...CFA. So, here's the family pics after dinner.

Uncle B, Grabbie (notice CFA tea in hand), Granddad, and Granda.

And here's the proud parents.

Wow! God is so amazing. It was an awesome evening. We are so grateful to his teachers. We are so proud of our son. And words cannot adequately descibe the joy in my heart.

I wish I had an up close picture of his trophy. It's a star...so cute. It even has his name and school on it. But, his principal asked him to take it to school today, so it's not home at the moment. Maybe tomorrow.

Space Center

2009-03-24T21:25:00.004-05:00

As promised last week, I am finally posting pics from the Johnson Space Center.

This is an actual piece of the moon that the kids were allowed to touch.

This "man" turning flips demonstrates what it's like in space.

We took a ride on a tram that took us out to where they keep all the rockets.

This was inside the training facility where the astronaunts train before going into space. It was amazing to see the actual true size of everthing. It was incredible!

Here is one of the actual rockets. It's on display inside a building. (It's the only thing in the warehouse!)

Here's the bottom of the rocket where the "burners" are located. It is difficult to describe their size and the numerous wires attached to each.

This is Kate with her cousins Zander and Kailey.

The play are for the kids was huge! It's three stories high and entertains children for hours!

After returning home, we went to Six Flags on Friday with the Collins and Babcock families. It was busy, but we had a great time. To start the day, Mason had me join him on Mr. Freeze. We also managed to ride the Flashback. Kate rode her first roller coaster - the Judge Roy Scream and then later she rode the Shock Wave...and loved it! Especially going upside down. The child has no fear.

On Saturday afternoon, Michael and I managed to get some crazy idea in our heads to switch the boys' rooms. So, at 5:00 I was headed to Lowe's to buy paint. We finished painting before we went to bed at midnight. And, after church on Sunday we switched out their furniture, toys, and closets. It was a long day, but once we were done we were so pleased. Connor and Mason are really excited too! (I only wish we did this a few weeks ago BEFORE I had the garage sale. After cleaning out both rooms, I probably have enough for another sale.)

It was a great Spring Break. And I was sad to see everyone go back to school. This week makes me really anxious for summer!

We're Home

2009-03-18T12:28:00.003-05:00

We've spent the last few days in Houston spending time with Michael's family. Sunday was his mother's 60th birthday, so we spent the day with bday festivities. Monday we took all the kiddos to the Johnson Space Center. We had no idea we would be there for nearly 7 hours, but it was pretty cool. The kids LOVED it! Once I have time to go through all the pics I'll post a few. Yesterday we went to the Incredible Pizza Company. It's similar to an Alley Cats...where they have pizza, games, lazer tag, bowling, and go karts all in one. I was really impressed because it was christian owned and operated so while we were bowling we got to watch only christian music videos. I told Michael he should open one of those here in Mansfield! HA!

After a few hours of fun, we headed home late last night. The kids were sad to leave...they love spending time with their cousins!

Michael and I enjoyed sleeping back in our own bed. (But many thanks to our nephew who let us use his new bed while we were in Houston. It was the perfect "romantic suite for two"...all decked out in transformers...complete with transformer sheets and comforter. I'm sorry to report that I don't have a pic. It would have been priceless!)

So, we're back. Spending a day at the house...doing laundry, working, etc. preparing for the remainder of a great Spring Break!

One day while I was sitting in the bedroom trying to get Ethan to take a nap, I got out my computer. Again, this page was done in less than an hour. I'll leave you with this...

Quick Pages

2009-03-14T10:53:00.002-05:00

I am so thankful I took Jessica Sprague's online scrapbook class and I have to encourage any digi scrapper to do the same. I learned a wealth of information! In week 2 she taught us how to make a custom clipping mask. So, I was able to do the page below in less than half an hour! The clipping masks enable me to make a "mask" so that all of my pics will be the same size and will line up evenly. It makes it soooooo much faster!

I woke up wanting to do some scrappin' this morning. I made plans several weeks ago to visit my BF Toi. For those of you who remember, she and her family moved last July to Houston. She's the one who initially introduced me to paper scrapbooks years ago (nine to be exact). And then last Christmas showed me digital! Wow! It's so much faster. And less expensive (because you simply re-use all of your kits...paper, embellishments, etc.)

On with my story...I was supposed to be scrappin' with Toi this weekend. The plan was to go to her new home in Houston. Our men and boys were gonna hang out and we were going to spend the entire weekend working on our baby albums. Our baby albums will be the old fashioned paper kind...because we both wanted to do for these babies what we've done for all the others.

But, somehow my darling hubs didn't connect the dots. I kept referring to the "first weekend of Spring Break". So when I checked with him about the date he said he didn't have much planned for Spring Break because he really wanted to spend some quality time with the kids.

And then one day we were both working in the office. He was on the phone with someone discussing a "training weekend" for doctors that he set up several months ago. And then I heard him mention the "13th and 14th". After waiting patiently for him to get off the phone...I politely asked him what in the world he was talking about. He reiterated the info of this training seminar. Then, with a little aggrivation in my voice, I pointed out that the "13th and 14th" WAS the "first weekend of Spring Break." Somehow, like I mentioned above he didn't make the connection when he first said we could visit with Toi and Greg.

To say that I was disappointed is an understatement. Because, truth be known, this was actually the SECOND time Toi and I were planning to get together to work on our books. So...when I got up this morning I was sad that I was getting out of my own bed instead of getting of the guest bed at Toi's house.

We are hoping to actually plan another weekend, possibly around her birthday in May. I think we're going to opt for an undisclosed location! Does any body reading this have a little cabin in the woods that they want to lend to two close friends who just want to hang out together and scrap? HA!

Now that I've done one page (even though it was digital) I will move on to my daily task...packing. YUCK. We're still going to Houston...but we will spend a majority of our time with Michael's family. His mother's birthday is tomorrow so our presence is requested. But don't you folks worry...I'll stop by to see my buddy one way or another! :)

Connor To Be Awarded...

2009-03-13T10:15:00.002-05:00

I received a phone call yesterday from the principle where the boys go to school (that was a FIRST). But she told me right away that she was calling with incredibly GREAT news. So, I told her I would then accept her call! HA!

She proceeded to inform me that Connor is receiving a very special award. Apparently the teachers in each grade level nominate a boy and girl (I think) from their class that they feel is an exceptional student that stands above the rest. Then, the superintendent of the MISD selects one student from each grade to receive the Superindendent Award. And, for the first grade he selected Connor Payne!

She said it's a pretty big deal. We have to take him to the next school board meeting, which will be the week after Spring Break. The superintendent will call him up during the meeting and award him a trophy. Mrs. Varner (the principal) will be there and she encouraged all of our family to come as well. A photographer will be present and will be taking his pic for the newspaper.

Wow! To say we were surprised is an understatement. Usually, Mason is the one in the house to receive recognition...both academically and in sports. And the fact that Connor was chosen from among so many...the child who has overcome soooo many obstacles in his seven years....will receive an award that he earned....all on his own...that no one in this household has ever gotten. To think that only 3 or 4 years ago I would have NEVER imagined that this child would ever be successful in the public school system.

And make no mistake about it...we owe soooo many thanks to his teacher, Mrs. Waddell. She has taken that child under her wing and is teaching him to fly.

I only have one thing left to say...

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory.....for ever and ever! Amen." Eph. 3:20-21

To God be The Glory.

A Week At A Glance...

2009-03-10T21:50:00.008-05:00

My goodness it's been a long time since I posted. I'm sorry about that, but we've been very busy this past week.

On Wednesday we went to see Granddad for his birthday. Kate is helping Granddad open his gift.

Here is Ethan, Kate, and Granddad. This picture makes me laugh because it looks like Ethan's head is about three times as big as Kate's. Regardless, it's a sweet pic.

Here's Granddad's cake. It was an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins (I think). Let's just say it was....interesting. But that's what he wanted and that's all that matters! :)

Here's Granddad with all the kiddos. It's a little blurry...but the best that I have. At least everyone is actually looking at the camera!

Thursday Michael was out of town. It was an absolute beautiful day so we spent some time at the park.

Is this the cutest little scrunch face...or what!?!

Ethan LOVED the swing!

Connor is pushing Big E. I'm not quite sure who is having the most fun!

Here are my attempts to take a cute pic of all four....yeah right!

All day Friday, Michael and I worked in the garage. Somehow, Ashley and I managed to pull off a garage sale Saturday morning. And actually, it was by far the best one we've ever had. By 9:30 we already had 2/3 of our stuff gone. And by 11:00 we were done! And we have VERY little left over. YEA! It was well worth it! And now I have a clean garage and closets that are less cluttered.

After the sale, Grabbie spent SEVERAL hours (yes hours) playing Guitar Hero with Mason. They had a great time!

Then we were off to their school for the Spring Fling. It started off with a little petting zoo.

