Keys Family!

Valentines

2012-02-16T21:06:00.001-08:00

We had a great V-day but I guess I was so busy enjoying the day I didn't take very many pictures. Kevin and I had fun the night before making lots of yummy chocolate covered strawberries and oreos!

Our Valentines started early at 7:30 am. I woke up to make everyone breakfast...mostly Kevin, since I never make breakfast for him during the week because it is just too early for me! We had heart pancakes, sausage, and a chocolate covered strawberry. Then it was off to work for Kevin and the kids and I got ready and headed to the gym. After a workout we hurried home so I could take a shower and they worked hard making Valentine cards (which I should have taken pics of, they were so pretty). Then we gathered the boys Valentines that we made and got them to preschool just in time for daddy to take his 3 girls out for a lunch date. We went to the Country Club and had sandwiches at Grill on the Green. It was a fun change from our usual boring macaroni or leftovers!! Thanks dad!!

We found this idea on pinterest and thought it would be great for the boys preschool class. I love porjects that actually involve the kids instead of just me making something for them.

Then I tried to get Gentry and Avery down for a nap but 15 minutes after they fell asleep I had to wake them up to get to C&J's valentine party. We had lots of fun at the party. Avery loved all the food and the fun songs the boys sang for us, while Gentry slept in her carseat...poor thing!

After the party we headed home and I debated if I had enough energy for a party at the library. But I decided we had had enough and we stayed home while I tried to make us a yummy dinner. Dinner took longer than expected but we enjoyed eating together and we started a new tradition of cards to each other and taking turns talking about what we love about each other. It was the sweetest dinner conversation I can remember having!!

When Kevin got home from work he asked if anything had been delivered and I looked confused and said, "no". He looked all around the house and then went to his room to make a phone call. Apparently he had ordered some flowers and they were suppossed to be delivered by noon. They never came! So he had to go pick them up at 6 pm and when he got home I read the note it said "..and you thought I forgot! Happy Valentines!!" I thought it was pretty funny since, well yeah, I did think he forgot! Oh well, better late than never!

After dinner we headed to Kevin's brothers basketball game and watched them win district! Then back home to get ready for bed.....what a day!!!

Snow

2012-02-16T20:24:00.001-08:00

After all the complaining I have done about not seeing any snow this year, (even in Utah), it FINALLY SNOWED!! Sunday afternoon we had been napping with the windows closed and when we woke up and opened the kitchen blind I was surprised to see white everywhere!!

I was so excited I might have even woke the boys up from their naps and I NEVER wake up sleeping kids!!

We found whatever snow clothes we could and ran outside to enjoy our winter wonderland. It was so much fun. Rigley loved jumping around in the snow and chasing the kids.....even getting hit with a few snowballs!! The boys immediately went to work making snowballs (they have been talking about snowballs for months). Then snowballs turned into snowball fight which soon turned into throwing at targets on the fence, which became snow baseball with our plastic bat and snowballs!! It was so much fun and I am glad our family was able to take some time out and play together---we have so much fun together!

Rigley and Avery

yes, Kevin is definitely throwing a snowball at me

this is how I knew Avery was ready to go in...apparently she thought her feet were too wet so she took her boots off.....

After everyone got too cold--which wasn't long. We came inside and warmed up with hot chocolate! I had no idea my kids liked it that much. We all counted out marshmallows and discussed how hot is just right. Avery decided she doesn't like HOT chocolate she likes just WARM chocolate.

The snow lasted through the next day and we enjoyed it all morning!! The kids just love snow and it made me realize how much I love snow too, I just didn't know it! It kept them entertained for a long time, and it would have been even longer if we owned actual snow clothes that wouldn't get sopping wet!

I think Aves was so funny wearing no coat (because she insisted she didn't need one) and her pink backpack......oh that little girl....

My favorite moment was watching Avery take her mitten off and try to catch water coming off the roof, and then she was trying to drink it out of her mitten.....typical Avery. It really was pretty funny but I was trying to keep a straight face so I could see what she would do next. That girl always has an idea.

Just look how wet Jace is.....he doesn't care though. They loved playing in the slushy snow with wet hair, wet pants, and wet shoes!!

A little baking...

2012-02-05T18:12:00.001-08:00

Last night I found myself up too late for cooking, about to start rolling out sugar cookies. So to make things more enjoyable I decided to let Avery stay up with me and have some special time together. It seems she always gets missed since she is right in the middle of the boys and baby Gentry.

We ended up having an absolutely wonderful time cooking, talking, and laughing together. It is so much fun to have a little girl.

We took our jobs very seriously.....
We were careful not to add TOO much flour..... We were very precise in making our cookies the perfect thickness.....

and we were especially careful not to put our feet in the cookie dough....but the cookies turned out great and I really enjoyed spending time with Aves!
By the way....our cookies were one of the first desserts gone at our church function today!!

A little painting in the tub

2012-02-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

Pinterst has been my new addiction and since I found it, I have so many fun crafts and kid activities I want to try. A couple nights ago we tried out some bath finger painting. It was tons of fun and now the kids ask for it every bath time.

We will definitely have to do this again!!

Cookies 2 for 25 cents

2012-01-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

Kevin and I decided to have our first garage sale since we have moved twice in the last 6 months and we got tired of hauling our junk around. We set up with his mom, Marilyn, and crossed our fingers that people would come even though it was FREEZING cold outside. I think we were lucky to live on a busier street and we had a steady flow of people.

I thought since I would be busy with the garage sale I would let the boys sell some cookies so they could be involved as well. They were so excited since this was really the first time they have had a chance to make some money. It was so fun to see how excited they were. I am so thankful for some sweet customers who bought some cookies just to support my little guys. After their first sale they came running up to me and said, "Mom, mom, we got some MONEY!!"

Now they just ask me when they can do it again!!

A trip to Amarillo

2012-01-26T19:49:00.000-08:00

Kevin had a CE course in Amarillo and so we decided to make a mini vacation out of it. We left Thursday night to stay in a hotel and do a little swimming ....so we were sad when we walked in and saw the pool was closed for maintenance. Luckily, they had privledges at another hotel (with a nicer pool) and we were able to swim anyway.

The hot tub had bubbles like crazy and the boys had tons of fun playing in them.

The next day Kevin left early for his meeting and we gone until 5, so it was me and the kiddos left to seize the day. I was ready to head over to the Discovery Center until I realized I didn't have my stroller so we stopped at Babies R Us to buy my FIRST single stroller!! Then since I had to use it right away I sat in the front of the store and put it together with the help of one other mom. (I was so grateful for her help......it was harder than I thought it would be)

Once the stroller was under control we headed to the Discovery Center to spend the majority of the day. The kids and I were all excited because in Childress there isn't anywhere like that to go. We don't even have an indoor playplace---so this was a treat!! All though I have to say that I have been spoiled with the Houston Childrens Museum--I don't think I will ever find something like that again!!

The kids loved having so much room to roam and so many thins to touch and learn about. There is no better way to learn than to experience it!

We learned all about the Amazon and the creatures that live there.

We even got to dress up and do a fish dance

I think the favorite exhibit by far was BOUNCE, all about balls and fun experiments to do with them

We found a small infant area with pads to crawl around on and a couple toys, Gentry was lovin' it

Avery found plenty to keep her hands busy

They had a fun display where we got to play with pretend snow and the boys were only sad they couldn't pack it to make a snowball

Babysitting swap

2012-01-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

We are so excited that we have found such a fun group of friends to start up a babysitting swap with. It is always a crazy night when its your turn to watch all 14 kiddos but it is worth it when you get to have all those date nights.

This month it was our turn and it was actually a pretty fun night. We had lots of activities and lots of kids.

The boys loved the hot wheels tracks and the girls (& Conner) had a blast playing with Play-doh

Doesn't that look like fun? Then we ended the night with 6 bags of popcorn and 15 juice boxes!!

It was a fun, chaotic, and noisy night but we love having so many friends!!

Tumbling Halftime

2012-01-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

Conner and Jace had their first gymnastics performance in January at a Varisty Basketball game and the highschool. The had been practicing for weeks and were so excited when it was finally here.

The show was so cute. It was a gymnastics routine set to music. It included sliding, front rolls, back rolls, cartwheels, flips, and jumps.....in short it was perfect for a class of 4-5 year old boys.

Conner & Jace

Here's most of their class with their teacher Miss Kim

Here is the set up

Jace sliding

Conner sliding

Okay, so after looking at the pictures this is where I got confused. During the performance I could easily tell who was who. Now looking at the pictures I realize it would have been a good idea to have them wear different colored shirts. Here are my best guesses at who is who.

Jace on the cheese wheel

Jace back roll
Conner back roll Jace jumping Conner front roll
Conner TateMy JacerJace's cartwheel
Conner's cartwheel Dad and Gents enjoying the show Nana and Gentry
This was so funny (and disgusting). During the rest of the game the boys found a friend with candy and decided they should convince him to share his huge pixie stick with them. They just pretended not to hear me telling them "Stop, that's gross!!"

Enjoying our new home

2012-01-17T11:49:00.000-08:00

Home sweet home......we are loving our new house and we are having lots of fun finding our favorite spots for playing

Gentry

Avery

Avery, Jace, Conner, and Gentry

Bath time

2012-01-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

Bath time for our girls is always a LOUD chaotic yet very sweet time. Avery keeps it lively and entertaining. She is always such a sweet sister and loves little Gentry so much.

And she even likes to dress her up and make her laugh....

Nothing like a naked baby in a towel and I love those two bottom teeth
Avery Yep, she's crawling around, the towel is quite short lived

Conner and Jace in the other tub....4 kids in one tub is just too many!!

Graham Crackers

2012-01-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

It just amazes me how much of a mess one graham cracker can make.......

Movin' and Cruisin'

2012-01-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

Gentry is up and moving around. Our house is in the danger zone with that girl putting everything in her mouth!!! It's crazy how much babies change in only 7 1/2 months!! She's been scooting around for a bit but she is really moving now!! Everywhere and anywhere!!

She is one loved little girl. Everyone loves to be around such a happy baby!

Where is Gentry?

2012-01-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

We lost Gents for a minute while we were unpacking and putting stuff away. I panicked for a minute until we saw these sweet eyes from under the boys bed.

Our Childress Thanksgiving

2011-12-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to be able to have my family from Utah come and visit. It was the first time I have had Thanksgiving with my family since we got engaged. It was a very different Thanksgiving but a fun one!

The kids loved having their Uncles and Aunt Julie to play with. It was like living with friends that can always play with you! They had a fun game of marshmallow guns in the front yard and used up all my mini marshmallows.

Uncle Trent and the kids

Jace

Avery

Avery and Gpa

After the marhsmallows were gone everybody came in for lunch and we even got to have daddy home with us for his lunch hour.

Me & my mom

Of course the boys had to help Gma make some frosting tooJace & Conner
Aunt Julie is so cute with Avery. Avery just adores her and follows her everywhere she goes. The two of them gave us quite a fashion show and Avery loved being able to put on makeup and was so good while Julie did her hair---she is such a girl!!

Then of course Gma brought the kids some fun thanksgiving books. They always look forward to the presents Gma always spoils them with.

And we can't forget all the hunting that happened the whole weekend. Kevin's family's big tradition is quail hunting on Thanksgiving morning preceeded and followed with deer hunting. We were sad that there were no quail to be found although Trent was able to shoot a couple wild hogs which proved exciting.

(still working on getting the good action shots--don't worry Trent I haven't forgot)

I had to fit in a picture of Uncle T eating his Bluebell cookie dough ice cream....he loves it and eats it for every meal!! (only in Texas baby!!)

Then Uncle Blake who is constantly trying to win over the kids by feeding them marshmallows so he can be the "favorite" uncle

Then on to the real Thanksgiving Feast....

It was definitely a feast. The first thanksgiving dinner I have ever made (well my mom still helped quite a bit), and I have to say I have a whole new respect for thanksgiving dinner cooks. WOW, it is a full two days of cooking and cleaning--no thanks to my tiny kitchen.

These are my Jello helpers, they did a great job with the whip cream!

We had lots of fun decorating the table, Julie made our centerpiece

I loved the napkin holders my mom and I made. I was really wanting to do something a little crafty and this was perfect! Avery helped with the table setting

We had turkey, potatoes, stuffing, mom's homenade orange rolls, deviled eggs, green bean casserole, gravy, pumpkin pie, raspberry cheesecake, pecan pie, and pumpking cake x2!!