Kate and Grabbie are holding a baby potbelly pig. It was so cute!

This mini pony was precious!

Here's a close up of the potbelly. :)

After petting the animals Connor and Kate wanted to ride ponies. This was GREAT!

Mason ended up getting his hair colored.

And here's Addy!

Kate wanted to follow after Mason's footsteps. She initially wanted pink and purple (of course) but they ran out of purple. So she opted for green instead. It made a statement!

After coming home from Spring Fling, Connor got sick at his stomach. So that meant Connor and I had to stay home from church on Sunday. Sunday night Grabbie came to watch the kids for us so Michael and I could go out for a nice dinner. We celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary, which was Saturday. Just to have a quiet dinner without interruption was heavenly. And the meal was great, also. (Thank you Grabbie. If is wasn't for you, we wouldn't have had such a great evening.)

And now it's Tuesday and it's my mother's birthday. We went over to their house again, but for brownies instead of cake. I forgot my camera, so I don't have any pictures to share.

And after what could possibly be my longest post ever, I am officially going to bed. Goodnight.

More on Last Night....

2009-03-03T20:24:00.002-06:00

You absolutely MUST go to Big Mama's blog. She offers a podcast of the shows last night that is absolutely HILARIOUS!!! I was completely LOL! They even cover the wardrobe issues...oh, and Jason's lack of hair tact.

A definate good laugh!

Are You Serious?

2009-03-02T22:41:00.002-06:00

Wow! What an emotional rollercoaster! I still can't believe everything that took place tonight.
I am CONVINCED that this was a stunt to improve ratings.....I am so disappointed. And for the record, I think Melissa was right....it would appear that Jason didn't want to fight for her. Bless her heart....I can only imagine her heart ache and humiliation.

'Nuf said...I'm going to bed.

IT'S MONDAY!!!!

2009-03-02T19:05:00.002-06:00

YYYYYYAAAAHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
It's Monday....and that means it's time for the FINALE!

I'll see you after the show!

Throw Out Thursday

2009-02-26T21:33:00.002-06:00

I've begun to realize that when I have what I consider to be a messy house, it's usually just a house with clutter. I also acknowledge that a cluttered house puts me in a bad mood. Seriously. A clean, uncluttered house helps keep me in a great mood. :)

So, today I started in the kitchen. I cleaned out EVERY cabinet. I started with the cabinet under the sink...the one that holds all of my cleaning supplies. The cleaning supplies needed cleaning. Then I continued through the rest of the kitchen.

I'm glad I have a clean kitchen. But I must admit that I'm really surprised at how long this project took. Most of my day. I'm glad I did it, but I never thought it would take so long. I thought after the kitchen I would proceed to the laundry room. That didn't happen.

Maybe the laundry room will be tomorrow. And I would really like to tackle the storage closet on Saturday. I would love to do all of the kids' rooms too, but realistically I don't think it's all going to happen.

And truth be told, I have to wonder if it's worth all the time. Is it worth the time to spend all day sorting and cleaning out my children's rooms when I know in a month they'll probably look the same way they do right now.

What's for Dinner?

2009-02-25T14:15:00.002-06:00

Tonight I'm cooking one of our fav's for dinner and I thought I would share.

This is a favorite for several reasons:
1. It tastes good. Seriously. Everyone in our family LOVES this chicken. There will be no left overs.
2. I like it because you cook it in the crockpot. So, we're talkin' easy. Easy to cook and easy to clean up.

Ashley and I got this from Crockpot 365. I've made a few small adjustments, but nothing major.

BROWN SUGAR CHICKEN (a.k.a. CANDY CHICKEN)

-chicken breasts (about 5 or 6)
-1 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup Sprite
-2/3 cup vinegar
-3 cloves garlic (This is one change. I use probably double. LOVE Garlic)
-2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (I just pour some. Pour it all over the chicken)
- 1 tsp black pepper (Again, just sprinkle it on)

The original recipe says to put the chicken in the bottom of the crock pot and then throw everything else on top. I've started cooking the chicken in strips. It makes it easy to serve with the kids. And cutting it up also keeps the chicken moist and full of flavor!

Cook on high for about 3-4 hours. (If you cook the entire chicken breasts, cook for at least an hour longer). We serve over rice..... which brings me to my next topic.

Rice and noodles.
Brown or white rice? And regular or whole wheat pasta?

The Rooney familiy has tried. And now we are giving up. I know, gasp. Go ahead, gasp again.
This will probably royally defend some, and that is not my intention. But brown rice (unless it's fried) and whole wheat pasta stink. Seriously. They taste like crap. They might be healthy...but we are giving up. I've decided that as long as I'm cooking at home, its okay to have the fat full pasta and rice.

Look at the chinese and italians. The chinese eat white rice (and fried for that matter) and they live long healthy lives. And I don't know of any restaurants in Italy serving up whole wheat pasta.

That's why I choose to work out. I'm working my tail off at the gym trying to loose weight. I've lost 20 and have at least another 10-15 to go. And after I reach my goal, I will continue to work out so I can continue to eat white rice and pasta.....AND drink my CFA sweet tea.

So What If You Don't Get the Words Right....

2009-02-24T12:34:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Kate told Michael and I that she wanted to sing for us. One of her many songs included "Hokey Pokey"...but Kate didn't sing "Hokey Pokey", instead it came out "Pokey Yokey". We were cracking up...and little Miss Thing just kept on singing.

Infact, she also told me yesterday that "Hannah Montanna don't have nottin' on me, Mom!"

Seriously.

Guess I should be thankful that we won't have to worry about our one little girl having a positive self image! :)

Lego Land

2009-02-23T22:21:00.002-06:00

Mason had a basketball game Friday night (Go Aggies!) but we had no other plans for the remainder of the weekend (YEA!) I continued to stay in bed....so that left all the kids (and their father) to the rest of the house. When I came out of the bedroom Saturday after a nap, I walked into the kitchen only to find a new Lego Land on my kitchen table. Some of their creations were actually very impressive so I grabbed by camera.

This first picture shows Air Force One.
Here is another airplane

A black Hummer

This is the air traffic control tower

Yellow hummer pulling a red jet ski

another airplane

Anakin's star fighter (From Star Wars)

On Sunday, I managed to make it to church. The boys were singing and I was determined NOT to miss it. And I'm so glad I didn't. Connor never ceases to amaze me!

And, today Kate, Ethan, and I went to have lunch with Grabbie. We had Mexican food. YUM. I haven't had mexican in over three weeks. YIKES! And tonight I watched the "Tell All" show from the Bachelor. Some of those girls still amaze me. And I can't wait to see who Jason chooses! And what about the ending show where they don't have an audience? I'm wondering if Jason finally gets to meet Melissa's parents? What do you think?

Nothing Heals a Body Like CFA!!!

2009-02-20T20:02:00.004-06:00

As I've said in previous posts, I've been at home sick with the flu this week. Wednesday evening I was frustrated with my hubs because he had the nerve to ask me if he needed to take all the kids with him to church. (The older ones are a piece of cake...but getting Ethan ready for church requires some preparation....dinner, clean diaper and clothes, etc.) Ladies, I don't know about your husbands, but when mine is sick he goes to bed, shuts the bedroom door, and I know I have to suck it up and do it all without his help temporarily. HOWEVER, when mom is sick, somehow we are still required to function to some degree...hence Michael's out of state appointment yesterday.

BUT...today my sweet friends I have you know that my precious husband REDEEMED himself. He got the boys up and ready for school. I only had to get out of bed to sit with Ethan and Kate while he ran them to school. After having some breakfast, I went back to bed. I slept until ELEVEN THIRTY!!! Yes, you read that correctly....11:30. I haven't sleep like that in years...probably since college after staying up all night studing for some exam. Wow! THEN, Michael actually went out and got me CFA for lunch WITHOUT BEING ASKED!!! No Kidding. NOTHING. NOTHING helps a body bounce back like sweet tea from America's greatest restaurant. (For those of you who don't know me or who are new to my blog....I have a small...well, maybe HUGE obsession with Chick-Fil-A). Oh...I can't fail to mention that he also came walking in with a gallon of tea...to encourage my recovery. The Lord is Good. And so is Michael. Redeemed. Completely Redeemed.

THEN, I took a shower, shaved my legs, and washed my hair. I will not disgust you with the details of the last time my hair was washed. But have no fear, I am now feeling as though I am in the land of the living again.

Thanks to CFA, Michael John, and a hot shower I think I'm on my way to recovery. (Oh...the flu medicine probably deserves my thanks as well :)

Clean Up Your Clutter

2009-02-19T19:41:00.002-06:00

Normally due to all of our afternoon activities/appointments I don't watch afternoon TV. However, because I am stuck at home with the flu, I saw both Dr. Phil and Oprah today. Phil was discussing the whole octuplet mom issue. And on that note, I feel so sorry for those poor babies. My biggest fear is that they will end up in foster care. And I think the mother is simply selfish. She must be mental. Enough said.