Gma making her special homemade orange rolls that we LOVE

Gpa carving the turkey for us....mmmmm!

Gentry's date with Mom and Dad

2011-11-27T20:12:00.000-08:00

Once in a while Kevin and I enjoy going out together and enjoying some peace and quiet and just getting to spend time with each other. Gentry joined us on our last night out and she was a perfect thrid wheel. She was quiet and patient as we ate dinner and chatted so when we finally came home to watch a movie and eat our shakes she decided it was her turn to have some fun too.

Give me some of that stuff....

come on, just a little closer....

oooh, that's good stuff

I am holding on to this

mmmm...

how about another bite?

Kevin and I just couldn't resist her cute little efforts just to get a bite of ice cream. She loved it!! I don't think she even minded the cold. She probably would have eaten the whole thing if we'd let her.

How about just one more bite, daddy?

come on....

pleeeeease?

Chocolate Pudding Painting

2011-11-27T19:31:00.000-08:00

The weather here in Childress has had some crazy ups and downs. Some days are just perfect and being outside feels great but then the next day it is freezing cold and we are stuck indoors. I have had to start getting really creative because there aren't alot of places to go (no zoos, museums, theatres, etc) so we decided to make some edible finger paint--CHOCOLATE PUDDING!!!

At first the kids were a little apprehensive about smearing pudding all over the table, then they realized it tasted good too!

Conner

JaceAvery
We tried to make this a learning experience and practiced our letters

A visit with Santa

2011-11-25T19:57:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving Santa always comes and makes a visit to all the kids in Childress. We were excited to have my parents here and headed downtown to check it out. It was a cold night so we were lucky to have so many helpers to keep the kids occupied and warm. The boys just love playing around with their Uncle Blake and Uncle Trent. The 4 of those boys are wild and crazy.

Gpa and Avery looking at the old cars
Conner and Trent, Jace and BlakeA little trick

The boys were so excited to see Santa. We had been talking it up for days and I thought it was so funny that their lists would keep changing when I would ask them what they were going to tell Santa. For the most part the boys wanted to ask for "real" lightsabers that would light up and a firetruck that shoots fireballs. Then Conner decided to switch it up and ask for a real laser gun too. I just have to laugh, I guess that's 4 year old boys for ya.

the boys took their talking to Santa job very seriously

Avery was nothing less than terrified of Santa, despite her super enthusiasm before it was actually her turn to sit on the big guys lap (she was clinging to my dad with all her might)

The GIANT Keys Family Picture

2011-11-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

After our Thanksgiving dinner we got all gussied up for a big family picture. It was really hard to find a time where everyone could be together for the picture but we finally did it. Nana was so sweet and bought all the grandkids matching Christmas outfits and so we really wanted to get a good picture.

Kevin is the oldest of ten kids and 5 of them are now married, and there is an impressive total of ten grandchildren (7 boys, 3 girls)--that makes for quite a big family picture!

We had millions of attempts and decided it was impossible to get a good picture of everyone. Most of them are pretty good but the little kids made it hard

Thanks Nana, the outfits are beautiful.....and so is your family!!

Bath Foam

2011-11-21T19:58:00.000-08:00

A while back I bought some bath foam from Walmart because I remembered having some great baths when I was little with this stuff, and I figured we give it a try. Sure enough we had a blast. The three older kids took the longest bath ever and enjoyed spraying this stuff all over themselves and each other. Aren't they funny?

Conner

Avery

Jace

I think I will have to get some more of this for a "tired mommy day"--this is worth at least 30 minutes of entertainment!!

Oh, Avery!

2011-11-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

I think on a daily basis I can be caught saying, "Oh, Avery!"

In fact there are many different voices with which I say this phrase. There is the exhausted, "Oh, Avery...." or the happy and surprised, "Oh! Avery!" or the upset, "OH, AVERY!!!!!" or the one I like the best, the I love my little girl, "oh, avery....you are just wonderful!"

Avery has done so much growing up in the last 6 months and it is amazing to see the little girl she is now rather than the toddler running around and trying to keep up. She is such a sparkle of happiness and excitement in our home. She always has bundles of energy that seem to exhaust both mine and Kevin's reserves. She loves to do everything and loves to be involved. She is great at playing with the boys but also really good and playing by herself in her room when no one is around. She is a great helper with Gentry and never gets frustrated or upset with her. She lovingly soothes Gentry's cries and gives her all the toys a girl could ever want. I love it when Avery asks me to put Gentry on the floor in her room so she can play with her sister. She tries to teach Gentry just how to hold the princesses and NOT to eat them. She just can't wait for Gentry to get a little older.

Lately, Avery's new thing is dress up clothes. She loves to walk around in dress or skirts with "slippers" (high heels) and wave her wand and say "bib-i-dee boppity boop" or demand that the boys dance with her. Here are some pics of my precious daughter....

She really was happy in this picture.....you just can't tell

The other night Kevin took off with the boys and I took advantage of a little girl time with Aves. We painted her toe nails and finger nails and then we curled her hair. She loved all the attention and one on one time. She hardly ever gets me all to herself. We chatted and talked in the bathroom while we sprayed and curled her hair. When it was all done she felt beautiful and wanted to take pictures.

She is just too cute. I hope she knows just exactly how much I abosolutely love her!!

More Halloween goodies.....

2011-11-15T15:21:00.001-08:00

Well here is a brief wrap up of our Halloween activities. I would say we had a great holiday and the kids enjoyed all their parties, candy, and costumes!

We made wormy cupcakes for a preschool treat...

Ms. Angie had a great spider lady costume that all the kids loved. This isn't a good picture but I promise it was really cool
Kevin dressed up at work, eventhough no one could tell what he was unless he told them (Flynn Rider) and his assistant dressed up as a good witch so she wouldn't scare all their patients away!

That night we celebrated Halloween Childress style. Here the festivities start at 5:30 sharp. Kids and families all gather "downtown" (it really isn't anything like the downtown you are imagining...think more empty storefronts and tall abandoned buildings). Business owners stand outside their shops and hand out candy to all the little trick or treaters. Then the Womens Council put on a chili dinner for $5 a bowl and two of the local churches close to downtown did a trunk or treat and some little game booths. The kids just loved playing games and trying their best to win. Jace (Capt. Hook), Conner (Peter Pan), Dad (Flynn Rider), and Avery (Rapunzel or as she says, Tangled)

This was Avery's first real trick-or-treat experience and she did it like a pro! She loves candy and if anyone wasn't watching their bowl closely she didn't even think twice about helping herself to a whole handful!! Conner and Jace got bored of saying "trick-or-treat" and of course had to say things like, "trick-or-poop" or "trick or treat, smell my feet" or even better, "trick or treat, smell my butt!" I kept trying to tell the boys that wasn't funny and that no one was going to give them candy if they said things like that. Just where do boys come from??

Gentry got a little worn out before the events even started. Papa Mark held her outside his office while they passed out candy. I think she was glad to be cuddled!

Here's our Tangled duo..... Uncle Keyan, Kaden, and one of their friends thought it would be fun to spook the kids with this monster in the trash prank. They would give a kid a wrapper and tell him to throw it away and then this monster woudl pop up and scare them to death! Conner, Jace, and Avery were almost scared to tears!
When Gentry finally woke up and decided to join the party she was Pascal (Rapunzel's faithful lizard friend)
I think this picture is funny because football is life around here and the Childress mascot is the bobcat. The boys were so excited to see the bobcat up close! Avery on the other hand was terrified to even be in the picture! The kids loved playing games with Uncle Kaden I would say the kids made quite a haul. We had three really heavy buckets, in fact they were so heavy the kids could barely hold them up. We ate all we could for about two weeks and then I finally just threw the rest away. Happy Halloween!!

Halloween Party

2011-11-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

I just love holidays....all holidays, I think whatever holiday is closest is my favorite!! So right now Halloween is my favorite. I just love browsing through creative food, fun decorations, and spooky games and activities. I wanted to give my kids more than one night to wear their costumes so I decided to have a few friends over for a small get together.

We had lots of fun setting the table with spooky eat and drinks. The hit was "Witches Brew" that actually smoked and bubbled.....thanks to dry ice!! The kids loved putting their hands in the "smoke" and stirring the pot. I love watching their faces!

We played a few games and ran around playing with toys, but the kids favorite was decorating cookies with lots of candy. I was impressed with how long some of the kids spent working carefully on their cookies.

Pumpkin Farm

2011-11-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

I have been desperately looking for entertainment and got really excited when I found a pumpkin farm with lots of fun kids activities in Amarillo. I finally convinced Kevin and we headed off for the evening.

Kevin had low expectations and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But we were both pleasantly surprised at all they had to do and that it kept our kids entertained for hours. In fact, after 10:30 as we were heading to the car Conner looked at me and said, "But mom, this is my favorite place!"

They had some really fun tractor trikes that were super tough...it wasn't long before the boys were four wheeling all over the place.

Jace

Avery's little legs weren't quite long enough to reach the pedals and even if they were she is too stubborn to pedal it herself when she can have her handsome daddy push her.

The kids love the tractor pulled cow train, we ended up riding it over and over again

Such a Conner face

I forgot the Baby Bjorn so Gentry enjoyed much of the sights from her front row seat in the stroller

Avery, Jace, & Conner

There was a really fun kids obstacle course through the corn fields complete with zipline!!

The kids couldn't get enough of the giant jumping pillow
I think they would have been happy if this is the only thing we did the whole night!Avery loved jumping with daddy

And of course there were lots of bumps and falls
It was pretty funny to watch them all bounce all over

They had a really fun sand box but instead of being filled with sand it was full of corn. I liked that the kids didn't get all sandy but there was plenty of shoveling and digging to do!

I just can't get enough of that smile.....isn't she adorable!

There was a giant slide basically just off the side of a big hill. The boys loved it and probably spent 20 minutes just sliding down and then running back to do it all over again.

Avery isn't big on slides and I think she's mad in this picture because Kevin pushed her down without going with her.

I really wanted to get a good picture of all the kids with pumpkins but it got too dark and of course I had very uncooperative kids...this face says I DON'T want a picture!!

A doe, a deer, a female deer....

2011-11-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Kevin is always looking for a night off so he can run away into the wild and hunt. He is such an outdoorsy mountain man.....sometimes I just stop and wonder how we ever came together. But, a few weeks ago he got the night to himself because I was taking all the kids to the Wizard of Oz play at the Jr. High. Kevin is less than interested in musicals so I decided it would be easier to go alone with the kids rather than drag him along.

The kids absolutely LOVED the musical. It held their attention the entire time and even Avery was super interested. She sat on my lap and kept asking, "what's happening, mom?" or "where did the witch go?" At intermission (I almost called it halftime...evidently, I have seen to much football) I checked my phone and had a text from Kev that he got a doe and was headed home.

Sure enough when we got home the kids told him all about the play and he told us all about his deer. I was pretty impressed that he was even able to get pictures with the timer on the camera...pretty self-reliant! I also need to mention that rifle season hasn't opened yet and so he shot her with his new bow and arrow.....I was pretty impressed!!

After letting the deer hang and then tenderize for a while we finally got to try out our meat grinder that Kev bought five years ago when we got married. It was pretty fun to watch him get to work and I loved having something that was completely his thing and I got to sit back and relax. this is what he cuts it down to look like....he does a good job trimming all the fat offthen we send it through the grinder so we have lots of ground meat for dinners...

Well when the world end I can atleast sleep easier knowing my family will always have a way of getting food.....

Oh, the life in Childress.........

Girls Getaway!!

2011-11-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

For my sister Julie's birhtday and my own birthday we combined forces and decided to celebrate with an all girls weekend in Las Vegas. My mom, sisters Christine and Julie, and myself and baby Gentry all met up for a weekend of shopping, eating, and sightseeing!!

Our rental car ended up being a lime green Kia Soul, which was pretty much an ongoing joke the whole trip. It was far too smalll to fit 4 girls, a baby, and way to many shopping bags! It was a miracle every time we packed up the car that we all fit somehow.

We spent each day waking up and enjoying a cook-to-order omelet and hot potatoes, sausage, bacon, and french toast. I was pretty much in heaven just having my breakfast served to me!! Then we hit all the outlet malls and shopped 'till we dropped literally around 1 am!
I was on a mission to get Conner, Jace, Avery, and Gentry's winter wardrobe....which proved to be a LOT of clothes!! Plus, of course a few things for myself.