On Oprah, they were doing "Clean up your messy house". They are randomly knocking on doors across the nation and helping people rid their homes of clutter. And honestly, after seeing some of the messes today, my house looks like a five star hotel. Not because of the size, but because of the lack of MESS. Don't get me wrong, my house is nowhere near perfect, but you can actually see the floor in every room and I don't have piles of laundry laying about. People, you would have been SHOCKED to see the way some people live!!!! On to my point, if you go to Oprah.com you can download a coupon from the Container store for 20% off your entire purchase. I thought that was really cool! So, go clean your messy house and hit the Container Store if you need any organizational items! :)

Monday Night Television

2009-02-17T17:47:00.002-06:00

Ok, how many of you are Bachelor fans??? What did you think about last night? I so hope he picks Melissa. But, I'm a little worried about the whole "family" issue. However, I also think it could be the show's way of trying to mislead us. What do you think? And what about DeAnna's reappearance....?!?! Wow! The girl's got nerves. Is this another way the show is trying to spice it up? Seriously....it seems a little over the top. They flew her all the way to New Zealand?!? I'm hoping two weeks goes be very quickly. Who are you pullin' for?

Disappointment

2009-02-16T12:51:00.002-06:00

After all of my free publicity for the new series of AMAZING RACE...I missed the dang show! I thought the DVR was set, but apparently we had the wrong time or wrong channel or something. All I know is that I MISSED IT! That stinks. So if any of my friends out there was lucky enough to watch....will you PLEASE fill me in!

THANKS!

Happy Valentine's Day (a day late)

2009-02-15T19:01:00.002-06:00

Happy late Valentine's day! We were pretty busy yesterday, so I didn't have time to post. Mason had a basketball game, so my grandparents came to see it. They came over to the house after the game until late afternoon. My parents had the kids over for a little Valentine "get together" complete with Chick-fil-A nuggets and brownies. So, Michael and I took the opportunity to go out for dinner.

We had reservations at P.F. Changs. My mother commented that the choice of restaurants didn't seem very romantic to her. HOWEVER, any dinner with my husband where we are by ourselves...and can have all the adult conversation we choose....without any interrruptions ...is plenty romance for me. I'm sure every mother out there with children...especially under the age of 7 can relate! :) We thought about going to a movie afterwards, but we needed to get the kiddos picked up around eight. So, we went and got Fireproof to watch. It's a good one.
It was a great evening. It made us realize we should really try to get out like that more often. But sitters for four don't come cheap! Usually when we have a sitter it's because we have a meeting at church....or some other function that doens't involve little ones.

In some ways it made us miss the Minolta days...where we got free trips...for a week....together.....And when you came home you felt like a better parent because you just had a week with just your spouce. And after a week you CAN'T WAIT to be with your children again.

Movin on...today I finally finished my last layout from my scrapbook class. It was an AWESOME class. I learned sooooo much and I'm so disappointed that it's over already. Well, here's the last one....a two page spread. Have a great evening with your family. And for those of you interested, tonight is the first new episode of THE AMAZING RACE. WWWWAAAAHHHOOOO!!!!

...Hello...

2009-02-12T13:55:00.007-06:00

No, we have not fallen off the earth. It's been a busy week with Mason's birthday and Valentine's Day activities. Here are a few (...well, maybe a lot) of pics from the party...
We had a joint party with Mason's friend, Kyle. Their birthdays are only a day apart.
So we had all of their friends come to the indoor field at Big League Dreams. And it was AWESOME!!!!

Aunt Grabbie gave him a UT Longhorn jersey to wear to his party. (The football teams were the UT Longhorns and the TCU horned frogs.)

Granda and Granddad got everyone a UT shirt...even Big E.

This is Connor and Mason wrestling over the football before the party started.

My dad was the ref, he even dressed for the part...
Here are both teams...about 30 boys in all!

Kyle's mom made these great signs for Mason and Kyle

The boys enjoyed busting thru the signs.

After their football game, we all headed to the restaurant for pizza.

On Tuesday night, Mason's actual birthday, Addison joined us at our house for dinner. Mason requested shrimp and crab legs. He ate all of these himself! I'm afraid his appetite has grown right along with his age. YIKES!
Here's Addy and Kate

And Addy with Mason. They're only ten....but they sure are cute! Aren't they! :)

Fantastic Friday

2009-02-06T21:58:00.003-06:00

It's not even ten o'clock and we are already getting ready to go to bed. (You know you're gettin' old when your in bed early on a Friday night!) We're both just tired after a long week. And Mason 's party was earlier.

I haven't posted my scrapbook page for this week...so here it is. This was definately my favorite thus far.

On Monday, I will complete my forth and final lesson. I'm excited to have another lesson but sad that's its my last. I have really enjoyed this online class.

For those of you following Baby Harper, she's HOME!!!! I'm so excited for the entire Stamps family! Let's contiue to pray that Harper will stay perfectly healthy!

Tomorrow I'll try to post some pictures of Mason's party.

Goodnight.

I had a dream (literally)

2009-02-04T09:08:00.002-06:00

Okay, for those of you of have ever thought that I might be a candidate for the "crazy bin" this post will probably give you confirmation.

I had a dream last night....one of those dreams that lasts the E-N-T-I-R-E night. And we (Michael, myself, and all of our children) were in the White House. President Obama was there also, but somehow both he and Michael were in a great positions of leadership. (Although I can just hear Kyle Medlock right now, "anything with more than one head is a freak") I don't know how we got there...we just were. And let me tell you that in my dream Baraak and Michelle Obama were the nicest people and were so incredibly pleasant to be around! We actually enjoyed their company and just hanging out with them. And I vividly remember planning all of our overseas trips together. Infact my mother was so relieved that we had paid staff to keep the children so she wouldn't have to take off so work! (She remembers the Minolta days). And get this...we even had many of our evening meals together...our entire families! And we like it!

I know all of this was crazy. Especially since my hubs and I have no political ambitions what so ever. But in all honesty, I woke up this morning with a refreshed opinion that maybe Mr. and Mrs. Obama aren't so bad, after all. We definately have different political views and opinions. But after my dream, I am led to believe that maybe he isn't that bad after all. I think he really does want the best for this country. It's just that he and I have opposite views on what is "best". But as I have stated before on this blog, he is my President and I will support and pray for him, his family, and his administration.

The only thing that stinks is that when I woke up I also realized that I won't make it to the Castle in London any time soon. :(

So, I'm curious...how many of you have had a dream and it changed your outlook on something?

Confirmed

2009-02-03T12:44:00.002-06:00

Well, it's confirmed...Kate officially has double ear infections and Mason has strep. With the help of antibiotics, both will be feeling much better soon. It was impressive actually, the pediatrician said it had been well over a year since Kate had an antibiotic. And it's been so long for Mason that it wasn't even in the computer system! We've been blessed with realitively healthy children and for that I'm very greatful!

We're getting ready for Mason's big party on Friday. I CANNOT by first born will be TEN!!! Double Digits....Wow! I'm trying to get ideas for his cake...it's a football party but I don't want just a typical football field. If you have any ideas...let me know!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

A Day at Home...

2009-02-02T15:18:00.002-06:00

We're stuck at home today with a house full of sickies (is that a word?). Ethan is still recovering. We found out last week that he had an ear infection and was getting his one year molars at the same time. We were up all night with Kate who also seems to have a bad ear infection. I didn't get her to go to sleep until after 5:00 this morning. And after waking up the boys to get ready for school, I found out Mason was feeling really bad with a high fever and sever sore throat. We're worried that he might have strep. We'll find out later today when we go see the doctor. What are you doing on this Monday?

Oh - by the way - if you haven't been to Kelly's blog lately, check it out! Harper is doing so well! God is amazing! :)

Cold, Icy Day

2009-01-28T13:38:00.004-06:00

We're all having a stay-at-home day, compliments of the icy weather. The kids are lovin' it! And I can't say that I mind. (Although it's gonna stink when they have to make the day up).

We started off with snowman pancakes. And then they were off to play...well Mason and Kate were off to play. Connor said it was too cold and he stayed in with me! (That child is smarter than we give him credit for!)

Now that Ethan is taking a nap I'm busy working on some new scrapbook pages. Monday was my second lesson with my online class. I'm having so much fun. And I'm learning lots!! Here's the latest layout...

Another page

2009-01-26T14:16:00.003-06:00

I couldn't wait to use the new tricks I learned last week during my online class on another layout...so here it is....

I'm havin' so much fun and today I have a new project...so I'm gonna go get started. It's the perfect day to stay inside...wet and cold. Hope you're havin' a good Monday!