This was one days loot

Me and my sister, Christine
Our hotel Julie, me, and Christine

Mom, Christine, me, & JulieShopping until we "dropped"
Julie and I celebrating our birthday with chocolate cake, and since we didn't have a candle we put a fortune cookie on a knife to blow out
My little sidekick, Gentry, was just a great little girl. She was perfect on both plane rides and was happy as could be shopping all day. As long as she got her naps and didn't get too hungry she smiled and cooed at me and my sisters. I think she loved all the attention!!!!
We had one really bad baby incident. While we were in Dooney & Burke (a really expensive store) Gentry had a complete blow out--literally blown right up the back of her diaper and all over the expensive couch we were sitting on). I cleaned up as much as possible but it was a bad mess and I figured we should just get out of there as soon as possible. I was totally embarrassed but there wasn't much I could have done to prevent that from happening. Oh well! Just another baby moment!! I still think she's cute!!

These are all our goods from Day 1 shopping

I love that baby!

I had an absolute blast hanging out with the girls and just having fun. I think I was rejuvenated and ready to be a mom again after having a girls weekend. Living so far away from my family I realized how much I miss all of them and how fun it would be to live a little closer. Here's to looking forward to another trip next year!!

Friends, Food, and the Fair!

2011-10-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, we had a great weeekend enjoying our favorite things! We were lucky enough to meet up with some of our Houston friends that we have been dearly missing in Dallas for the Texas State Fair. None of us had every been before and we thought it would be a perfect meeting spot. We had heard that you could find just about anything fried. So I was determined to check it out...

On our way to Dallas we had to stop at a nearby Costco (since the Dallas Costco is the closest location to us in CHildress!!) and of course we bought way too many of my favorite Costco treats including yummy Cinnabon cinnamon rolls!!! Then we headed to the hotel and had a relaxing evening enjoying dinner with friends.

The next morning eating breakfast in our room (Conner, Audrey, Jace)THe next day we were up and ready to hit the ground running at the fair. It was hotter than I expected but we found plenty to keep us busy (and keep Kevin's wallet busy.....fairs are expensive!!) Overall, the best thing we did at the fair was an aquarium. Kevin took the boys in while I waited outside with the girls who were both asleep in the stroller. The boys were inside for over 2 hours! Kevin said they could have stayed in there all day. They saw sharks, played in the touch tanks, and even got to feed stingrays!!! I just wish I had sent the camera with them!!!

Playing Farmers
planting their seeds

gathering their eggs

Of course we couldn't leave without doing a couple rides and I said yes before I saw how much they cost....YIKES!! It turned out to be $12 to get three kids on each ride.

Conner on the bumper cars
Daddy and AveryAvery and Jace on the plane

Gentry looks terrified but she really was just enjoying herself

Conner and Avery

Jace

Conner and Jace (and that's what I get when I say smile)
Erin, Kerry, and Brekke
Avery and Audrey

The Texas State Fair is known for having a huge variety of fried treats. It was fun to browse the booths and see what I could find. At the end of the day I was left with only 8 tickets to buy a fried something but there was very little for only 8 tickets so we got some fried oreos and headed to a sit down dinner a little ways away.

I think I really would have liked to try the fried butter...yep, that's right, BUTTER!!

Have you ever heard of such things?

Its funny how you don't realized how tired you are until you sit down and then it just seems to hit ya! I think that's how we were all feeling at dinner, but nonetheless we enjoyed our Mexican food and our good company and then headed back to the hotel.

The perfect baby

2011-09-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

Gentry is known all around Childress as the "perfect baby". I know I am a priveledged mom to be so lucky as to have her. She is the sweetest, calmest, happiest, most perfect baby in the world. I mean how many babies can you haul around with you while keeping up with 3 other kids and almost forget they are there!! She is just a sweetheart and I love the quiet moments I get to play with her while the others are gone or asleep, she is just truly sweet!!

This is her at almost 4 1/2 months....

Rigley

2011-09-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to get the kids a puppy since we moved here. In fact when the kids were complaining about leaving Houston I told them we could get a puppy at our new house. They have been asking and asking about a new puppy for some time. I have had my eyes open but just hadn't found anything that seemed to fit right.

Then last week I got a text message from a friend who had just gotten a puppy and after a couple days decided her kids weren't into it and she offered it to us! We went over and checked this little puppy out and decided she was a keeper.

Meet Rigley.....

She is now ten weeks old and she is a lab-bassett hound mix suppossedly. She is really a sweet little girl and we are excited to get to know her a little better.

She is a sweet little thing. She is relatively calm for a puppy but she is super social. She loves everyone she meets (people and other dogs). She loves to play and Kevin's almost got her playing fetch!! We are still working on not letting her bite but she is really quiet and almost never barks.

Avery is still afraid of dogs but that's the whole reason we wanted one. Hopefully in a few weeks she will be lots more comfortable around Rigley.

Avery's New Do!!!

2011-09-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Avery has only had one haircut in her whole life and it was when she was about 14 months old. We went to a special kids salon and she loved it because they had bubbles, cookies, suckers, movies, and anything else a one year old could want.

Now she is almost 2 1/2 years old and her hair was getting REALLY long. She has great hair because it always flips and curls at the ends all by itself. But it is don't pull it up somehow every morning it ends up just hanging in her face and getting all sorts of food and yuck stuck in it. I was starting to think she was looking like a homeless child because it was always hanging in her face. So I called up the hair salon here and took her in....

Here are the before pics.....

I love these pictures. She usually won't cooperate for a good picture at all but today seemed to be a great day!! I think it helps when the boys are gone at preschool and it is just mom and Avery time.

During......

She was really excited to go get her hair done but after about 15 minutes in the chair she started getting antsy and was ready to go. Luckily, they had lots of suckers and smarties so we kept her occupied just long enough to finish.

And ta-da here she is now.....

I have to admit she is beautiful no matter what her hair looks like. I just love this little girl!!

Craziness

2011-09-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

Back in Houston we had a great babysitting swap worked out so that some of us moms and dads could steal a date once in a while. I was missing those fun date nights here in Childress so I decided to talk to some friends and get something started.

We have four couples participating and when we combine all our kids we have 13 kiddos!! It is definitely a night of chaos!! A couple weeks ago it was our turn to watch the kids so we buckled down for an exciting evening and from 6-9 pm we had a house full of rambunctious little ones. The evening actually wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. We let them explore and play for the first hour or so and then we headed outside for snacks, bubbles, toys, and running around. After they burned off most their energy we came back in and watched the beginning of Aladdin with three bags of popcorn before the parents were here to get their kids!

The kids loved putting the train together. It at least playing with it after Kevin put to together.

Meanwhile I was keeping some of the girls occupied in the kitchen with lots of Play Doh!
And through all the noise and chaos my perfect baby slept in her swing!Outside it got a little crazy trying to keep track of everyone. I don't think I have ever counted to 13 so many times in 30 minutes!

Lake Altus

2011-09-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

We had a great Labor Day at nearby Lake Altus in Oklahoma. It was an absolutely beautiful day that we could actually enjoy because it was under 100 degrees!!! The Keys family (Kevin's family not ours) was complaining that the water was WAY too cold and so on and so forth but I enjoyed every second of it. I have always considered myself a wimp when it comes to cold water so I thought they were all crazy for thinking it was cold. My kids and Kevin and I just jumped right in and played like normal. Everyone says its that Utah blood in me because the lakes in Utah are always too cold for Kevin's family but I love em!

Avery liked the water too!

The Con-Man

Kevin obviously excited about something or other

Gentry getting a little time with Papa

Conner building sand castles

Jacer
The kids loved climbing on rocks with dad, this almost reminded me of Lake Powell (man, I miss that place!)On our way out of the park we saw about 7-8 deer. Half of them were fawns and even still had their spots!! It was fun for the kids to see them so up close!

Summer is coming to an end....

2011-09-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is already September and that means our pool at the Elks Lodge is closing after Labor Day!! I am so devastated.....that is the only fun outdoors activity we have here and now it is gone. I am sure that we will find something else to do, we are just going to have to be very creative!! Here are some pictures of our last time swimming for the season.....

Jace practicing jumping/diving in the water

Gentry just being her cute little self
Get a load of that smileAvery is a little fish and swims everywhere

Jace being a great big brother to his sweet sisterConner being a cutie

This is the best.....a public pool that is pretty much my own private pool!! We are always there all by ourselves!

Off to Preschool

2011-09-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

Conner and Jace have officially started preschool. They attend twice a week for 2 1/2 hrs in the afternoon. After the first day of school they came home full of stories about what they learned and did. Then they asked me why they couldn't go to school every day....

Jace and Ms. Angie, his wonderfully sweet teacher

Conner and Ms. Angie (the sun was right in their eyes)

Two happy boys after a very happy first day of preschool
(Thanks Kristen for the cute backpacks, we are sure using them!!)

Preschool seems to be a big hit at our house and i am so glad the boys love it as much as they do. The only down side is that Avery is DYING to go to school too. She is ready to be a big girl and do everything the boys do. I felt so bad when she cried the whole way home because she couldn't go to school. :(

Amarillo Stake Activity

2011-09-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to Amarillo (2 hours away) and have a church get together at the Discovery Center. It was lots of fun and I loved being able to explore a little bit of Amarillo.

We played in lots of bubbles

Played with balls

Dug for dinosaur bones

Built with some noodly looking stuff

It was fun to meet with some other Mormons here in Texas. It was a great night and we are looking forward to some more fun evenings ahead.

Childress City Park

2011-09-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

Eventhough it was at or above 100 degrees I decided to brave the heat and get out of the house! We drove over to the city park and got some energy out.

Gentry was a good sport and hung out in the stroller.

We just got a new merry-go-round at the park and the boys were LOVIN it! Avery loves the swings and won't ever get out, so I spent the majority of my time pushing her. Of course you have to have snacks at the park!

The boys are turning into little climbers

Conner, Jace

I just love this twin picture...

We are definitely looking forward to some cooler weather but for now we are surviving!!

August Happenings

2011-08-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

I think since we have moved here it has only rained twice! We have been struggling with extreme heat everyday above 100 degrees and water restrictions which closed the city pool (luckily for us we joined the Elks and it is still open!) and won't let us wash the car or fill up our kiddie pool. The only fun thing to do in the heat....WATER, has been taken away!!!

Here's what we've been doing to beat the heat.....

We mixed up some Oobleck and things got messier the longer we played.

Conner & Jace

Conner, Jace, & Avery

We signed up for Netflix and have been doing a little movie watching together. Jace is such a good big brother and Gentry loves being cuddled.

Of course, lots of play time with daddy and the kids.

Gentry still doesn't love tummy time but she is getting a little better each day. And she loves to sit up and play with her siblings!

Gentry is 3 months

2011-08-28T20:46:00.001-07:00

I can't believe she is only 3 months old! It seems like I have known her forever. She is the absolute most perfect baby in the entire world. She NEVER cries, maybe a whimper now and then but that is it! She sleeps great, eats great, and is ALWAYS smiling (unless I try to take a picture). She is just beautiful and we all love her so much. She gets pinched, talked to, squeezed, loved, and kissed all day long.

Right now she is just barely 3 months old and is outgrowing all her 3-6 month clothing. I just had to pull out some new clothes from Avery's old box. She is growing so fast, she is wearing clothes Avery didn't wear for another couple months!! She is starting to babble and loves to have attention. She is just starting to grab at toys and she cannot keep her hands out of her mouth. Her favorite thing is to pull her skirt up to her mouth and suck on it if her blanket isn't handy. Oh, boy she is just the sweetest most lovable thing in the world and I consider myself a lukcy mom!!!

Just another day in Gentry's life....

2011-08-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

I love Gentry's face in this picture....

I think this is an accurate depiction of what it's like to be the youngest of 4 kids. She looks so worried about what's going to happen next with all those brothers and sister around her. To me, her eyes are saying "please save me mommy!"

Gentry's Announcement

2011-08-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

Well its only three months late but late is better than never. I am proud of my work if I do say so, I am finally learning how to use my Photoshop!!

Photo Book

2011-08-20T15:46:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Family Minute to Win It...

2011-08-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many people watch the show, Minute to Win It. But, last week it was on TV and I was watching it. Soon the whole family was gathered around the tv and we were all cheering and laughing watching the funny games the people were playing. We ended up watching the entire show (even the three kids) and when it was over we were all dying to try it out ourselves. The boys were super excited to make the games with Kevin.

The first one we tried was putting a cookie on our forehead and then without using your hands you had to work it down to your mouth and eat it without letting it fall off your face. It was so funny to watch the kids try and try to get it.