Fun Friday

2009-01-23T21:42:00.003-06:00

It's been an interesting week here in "Rooney-land". I dealt with some kind of stomach virus for most of the week. Not fun, but it could have been much, much worse.

Monday I didn't get out of bed (Thank you Jesus, Michael was at home! All of the kiddos were home because Mason and Connor were out for MLK holiday.) Tuesday was better but I still had very little activity. I actually spent most of the day at my parent's house. We had men putting a new roof on our house (the previous roof needed replacement after a bad hail storm at the end of spring last year). Now, let me start by saying that I am grateful to have a new roof. And the company we worked with was great.....HOWEVER, I cannot tell you how incredibly annoying it is to hear dozens of hammers on your roof ALL DAY. Luckily my parent were out of town so me and Ethan just crashed at their pad. I just watched the Inauguration all day.

And......I worked on a scrapbook class. I'm so excited to be taking a digital online scrapbook class from Jessica Sprague. It's been so much fun and I'm learning so many tricks. I just love it! In fact, here's the first page :

I'll get a new project first part of next week and I can't wait!

The roofers finally finished Thursday! And today I finally got my booty back to the gym. Give a hand clap of praise. I've started going to a cycling class on Fridays. It kicks my tail, but it's such a great workout! I'm so thankful LifeTime came to Mansfield!

And the best part of my week came earlier today when I read Kelly's blog. After reading her blog, praying, and reading her Bible after many years, a lady accepted Christ as her Savior. Talk about give some praise! As Kelly stated, it makes everything they've gone through worth it. Lives. Changing Lives. And saving them. That's what it's all about. That's why we're here...to point others in His direction.

A Day in History

2009-01-20T10:38:00.003-06:00

I type this as a I am watching the Inauguration. Although I did not vote for Mr. Obama, I will support him as my President. It is amazing to watch all of the events unfold. The fact that we will have the first African American President shows that our country has come a long way. I heard one of the commentators this morning comment that he will take oath of office this morning near the vary steps where many years ago slaves were sold. Please join me today in prayer for our new President, his wife, and two daughters. Although I might not have chosen him, God did. And I believe that through His sovreigntym great and mighty things will be to come. We MUST pray for wisdom, leadership, integrity, and Godly people to surround him with Godly advice.

(As a side note, it is somewhat humorous that on this Inauguration day my husband is taking the class to get his conceal and carry license)

Prayer Blog for Harper

2009-01-19T10:13:00.002-06:00

There has been a prayer blog set up for baby Harper Brown Stamps. You can go there to post your prayer for her and your encouragements to her parents, Scott and Kelly. Go to www.prayforharper.blogspot.com. Login with the email address: prayforharper@yahoo.com and use the password: harperbrown.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

2009-01-18T21:37:00.003-06:00

After an awesome Sunday service we ate lunch at home. My mother-in-law has been in town since Thursday evening, so I made some flyin' fish (For those of you who don't know, we can only get Flyin' Fish from Barbados. And we brought home lots this summer!) After lunch, Marion headed home and we spent the rest of the afternoon being complete lazy bums!!! It was so sweet!

And although I'm bein' lazy, I'm still praying for baby Harper and new Momma Kelly. I keep checking her blog every few hours or so for updates. Today seems to have been a good day and they are anxious to talk to the doctors tomorrow. God is beginning to show His healing hand and we will continue to seek it, on baby Harper's behalf!

I will leave you with a sweet picture....

Friday evening Michael fell asleep watching Mickey Mouse with Ethan. Ethan went over, stood up beside him, and put his heaad down on his hand. That little boy just wanted to be close to his Daddy. So Sweet!

Hope you had a lazy Sunday, too!

PLEASE PRAY

2009-01-17T08:16:00.002-06:00

PLEASE join me in prayer for baby Harper. My sister has followed Kelly's blog for as long as I can remember and always keeps me posted. Long story short, Kelly and her husband tried for years to get pregnant. Finally after much waiting and praying, he answered their prayers. Kelly carried Harper to full term, and was finally induced yesterday since she was 40.5 weeks! After delivery Harper was immediately taken to NICU with trouble breathing. Now she has been flown to another hospital with a NICU cabable of taking care of her serious condition. PLEASE pray for this sweet baby girl and her family!!

On a personal note, I'm sorry that I haven't posted not even once this week, but I've been busy on a project that was suspposed to be a Christmas gift. Calendars for all the grandparents and great grandparents. I thought I would be artsy fartsy and make them with my digital scrapbook software. They're lookin' cute, but it would have been SOOOOO much easier if i would have just done the stinkin' things through Walgreens!

Today my sister and I are headed out of town to go to my cousin's baby shower. Hope you and your family have a great Saturday.

The Weekend

2009-01-11T21:34:00.002-06:00

We started off our weekend with pizza and family movie night. We watched Narnia, Prince Caspian. We've seen the movie before, but I had forgotten several parts. Then Michael got some crazy idea to clean out his closet. (Which means dirty bedroom until it's done. In my opinion, there is still stuff in our room that has yet to find a new home. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to complete the process!)

On Saturday we ALL slept in until about NINE! YES! Sometimes it pays to let everyone stay up late! Later in the day we went to Mason's first basketball game of the new season. It was a really great game. It is his first year to play full court. Its always great to see how much they improve from the previous season.

After going to church on Sunday, we spent the rest of the day at home. Michael actually played legos with the boys for SEVERAL hours. They built an airport...pretty impressive. And this evening, Ethan actually had his first trying to stand/walk injury. I thought about taking a picture, but it looked really bad. Lots of blood. He injured his frenum (says Michael). That's the piece of tissue that comes down from the top of the lip to the teeth. Not pretty. And unfortunately, I know it is only the first of many.

Hope you had a great weekend too!

Kate cooking...

2009-01-07T21:54:00.006-06:00

On Monday the Collins family came for a short visit. Toi and her Mom went with Michael and I to the Celine Dion concert Monday evening. (BTW...it was incredible! Definately a night to remember!)

They left to return home Tuesday morning and Kate was sad once she realized that Micah was returning to HOUSTON so she wouldn't be able to play again for quite a while. So, somehow, through trying to console my daughter, I managed to promise to let her bake today with her new Easy Bake oven.

She woke up this morning asking if she could get her baking stuff out. After Mason's doctor appointment and a few erronds, we began to bake.

And let me just take a moment to say that the person or persons who designed the Easy Bake Oven and Receipes should be shot. (Okay, that's way too harsh....but they should most definately be fired.) You are set up for failure the moment you begin. It always requires more water than what they list. They when you finally get the silly little cake pan in the oven, the cake rises (definately not a concept they anticipated); because, once the cake rises, you can't get it out of the one inch opening without taking off the top layer. It always requires more baking time, also. But you don't know this until you take it out the first time. So, you get the honor of "beheading" the cake a second time. This was a two layer cake, so we repeated this nasty cycle twice.

Although Momma wasn't exactly thrilled with the process, Kate had a blast! Enjoy the pictures!

This is the cake Kate made just for her Daddy. It is supposed to be a smiling face. And Michael gets Daddy of the year award becuase he actually ate it...all of it!!!!

A Visit with Friends...

2009-01-06T15:17:00.010-06:00

After Christmas, the children and I headed to Houston to visit our dear friends, the Collins Family. We haven't seen them since they sold their house here in August and officially moved. So here are some updated pictures of ...
Tessa , Micah, and Jack

We had a great time just hangin' out for a few days. We ventured out one day for lunch and a few hours at Jump and Jungle (much like Pump It Up) Needless to say, the kids had a GREAT time!

Christmas Update

2009-01-06T13:25:00.009-06:00

I know Christmas was almost two weeks ago. I haven't forgotten to post pics, I just haven't had a lot of extra time. We had some great family time the past two weeks....so enjoy the pics and hopefully I'll be better in '09 with bloggin'!

To begin, we have pictures from Christmas Eve. After attending our Christmas Eve candle light service, we came home (just the 6 of us) to open our gits under the tree.

We surprised Michael with a special gift...it's always fun to catch them off guard every once and a while!

The boys picked out a cross necklace for Kate...and she loved it!

It's always priceless to see your children squeel with excitement!

This is the scene we woke up to Christmas morning after Santa came..

Mason loved the new Guitar Hero band set. Our entire extended family enjoyed this all week long!

Ethan loves playing (actually beating) his new drums!

I will never understand the obsession with kids and umbrellas...but Kate played with hers so much that it is already broken. (What do ya do?)

After breakfast, we went to Granda and Granddaddy's house for Christmas lunch. Mason took his new Ripstick...

...and Kate and Connor took their new scooters. We all had a great time racing down the driveway!

After lunch and some outside play, we went in to open more gifts.

Granddaddy bought Kate some MORE dress up shoes.

Nanny and HC also came over. They gave Kate a piano with a MICROPHONE. We've had the privilege of hearing her sing DAILY. (Thank you Nanny!)