Jace, Avery, and Conner

Conner squinting...so far so good...

Jace with a vertical cookie on his nose....and nope it didn't even fall off (notice Avery gave up and just ate it)

Next, we wanted to imitate a game they played with a belt that had a string tied to a banana. The goal was to swing the banana into an orange and roll it into a hula hoop. We had to change it slightly and ended up using a tool belt with a ball tied on a string and we all tried to hit a smaller ball or plastic cups over. It was absolutely hilarious!

Conner trying to roll the little green ball with the bigger ball

Jacer's turn

Avery got frustrated and decided to just use her hands to help
A little hip action helps...
Where'd the ball the go?

Overall, it made for a great weeknight game night!

Behold... the Office

2011-07-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

Front door to the office

It seems like our life has been completely revolving around getting Kevin's office going these last few months. I thought it would be fun to get some pictures of what's been going on..

These are the before pictures...

This was the front desk window from sitting in the waiting room (super ugly)

This is the front desk

This is the hall behind the front desk (I really just like to see how small Avery was in this picture, isn't she cute?)

These are the operatories

Here are some pics of the work being done. We ordered tons of equipment and it took about 2 1/2 days to get it all built and installed.

This is the sterilization unit
This is one of the operatories We didn't waste any time, while the equipment was finishing getting installed we started training on the computer system. This is Kevin with Neatherly (trainer) and Sharon (assistant) and Mary (receptionist).
Here's what it is looking like now...

the waiting room
Sterilization

Operatory 1
Operatory 2

The front desk (don't worry, we have hired someone else to work the front desk)
The hallway

So that's pretty much we we have been working on. I forgot to take a picture of our "playroom " at the office. There is an extra storage room that we have adopted as a kids room complete with TV, legos, and Mr. Potato head. It has come in very handy while Kevin and I are putting in long hours getting things ready.

So August 1st 2011 was our official start date and it was pretty exciting. Dr. Keys saw mostly family patients so we could work out any kinks in the system. It turned out to be a good idea because his mom was the first patient and we had some trouble getting the equipment to work right away.

Kevin with his first patient....Marilyn!! I think she looks way to happy to be in a dental chair that must be some amazing dentist!

We are really excited to be officially open and taking appointments. His schedule is filling up fast and it seems like there will be lots of people keeping him busy. I am grateful for all of his hardwork and dedication through dental school and now as he starts his career.

Gentry 2 months

2011-07-31T21:17:00.000-07:00

Gentry is now two months old and she is growing like a weed....a very beautiful weed!! I took her to the doctor for a checkup and it turns out that she is getting so big (no, I am not really that surprised, it happens to all our kids). It turns out that she is off the charts for height and weight! I can't remember how tall she was but she did weigh 16 lbs!! The doctor said its just fine though because she is very proportional.

Here are some pics of my beautiful baby......

She has been such a wonderful baby. I would actually call her perfect! Kevin and I have been busy trying to get the office ready and she has been an angel baby. She never cries and never complains. She is an amazing sleeper, she takes good naps all day and sleeps about 10 hours a night!! She is the smiliest, happiest baby I have ever met. She is such a special little spirit and I feel so lucky to have her in our family!!!

Gentry's Photo Shoot

2011-07-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

I have been completely absent minded the last few weeks (okay maybe, the last two months!). And I have totally spaced bragging about how cute my little Gentry is and I completely forgot to post pics of her fabulous photo shoot at only 6 days old!!

Throughout the whole hour long photo shoot, Gentry was wide awake and a little cranky if I do say so. She did NOT want her picture taken....she just wanetd to be held and cuddled (of course!). When we did Avery's photo shoot we couldn't get her to wake up so I assumed Gentry's would be just as easy....lesson learned, don't assume anything!! I am still pleased with the way the pictures turned out and I had to laugh out loud because as I shut the door behind my photographer friend I looked at my baby and this is how I found her.....
Go Figure!!

June Happenings....

2011-07-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well I have fallen hopelessly behind on the blog due mostly to the stress of starting Kevin's dental practice. We are hoping to open August 1st but everything seems to be taking its sweet time. There are so many little things to think of that I never would have known about.

So here are some pics and updates of what we've been up to in June....

Our tiny little bundle of joy--not even quite a month yet!

Jace and his little sister

She has the brightest most alert newborn eyes I have ever seen!

She has the best big brothers in the entire world, they would do anything for her!

Conner, Gentry, Jace

And since it has now been about 20 days over 100 degrees we have been forced to get a little creative! Don't ya love it?

The bad guys and the princess Avery

The kids gave Kevin a Father's Day poster and some homemade books about what a great dad they have!

This is my favorite picture of daddy with his girls....all zonked out on the couch

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is our little Gentry's first documented smile! Ignore the awful baby acne and enjoy that sincere little gummy grin!!

These pictures aren't centered because Kevin was looking at her and then trying to catch the grin, she won't smile for the camera...only for actual faces!
Oh, she is just the sweetest thing!!

Welcome Home

2011-06-30T20:00:00.001-07:00

I can't believe we are here! I have had mixed feelings about the whole process for the last two months. Leaving Houston was hard but I felt like we had done our time there and it was time to leave, as hard as it was. Most of our fellow student friends had already moved away and that made it slightly easier, although we had still had many great friends in Houston that I will miss dearly!!!

I am excited for this new phase of our life. We seem to have hit the ground running--moving in with a new baby, exploring a new area, making new friends, and setting up a business. It has been just crazy. Conner, Jace, and Avery have taken the move surprisingly well. They rarely ask about our old house and our old friends because they have so many new things to keep them busy. They love having a "boys" room and a "girls" room. The backyard has unlimited possibilities (thanks to an old playgroun set someone left us) and they have found new joy in squishing ants (they are no longer scared of them since there are no fire ants here!). It has been nice to have cousins and grandparents so close. Kevin has been able to find a few free minutes here and there to take the boys fishing in the park or on a bike ride. The boys also enjoy "watching" their uncles and aunts baseball games--by "watching" I mean getting filthy dirty in the red clay dirt playing around. I have never had so many DIRTY clothes!!

Life is definitely much slower around here and I have to work to keep myself busy. I am missing the lack of entertainment that we had in the big city. There are only two little parks here and no museums, splash pads, zoos, movie theatres, bowling allies, etc. We are enjoying playing together as a family and being really creative.