Our family's Christmas photo

On Friday, the following day, some more of our extended family came to town and we exchanged even more gifts.

Connor and Mason got new Nerf guns from Aunt Ruth

Obviously, they were a little excited! I'm still finding nerf darts all over the house!

Here is baby Michelle sportin' her Christmas overalls! Soo cute!

Aunt Sandra bought Kate an Easy Bake Oven ...with all the baking utensils and mixes. And thanks to Kate's Daddy, we HAD to open it that evening to make cookies for everyone...and it made a CRAZY mess!

Polar Express

2008-12-29T23:47:00.008-06:00

On Monday, the 22nd, we met Michael's family in Palestine to take the kids to ride the Polar Express train. It was AWESOME! The entire experience was priceless! They did so many things that resembled the movie.

The conductor came around to punch everyone's ticket.

We were all served hot chocolate with a chocolate Santa snack. The kids loved drinking their hot coco while watching the landscape while the train moved down the tracks.

As we pulled into the next train station, the kids saw a huge christmas lights display.

They even had Santa's red sleigh with all of the reindeer.

Before we left, Santa came to visit all of the kids.

He gave every child "their first gift of Christmas"....a silver bell. It was beautiful and the kids loved it!

This is MoMa (Michael's mom) with all of her grandchildren.

And here are the children (from l to r)...Trisha, Kelly, Patrick, Michael, and Marion.

Here is one of the cabins that we rented. If you're ever in that neck of the woods I would recommend it...its called Fox Meadows...you can check it out on the internet.

As far as the Polar Express, I would HIGHLY suggest you go next year with your family! I was a little pricey....but after going I think it was worth every penny!

Pics as promised...

2008-12-15T09:16:00.004-06:00

First and foremost, here is the picture of Connor sitting with Santa. It was a FIRST.

Tuesday night Kate had her Christmas program at school.

Connor and Granda

Mason and Granda

This is Kate and Ella

On Thursday night we headed to Mason's 4th grade program. It was so much fun. You could tell the kids enjoyed the program too!

Mason is the blonde on the back row (for those of you that know my Dad, just look for the "Wages" ears!)

On Friday night we took the kids to Holiday in the Park at Six Flags (with the exception of Ethan - who stayed with Grabbie. THANKS Grabbie!)

Once again, we were so impressed with Connor! We rode the Bobsled, Conquistador (on the next to the back row), the snow hill, and even the new Tony Hawk roller coaster! Much, much, fun! The kids had so much fun they asked if we could go back. Luckily it's open until January 4th, so we have plenty of time to make it back.

Saturday morning started off with Momma and Kate getting pedicures and manicures with Grabbie. I really need to take my camera next time and get a picture of Kate soakin' those feet of hers. Actually, her toes look really cute. They painted a snowman on them. Oh....just hold on a sec. Let me get my camera...

Seriously, is that snowman so stinkin' cute...or what!!!???

And the thum nails got snow flakes!

Later Saturday afternoon we were able to get a sitter so Michael and I went out to finish our Christmas shopping! We mainly shopped for the kiddos. Wow! Just a few last minute things and then I'll be done. So one day in the near future when I just post "I'm done" in real big capital letters, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about!

Sunday after church we went out to eat at Abuelos for Grabbie's birthday. Then she, Mason, and I went shopping. We searched all day for a gift for Addy. Mason knew what he wanted, it just took us all afternoon to find it. But when we finally got it, he was so excited! Too cute I tell ya!

Last night while watching the Cowboys defeat the Giants, I tried to finish wrapping. I made a huge dent! And today, altough I need to get my butt to the gym, it is too stinkin' cold! The high today is 32. I don't care how much you bundle up, it's just too darn cold to be outside.

Think I'm gonna made some warm apple cider now. (Bought some GREAT cider last week at Central Market!!!)

Crazy WeekI

2008-12-12T16:49:00.004-06:00

It's been a little crazy around here this week. I have some great pics to post, but they will have to come later.

Tuesday night Kate had her Christmas program at the Little Hearts School.
Wednesday night Michael drove thru a blizzard trying to get home from the Houston area.
Thursday night was Mason's school program.
And tonight we are getting ready to head to Holiday in the Park. The kids are so excited. Michael and I are just hoping we can keep up. I think Mason rode the Titan three times in a row the last time we went. I dould do that when I was in High School. But things are a little different. Four children later and I think my equilibrium will always be a little off!

Hope you all have a great weekend! And by the way, Happy Birthday Sis! You know my kids would say you are the bestest aunt EVER!

Super Weekend

2008-12-07T21:39:00.006-06:00

On Friday evening, I attended our annual Women's Christmas Banquet and had the awesome privilege of hearing Sheila Walsh. She has always been my favorite speaker at the Women of Faith Conference so I've been anxiously awaiting! And to say that I was blown away is a mere understatement. Sheila was honest, transparent, encouraging, motivating, and reminded us of the true meaning of Christmas. Thank you, Sheila.

These are a few of the pictures that Grabbie took. Below is one of her singing....and she sings like an angel. If you don't have it, I encourage you to check out her Christmas CD.

On Saturday, Grabbie took Kate with her friend Jessica and her daughter Riley to the Neman Marcus Christmas parade in Dallas. They loved it! Below are a few of the pics...

This was the girls seeing the My Little Pony float for the first time.

This was a pink "herbie" with Strawberry Shortcake.

THE My Little Pony Float.

And below is Kate's face when it came by.

The parade ended with Santa, of course!

While Grabbie and Kate were at the parade, we were at the boys' school for Breakfast with Santa. And for the FIRST time in his life, Connor actually took a picture with Santa. Unfortunately, I don't have it yet; but, I do have a picture of all three of them.

After church on Sunday, Addison came with us to see Bolt. It was a great movie and the kids loved it! It was a great way to wrap up a wonderful weekend!

Busy...

2008-12-04T22:54:00.004-06:00

This week has been crazy busy. We've had something going on almost every evening, so it just makes things more hectic than usual. I guess that's how it goes with the Holiday Season!

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow evening. Our church is having our annual Women's Christmas Banquet. After dinner, we will be honored by having Sheila Walsh as our guest speaker! For anyone who has ever attended a Women of Faith Conference, you know Sheila! We are in for a real treat! I'll try to share details on Saturday.

An email from Brighton reminded me that there is only 21 days til Christmas. Yikes! Although, I can't wait to have the kids home from school for two weeks!

Thanksgiving Weekend.

2008-11-30T22:53:00.006-06:00

Below are just a few pictures from Thanksgiving. We had a good day overall. Unfortunately, Michael still isn't feeling well. It was definately a good thing we stayed home rather than going out of town. We ate lots of great food and had tons of leftovers!

This is Mason playing with Ethan.

Here's Uncle B and Ethan just chillin' on the couch.

Here is Kate and Daddy gettin' ready for a nap.

Grabbie and Ethan were dancin'!

As mentioned on my previous post, Ashley and I went shopping at midnight at Grapevine Mills Mall. I COULD NOT get over the crowds! What kind of crazy people go shopping at midnight? Seriously.

Well, these two crazies had a great time and it was VERY beneficial! Let me just say that Tommy Hilfiger (both kids and adult stores) had the ENTIRE store at 50% off. No kidding. Let's just say that my children will be set for clothes for the winter.

We were home by 2:30 and slept for a few hours. And then we headed out at 7 for our second round. We didn't get home until after 1:00 in the afternoon. Let me just add that we were at Target for over 3 hours. Crazy. But worth it.

At 5:00 we took the kids (minus Ethan due to the weather) to downtown Ft. Worth for the Parade of Lights. It was lots of fun. After getting too cold and hungry, we decided to go eat at a Mexican restaurant. We were even lucky enough to get a table right beside a window. So we watched the rest of the parade in warmth and while stuffing our faces. Perfect!

I don't know if you can see the banner, but it reads "Jesus". The man in the long white robe, riding on a hourse, followed by two angels was breath taking!

This is Kate and I being silly at the restaurant.

Kate and Grabbie

This was a real Christmas Tree that they lit at the end of the Parade.

And on Saturday morning I made my children Snowmen pancakes. They loved it. And I owe many thanks to McMommy's blog for the idea!

Yum. The only thing that could be better would be Snowmen waffles (Ha Ha..Grabbie!!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T21:22:00.002-06:00

We were originally supposed to go to my grandmother's in Shreveport, however, due to the sickness in our family this week I felt it would be better for us just to stay put. Connor hasn't gotten "it" and I was afraid he would get it in the car on the way or coming home. And since we stayed home, Ashley and Brant came to join us. The meal was great. There was so much food, especially just for the 8 of us. But it was good.

And now....it's officially the start of the Christmas season! So, the blog had to have a makeover. Ashley and I already went to a sale at Michaels. It was from 6 to 9 and in case you didn't see the add, they had Cricut cartridges for $29.99 (no, that is not a typo!)

We're planning to head to Grapevine Mills at midnight. We hope we will be very successful!

Happy shopping to everyone who ventures to go shop during the madness!

PRAYER REQUEST!!!

2008-11-24T11:51:00.003-06:00

Please pray for my friend, Colette and her family. She and her husband, along with their two boys were headed to Colorado over the Thanksgiving break for a much needed vacation. However, they received a call in route that Eddie's dad had been shot and killed. They are now in El Paso trying to make funeral arrangements. Please pray for this family. They are angry and overwhelmed with sadness. Thank you.

Just a suggestion...

2008-11-24T11:38:00.003-06:00

So, for those of you who don't know, Michael and I are huge 007 fans! So, last weekend we went out to see the movie. (I was really excited...to see the movie and just to go out with the hubs. We haven't been out for a date since our anniversary in March.)

After eating at the Sushi restaurant (no, I didn't eat sushi...I had the grilled chicken with steamed veggies) we headed to the theater. We arrived 30 minutes early only to see quite a line that had been forming for probably 20 minutes. Luckily, when the lady took my ticket she told me to proceed to the theater. I came up just as they were allowing those in line to proceed. Cool.

So we got a great middle seat. And with much anticipation, the movie finally began.

And when it was all over, I was actually a little disappointed. It didn't seem like the typical Bond experience.

However, this past Friday night we bought Casino Royale (the previous Bond movie). We saw it in theaters as well, but I was surprised at how many details I had forgotten. Now that we've seen Royale again, we can't wait to go back to the theater to see Quantum Of Solace again.

So, I would strongly suggest that you do the same. Freshen up on the events of Casino Royale first and then I believe you will enjoy Quantum Of Solace a bit more!

Connor's party

2008-11-21T21:45:00.005-06:00

Connor had a great party at Pump It Up with his friends from school. (Seriously, this is probably one of the best parties we've ever had!) There was only 15, maybe 17 kids, so it wasn't overly crowded. It lasted about 1 1/2 hours, so it wasn't too long. And the kids were his classmates (or siblings) and I was amazed at how well all of them got along! They really enjoyed just hanging out and playing with one another! It was very enjoyable! And to see Connor so excited and having such a great time was....priceless. This is probably the first party that we have allowed him to make a majority of the decisions...where to have it, who to invite, what he wanted to eat, etc. It was obvious he enjoyed his company.

The party was followed by dinner at the Hibachi restaurant - one of Connor's favorite. (Yes, he actually eats something other than Chick-fil-A.) The child ate his entire plate of food and got what I didn't eat. Wow! How does he stay so skinny?

Hope you enjoy all of the pictures!

Here's the birthday boy

Kate is poking her head out of the bounce house

Granddad took Ethan down the slide and he loved it!

This is Kate and Addy coming down the slide.

Addy and Mason were racing.....Mason lost.

This is Connor and his friend, Max.

Here are most of the party-goers. (It's hard to get a group pic when there are bounce houses nearby!)

Connor asked for a Wall-E cake. On the way to the party he explained that he wanted me to keep the Wall-E part. He didnt' want anyone eating it. I had to explain that Wall-E took up almost the entire cake and we most certainly would eat him.

This was the first year he was able to read his own cards. This one was made by Granda.

Granda and Granddad joined us for dinner.

The proud parents of a 7 year old!

Happy Birthday Connor!

2008-11-20T06:38:00.000-06:00

Today is Connor's birthday. He was born seven years ago today at 4:34 in the morning. (Ironically I woke up at about 4:00 this morning and was never able to go back to sleep.)

In some ways it is so hard to believe that he is already seven. And then in others I can't believe he's overcome so much in only seven years.Today he is a bright, sparkle-eyed little boy who loves reading, math (YES!), gymnastics, and especially Chick-fil-A (No, we are not paid for all of our advertisements.) He has made many new friends this year...especially Max (whom he goes to speech with at school.) He absolutely adores his teacher, Mrs. Waddell, and would do probably anything on earth that she asked of him. Connor is gradually learning to play some basketball (with the help of Mason and Daddy) and he still loves to swing the bat (as long as Kate fetches all the balls). He is a great big brother...he tolerates Kate's singing and constant talking and he loves to make Ethan laugh! Actually, he keeps us all laughing!

And to state it very simply.....he makes me stand in awe. I stand amazed this morning....of a God so big and mighty that He can take a little boy like Connor Payne ....and work nothing short of miracle after miracle in his life. Having Connor has brought me closer to Jesus. Even though I am a control freak, there were so many things in his life I had absolutely no control over. So many things I couldn't "fix". But with God's grace, prayer, and lots of therapy....anything is possible! For anyone who may read this who has a child labeled "special needs" let me just encourage you this morning...never give up. Never settle for second best for your children. Always ask "why" and "what are our options". Never be afraid to try something new. And be willing to go out of your comfort zone. And never be afraid to let the "grizzly bear" come out when it comes to standing up for you child. Always tell them you love them. Always tell them anything is possible with God's help. And never, never, give up hope.

Happy Birthday Connor! May the Lord continue to have His face shine upon you. May you one day call Him your Savior. May He continue to bless you...with faith, family, friends, and laughter. May you never give up...but always persevere. I pray your eyes never loose their sparkle. And may you continue to strive to do your very best...always and in everything. And thank you, for everything you have taught me and for bringing me closer to Jesus. I love you, son. Momma

Custom Christmas Cards

2008-11-13T21:00:00.005-06:00

After several requests from friends, I have agreed to make design Custom Christmas cards. Below are several samples. If you are interested, please email me at amrooney@charter.net for more information.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

2008-11-12T09:03:00.010-06:00

Today is Michael's birthday. We actually celebrated last night because we have church tonight and we won't be home. After steaks and baked potatoes we had chocolate birthday cake. YUM!!

This has become one of Michael's favorite desserts.

Always getting a little help blowing out the candles!

And cake is always followed by gifts!

Happy Birthday Hubs!! I hope you have an awesome day! Travel safe and we'll see you this evening! (And please don't bring home anything/anyone from Oklahoma!) :)

New look

2008-11-10T21:16:00.004-06:00

Obviously, I decided to update. The previous picture is from last Christmas and Ethan was only a few months old. Now that he's a year old the picture was in desperate need of updating. I was really anxious to do a new Christmas themed blog, but I will wait until after Thanksgiving.

Speaking of waiting, I am amazed at the number of housed I've seen that already have their Christmas lights up. No kidding. (My neighbor is the only one with a valid excuse...she's having surgery at the end of the week and won't be able to be on her feet for six weeks.) Those people obviously don't listen to KLTY...keep the thanks in Thanksgiving...by waiting to celebrate/decorate/sing...about Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. Give each season it's due time. I see our society rushing too much...

...rushing our children to grow up...rushing to finish school...rushing to buy a new car, house, whatever...rushing to get to church..and then rushing to leave...rushing to eat...and then eating too much too quickly...rushing to put on makeup, do the hair, put on the right outfit....rushing to look "together" just to rush around town. What are you rushing to do today? Where are you rushing to go?

Slow down. Enjoy the season. Take time to read the Word. To spend time with Him. Spend an extra ten minutes with your children sitting in your lap. Take time to laugh. Take time to be creative. Take time to bake your favorite treat. Take time to call a friend and then take the time to listen. Take the time to make sure those around you know they are loved. Take time. Enjoy...

Election

2008-11-05T17:06:00.003-06:00

Well, what can I say? I am stunned. Sad. Sick at my stomach. Frustrated. Mad...at all the people who voted not really understanding the issues. BUT...I am also hopeful. I am reminded of the verse at the top of this screen...."For I know the plans I have for you..." Although I don't understand God's plans...I know I can trust His hand. He knew what the outcome would be. Maybe this is to keep all Christians on their knees...maybe we'll be in earnest prayer for our nation and our leaders like never before.

Here is something humorous incase you are in need of a laugh....I've spent the past two days trying to convince Mason that he WILL NOT have to go to summer school. Someone at school told a lot of kids that if Obama was elected, all kids would be forced to go to summer school. No kidding. He was glued to the TV last night watching all of the numbers come in worse than I was. He actually got out of bed a few times and asked, " Mom...what do the numbers look like?" And this morning, I dreaded waking him. And when I told him the news, he got big tears in his eyes. Once again, I assured him God in still on His throne and He is in control. Not the man in the White House. And finally...I just told him that in order to go to summer school they have to have parents' permission and I wouldn't give my permission (I don't think that's a lie). He was so VERY thankful!!!!

Treats and more treats....

2008-11-04T21:35:00.006-06:00

Believe it or not, I really don't have that many pictures to post from Friday. I guess trying to keep up with four kiddos doesn't leave much time for pictures. But here are a few...

(Drum roll please)...introducing Tony Romo and his girl, Jessica

This is Mason and Addison (isn't she the cutest Jessica Simpson you've ever seen!!!???)
They really caught a lot of attention at the church carnival!

This is Hannah Montana (aka Kate) posing with a greeen witch (aka Ella)

This is the entire gang...Hannah, Tigger, Jessica, Romo, and Batman!

We had a great evening! It was nice that Halloween fell on a Friday this year so we could enjoy being outside without the rush to get home and get to bed!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-31T00:26:00.008-05:00

We went to a pumpkin patch yesterday. Hope you enjoy...

Connor took this picture. Not too bad, huh?

AWESOME Weekend

2008-10-26T19:30:00.002-05:00

I just got in from a weekend scrapbook retreat. We go yearly in July to the same retreat and this was our first time to go in the fall. In the summer there are 28 croppers. It's always fun, but a little loud and crowded at times. This time we stayed at the smaller cottage. There were only 7 of us. And it was AWESOME. Much more quiet and relaxing! Of course, there was the usual moments of hysteria. There's nothing like laughing till you cry with a group of friends. But we also spent some time talking about the various bible studies each of us is in and what God is teaching us. It was amazing to see how God can use a scrapbook weekend to speak to you and encourage you. Again, AWESOME.

Then to top it all off, I came home to a clean house!! Usually when I'm gone for a weekend I mentally prepare myself to come home to a trashed out house. Michael usually spends the entire time playing with the kids and they normally don't even think about cleaning up after themselves. But this time was different. Thank you Hubby! Combine the clean house with five smiling faces and ten open arms....double the pleasure of coming home!

Michael took the kids out shopping Saturday to buy everyone's costumes. I already had Ethan's, but he was the only one. But, now that's just one last thing I have to do this week.

HOWEVER, I think the underlying motivation for doing all of these sweet things was Michael's purchase of....ANOTHER bunny. Most of you know that I wasn't exactly thrilled...but what do 'ya do?...???...?????

One Year Ago Today...

2008-10-20T14:15:00.011-05:00

One year ago today we brought our precious baby boy home from the hospital. Although the doctors were pleased with his "quick" recovery, it felt like months to Michael and I. It is absolutely the most unnatural feeling I have ever experienced - to come home from the hospital and have to leave your baby. Although my memories of NICU are not necessarily pleasant, we are grateful for the nurses who helped our son. And I will never forget the sheer and utter joy of the day we were able to bring him home!! To God be the Glory!

This is the first time Ethan ever wore clothes. In the NICU they kept with naked, wearing only a diaper.

Due to the age requirements of visitors in the NICU, this was the first time that Kate was able to see her baby brother! She was amazed with how tiny he was!

Mason held him like a pro!

MeMe was so happy to hold him. She stayed with us the entire time Ethan was in the hospital so she could help us with the other children. I truly don't know what we would have done without her help!

This was the first time for Aunt Grabbie to hold Ethan! She couldn't wait to get her hands on him!

Good Ole' Granddad

Connor also sees Ethan for the first time!

With Ethan at home, Michael and I are finally at peace. Now we can rest!

Wanting your input...

2008-10-19T16:42:00.003-05:00

So, the Collins Family and the Rooney Family are wanting to go on vacation together during the upcoming Spring Break...but we don't know where to go.

We considered skiing, but Toi and I feel that Ethan and Tessa are too young. One of us would always be "stuck" inside keeping an eye one them.

Other ideas are the beach..possibly Florida.

We want somewhere we can go and just have a great time...hanging out. The kids will want to play and the adults will be catching up on all the latest.

So, what do you think? I would love to hear some suggestions!!!!!

Best Day of the Week

2008-10-19T16:08:00.002-05:00

Today is definitely the best day of the week!

Michael is home!!!!! He has been out of town since Wednesday. Originally we didn't think he would be back until sometime this evening, but things wrapped up a little ahead of schedule and he was able to get an early flight this morning. Infact, he made it to church!

And we LOVE a new parenting seminar we started today! It's called "Value-packed Parenting" by Dr. Kevin Leman. There is a video each of the 7 weeks and a workbook. Dr. Leman is hysterical in the video and already I am very impressed with his teaching. I am excited and looking forward to the following weeks. I can't wait to learn everything he has to offer!! I would HIGHLY recommend this study!!!!

Today is also a great day because I left this morning and came home after church to a PERFECTLY clean garage!!! WWWAAAHHHOOO!! My neighbor had a garage sale on Saturday and offered me to join her. So, I added a lot of "baby" things that Ethan didn't use any longer and a majority of the things that didn't sale in the last garage sale in April. So, after clearing out some of the junk, I really got motivated. I got out the hammer and nails to hang stuff up. I got out the ladder to put stuff that belonged on top shelves that was currently on the floor because of convenience. I cleaned off Michael's work bench/tool desk that looked more like a pile of ....junk, for lack of a better term. I rearranged. I swept. And swept. And swept a little more. And at this point I have to brag on my children. Ethan slept almost the entire time (over THREE hours!), Kate and Connor played with the one train set that didn't sell in the garage sell, and Mason helped me for the most part. They did great. Every mother knows that if they had not done so well, the garage project would still not be complete.

Oh - and something funny....I had Mason help me by spraying down a few things with the water hose. He left it running so Connor came along and picked it up. He started watering the flower beds. Fine. But that led to "watering" the drive way. I told him at that point he was wasting water so he needed to put it down. When he "threw" it down, the spray nozzle hit the concrete and so it sprayed a little more....right into Kate's face. She was ticked. But honestly, it was so funny! I think because she got in trouble earlier for spraying the boys (deliberately) and this just "happened" when she didn't expect it. Well, at least the boys and I had a great laugh!

After their hard work (did I mention they also helped me put out EVERYTHING for the garage sale) we went out to eat at the Hibachi restaurant with Aunt Grabbie. My children LOVE that place! I think Connor ate more than Ashley and I combined...and Ethan came in a close second!

Well, that's all for now. Hope each of you is having a great day and may you have a blessed week!

Happy Birthday Ethan!

2008-10-14T21:54:00.031-05:00

On Sunday our baby boy turned ONE! It is so hard to wrap my brain around the fact that a year has gone by already since the day he was born! It makes me sad to think that my baby is officially a toddler and not so much a baby anymore...but I'm soooo thankful that he is so healthy! And such a happy and content little guy! Michael and I are truly blessed beyond measure.

So, we had a party Sunday at The Little Gym. We had such a great time! It was a great location because we had so many kiddos there with such a variety of different ages. There were plenty of activities for everyone.

(And this is the official warning....there are a LOT of pictures posted. If you don't like a lot of pics...log off now. For the rest of you...hope you enjoy!)

This is Addison - Mason's friend. She is at the house often and LOVES playing with Ethan!

Granddad is here!

Mason and Ethan! He is such a great big brother!

Ethan had so much fun playing with all of the different balls.

Connor and Ethan. Connor always makes Ethan laugh!

Granddad is playing with the boys.

Cavin is Colette's son. He is mesmerised by the bubbles.

Ethan and Baby Michelle (Krystal's baby)

Ethan and Momma

The kids are playing a game

Ethan is giving the uneven bars his best shot!

Kate and Will

This is everyone waiting for the trampoline to air up

Ella jumping

Zander, Kate, Addison, then Christopher

Ethan's first try at his cake. We let him sit right beside it and just dig in!!!

Yes, you see correctly...he is two fistin' it!

Granda is giving him MORE icing

Michael and I were wanting to get a picture with the birthday boy...but Ethan decided to share his cake (mainly icing) with Daddy. He managed to smear it on the side of his face!

After sharing his icing he decided to share kisses too!

We finally got a picture....just not as clean as originally intended.

Getting ready to open all of his presents

He opened one gift and then just wanted to play.

We gave out chocolate suckers that said "I'm 1"

Okay, that's all the pics for now. Hope you enjoyed.

Good Report

2008-10-09T16:01:00.004-05:00

Ethan had a check up today with the opthamologist (to make sure there are no signs of ROP). I am pleased to report that everything looked great! She said that she was a bit concerned at our last appointment ....something wasn't forming correctly or something like that...but whatever it was looked GREAT today! The doctor said she was Very Pleased! WHAOOOO!!! We don't have to go back for six months!

I love good news!

And, as a side note, thanks to all of my friends and family who called me yesterday! I had a great day! And I'm looking forward to a great birthday party this weekend for Ethan! :)

Memory Walk

2008-10-06T19:30:00.020-05:00

On Saturday my family and I participated in the Memory Walk benefiting the Alzheimer's Association in honor of my grandfather, David Green. We all wore bright lime green shirts and called ourselves "the green team". We enjoyed the walk and I was really proud of all of my children. Ethan was the only one who got to ride. Mason, Connor, and Kate walked all of the three miles! We enjoyed having Baby Michelle with us too!

My friend Colette and her two boys joined us.

Before the walk began a gentleman played the bag pipes in honor of all those who were represented at the walk.

This is my mom feeding Baby Michelle. You wouldn't know it by her tiny size, but she is ALWAYS eating!

Brothers....

Aunt Grabbie and Ethan

Connor enjoyed walking with Spencer.

Michelle is chillin' in her stroller.

The Green Team

Kate and Ella

2008-10-06T09:02:00.017-05:00

Last week Kate had her friend Ella over to play. They played dress up. Kate was the cheerleader and Ella was Ariel (with Cinderella's tiara). When I grabbed my camera they started posing...

...seriously?....

They went into my bedroom to make a "dance" for me. They were really quiet for a long time. But they eventually "performed" for me. Then we had to take Ella to her grandma's house. When Kate and I returned home I went to get something out of my bedroom and found this...

It turns out they while working on their "performance" they felt the need to give Kate's pom-poms a trim. I made Kate pick up some of it by hand. Then I showed her how to vacuum...

She did a great job. And was so happy that the, "...machine can pick it up. It's a lot faster!"

Ella invited Kate to her gymnastics class. They had a GREAT time. And now Kate refuses to go to dance...she just wants to go to gym class!

This is the girls on the balance beam...sorry it's not very close. Next week I will take the "mega zoom!"

Ella is in the pink/black leotard and Kate is beside her. You don't see them quiet and still very often, so this pic is one of a kind...

We were so impressed with the gym and the instructor that we also took Connor to an all boys class. He LOVED it! So we now have two more things to add to our weekly "shuffle"...thanks Ella!!! :)

Memory Walk

2008-09-29T21:36:00.002-05:00

We were planning to go to the HPU Homecoming this weekend, but we have decided to stay here instead. The entire Rooney clan will join other members of my family in the Memory Walk benefiting the Alzheimer's Association. My grandfather, David Green, was diagnosed almost 10 years ago with Alzheimer's. So, this walk has become a way that our family feels we can help in some small way. We want to raise awareness and funds. I have set a $500 goal for our family. If you are willing and able to help us raise money to battle this disease, please visit one of the following links: http://arlingtonmemorywalk.kintera.org/rooneys or http://arlingtonmemorywalk.kintera.org/thegreenteam

WOW moment...

2008-09-28T21:40:00.002-05:00

I was riding in the car with Connor. So, right off I should know that something amazing will come of this becuase rarely am I alone with just ONE (besides Ethan, of course.) And Connor begins having a discussion with me. (Okay, let me just take a moment to say that many of you who know Connor probably think of him as very shy and having little to say. And on most days, I would agree with you. HOWEVER, get this child away from all the others and all distractions, and he is ABSOLUTELY FACINATING at all of the things he thinks and talks about.)
We talked about some of his favorite toys, the fact that Ethan's birthday is coming, then Connor's birthday...about how things are going at school...who his friends are, some new some old...AND THEN...

Connor: "Mom, I feel so much better..."

Me: "I'm glad you feel better, bug. I didn't know you were feeling bad. Were you feeling sick?"

Connor: "No Mom. I'm not sick. Jesus makes me feel better. He died on the cross for me. He changed my life."

Me: .....tears........of joy. Of utter amazement. Sometimes you wonder what this child understands, what he hears. And obviously, the biggest most important thing he can and will ever learn...Jesus died on the cross and Yes, He most definitely changes our lives.

To God be the Glory!

GO TIGERS!

2008-09-27T16:43:00.002-05:00

We had another fantastic football game today. Mason's team won 24 - 0. No kidding.
Mason did great. He is best in defense. He's quick so he has the ability to "chase down" the ball. My ONLY complaint is the HEAT. It's three days before the beginning of October and we're sitting out in temps over 90 degrees. Lord, PLEASE send cold air quickly!!!!

Prayer Requests

2008-09-22T22:52:00.002-05:00

PLEASE join me in prayer. We have a very dear friend who is going to have a difficult morning tomorrow. At 8:00 a.m. this friend will be going through a deposition pertaining to a law suit. Please join me on your knees....that the truth would be heard, that God would protect and uphold the righteous, for God's continued healing and provision.

Thank you!!!!!!

Weekend Recap

2008-09-22T22:27:00.004-05:00

Michael left town Thursday shortly after Mason's surgery. So, we spent most of Friday at home allowing Mason time to recoup. Friday evening was Addison's birthday party at Alley Cats. I fully intended to take Mason and drop him off. However, once we got there Connor and Kate were very upset as to why they couldn't stay for the party. Since Addy is over often, they feel they are her friends just like Mason. Connor said, "Mommy, why weren't we invited? Addison doesn't like us?" Okay, how on earth do you explain to a 4 and 6 year old that Addison likes them...but they aren't her age. They are Mason's little brother and sister...not best buddies...
Anyway, to help mend their little hearts, we stayed at Alley Cats and I got a lane for them to bowl. Can I just brag a moment and tell you that Connor got FOUR strikes on his own! His total score was 110!!!!! I would have taken a picture of the score board; but considering I wasn't expecting to stay, I didn't bring my camera!

On Saturday Aunt Grabbie came over. We rearranged furniture in my living room. It feels much more cozy now. It's a large room, so we brought everything closer together. As Ashley would say it, "We created two conversation areas"...whatever...it just flows better. Then she stayed with Connor and Ethan while Kate and I went to Mason's first football game with the YMCA. They won 14 to 0! GO TIGERS!

Daddy came home in time for dinner. And when he walked in this is what he saw...

Ethan was a little tired from all of the excitement of the day!

We spent the rest of the evening pigging out on pizza and just hanging out...

Ethan has learned to cover his ears when Kate is singing!

We had a wonderful service Sunday morning! After having lunch with Granda and Granddad at Johnny Carino's we headed home for NAPS! (At least Mom, Dad, and Ethan took naps!) Afterwards we went to look at some land. And to top off a great day we thoroughly enjoyed watching THE BOYS!!!!

Recovering...

2008-09-18T14:45:00.002-05:00

Mason had surgery first thing this morning and all went well. He is now at home recovering. He is in some pain, but that's why they sent us home with Tylenol with Codeine!!!! Thank you to all of our friends who prayed for him this morning.

My heart is sad...

2008-09-16T09:42:00.003-05:00

We had such a fabulous weekend! Toi and Greg came into town because they finally sold their house in Euless. They closed on Friday and the movers showed up on Saturday. And due to Hurricane Ike, they stayed for several days. We had a great time while they were here. The kids really enjoyed each other. They played and played for hours.
Then after eating lunch yesterday at Chili's, they were on their way....

They're gone now.

No longer up 360....now five hours away.

So, my heart is sad today. I know they're only a phone call away, but I know now that things will never be the same.

Yet, I know life goes on. But having them move has made me think a lot about the way life is constantly moving....our baby is almost one...my first baby is now NINE. In February he'll hit the double digits and this is his last year in elementary. Connor is in first grade...and yet we wondered several years ago if he would ever be able to go to a "regular" public school. Kate is in Pre-K. This is my last year with her before she is in school everyday.

It makes me SO thankful that God has blessed us in way that enables me to be at home with them everyday. It gets crazy when Michael travels, but I cannot possibly imagine what it would be like if I had to work too.

And although I'm sad, I knew this day was coming. Back on June 3rd when Toi first told me Greg was going to take a position in Houston. She's going home. Her parents are there. Her mom doesn't work and so I know that she will have a very active role in the lives of her grandchildren. And her kids are going to the school that Toi went to. It's a small Christian school and she is so excited to have them there. It was so obvious that this was God's plan because everything really just fell into place. They even sold their home here just in enough time to honor the contract on their new home. So, for those of you who prayed for them when I asked, thank you. Please keep them in your prayers. They are living in Friendswood (with her parents temporarily) and their town was GREATLY impacted by Ike. They currently have no electricity, and therefore, the children are not able to go to school. We really need to remember to pray for ALL of those impacted by this storm. I don't think any of us can really fathom the IMMENSE impact that something like this has on MILLIONS....no electricity means no A/C, no refrigerator, no job, no way to get money out of an ATM, no way to get gas in your car, the financial strain...and the list goes on.

Today, may we pray without ceasing..."how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times..." Romans 1:8-9

1st Day

2008-09-13T12:32:00.005-05:00

On Thursday Kate had her first day of Pre-K! She was so excited! She's been anxiously waiting to go to school since late August (when the boys went back).

Kate and Mrs. Allyson

In Case You Were Wondering....

2008-09-10T12:08:00.005-05:00

For those of you who were wondering why I don't post everyday I have pictures to prove that my computer has been sabotaged (by a cute little girl with brown eyes, curly brown hair, and wearing pink pajamas)

As Kate plays on the computer, Ethan enjoys watching her while learning to hold his own cup...

Kate is currently at dance, so I was able to post below....