The weather has been less than enjoyable since we got here. We have had over 35 days of above 100 degree temperatures. Even after 9 om it is still close to 100 degrees!! I think Houston weather was much better!! The air is extremely dry and my skin is screaming at me. The lack of rain has cancelled celebrations for the 4th and left everything pretty much brown and dead around here.

We have met lots of wonderful friends, which I am extremely grateful for. They have instantly included me in all their activities and I love having some friends for the kids!! We even got to experience "Bible School" with the local Church of Christ, which Avery wishes they held every day she loved it so much!

My favorite story illustrates just how used to Houston city life they are:

Kevin took the boys for a ride in the bike trailer yesterday morning and as they were riding along he realized they kept pointing out mailboxes and getting really excited about them. After about the tenth one he realized it was because they had never seen real mailboxes before. In Houston everyone had little mail centers in their complexes, no one had actual mailboxes. We laughed for a long time about that one!!

My sister Julie, moved from Houston with us and it was great to have her extra hands for a week here. But all good things must come to an end and I was super sad when she had to leave us, ALONE WITH 4 KIDS!!! Thanks again Julie!!!

I know everyone has been wanting to see pics of our house, so here it is.....

We are just renting this house right now and we are hoping we'll be able to buy a house within a year. So, it's not my dream house but it's working for now. This is the street in front of our house. It was built during the depression but I think it provides a unique feeling and I like it!!

Jace, Avery, Conner One night while we were playing outside in the yard we heard the ice cream truck and so for a little bit of fun we bought ice creams and enjoyed some cool treats in the blazing heat.
Kevin has a firm policy against the ice cream man because he thinks they are way overpriced for crappy ice cream. I don't know why I like it I just do so I treated the kids. Avery is the only one who finished hers and then moved on to finish Jace's as well. She is just too funny!!!

Avery Turns Two

2011-06-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Well just a week after having Gentry we celebrated Avery's 2nd birthday. She was so excited to finally have her turn!!! We had talked about her party for months and she always told me she wanted a Mermaid party. We had just celebrated the boys birthday and she took careful notes to know just how it was suppossed to be done.

On the morning of her birthday Aunt Julie woke up with the kids and gave Avery a birthday breakfast and made sure to put two candles in her toast and jam. Everyone sang her Happy Birthday and she loved all the attention on her!!!

That evening we had planned her party at the nearby park with all her friends. She had told me she wanted a Mermaid party so I had bought some Mermaid balloons and a mermaid tablecloth but the week before her birthday she had decided she now loves Tangled and wanted a "Tangle party". Since I had just had a baby I decided to buy her cake and I was lucky enough to find a fabulous cake at HEB and I was able to get a Tangled princess on the cake as well as the little mermaid......oh, the drama!!!

The funniest part of her party was that I scheduled the party for 6 pm and we were 30 minutes late to our own party because Julie and Jared had gotten lost on the way to pick up the cake and one thing led to another. I was super embarrassed but luckily our friends were all very understanding and didn't leave before we arrived!!

The party turned out just fine and Avery really enjoyed herself. The kids were able to do lots of playing on the playground. Avery was sung to and we all enjoyed cake, ice cream, and watermelon. Then all the kids pulled the strings to a princess pinata and there was more candy than we knew what to do with. It was a great princess evening and Avery LOVED every second of all that attention!!! I can't believe she is two years old!!!Thanks again to all our friends for helping Avery celebrate!! We had a great time with everyone and Avery just loved her special day!!

Here are some of the things our family loves the most about her:

Her never ending enthusiasm for life and everything in it

She will say anthing that pops into her mind

She absolutely loves princesses (mostly the mermaid and Tangled)

She is very girly, including but not limited to purses, shoes, hair stuff, necklaces, earrings, and so forth

She has to be involved in picking out her clothes every day

She is terrified of animals--mostly dogs

She loves strawberries and popsicles

She can eat ice cream faster than anyone I have ever seen

She is louder than loud and can always be heard in every crowd

She is just herself and we love every little bit of her!!!

Gentry One Month

2011-06-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

Well so much for keeping a good week by week record of my littlest girl. We have been so crazy for the last month, all my pictures are completely unorganized. But despite all the chaos, little Gentry has been well documented and is doing very well. It is amazing how much they grow every day when they are newborns.

She is now one month old already!! She is wearing 3 month clothing (no surprise) but rather than getting chunky like Avery did she is just getting really long. She is outgrowing her clothes lengthwise first!! Her hair is still the lightest in the family (no bald spot yet) and her eyebrows are especially light, you can barely see them. She still has the same deep blue eyes she was born with, they are just open so much more of the time now. I am also grateful to announce that she has begun sleeping through most of the night. Her hardest time of day is from about 10:30 until midnight, but once we can finally get her asleep she'll usually sleep until around 7 am!!! Hooray!!

Jace and Gentry (6/7/11) 2 1/2 weeks

A big yawn (5/29/11 ten days old)

My favorite new development is her smile!! Yep, that's right she is a grinnin' girl! She loves to smile for mom and dad and Kevin and I are always seeing who can get the most smiles. She loves to smile and I am just glad to know she is happy!

Mom and Gentry (6/3/11)

Avery and the boys are great helpers. The boys are gentle as always and just shower her with kisses and light touches. Avery loves her sister as well, in just a slightly rougher manner...

She loves to give kisses and touch her face. I have to watch out though because every now and then she just gets so excited and will squeeze Gentry's arm a little too hard. She is a great big sister and every time she hears a peep out of the baby she runs to find mom and dad and say, "the baby is crying!!" I am so glad that all the kids just love each other soooo much!!!

Big sister, little sister outfits (6/8/11)

A little lovin'

Avery, Gentry, Jace (5/29/11)
Sisterly love

6/12/11 Conner, Gentry, Jace
Beautiful big eyes (6/12/11 3 weeks old)

The Big Move!!!

2011-06-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well, before we knew it our 4 years in Houston was up!! I remember saying that our four years was never going to end and now it has ended all too soon. I have grown to love living in the big city and I know there are LOTS of things I will miss

1. Fun playgroups with friends for the kids AND friends for me!

2. Plenty of yummy restaurants

3. Houston Rodeo

4. A swimming pool within walking distance that was always empty

5. A wonderful ward and special memories of YW

6. Girls Night Outs

7. 4th of July bbq's

8. Great family friends to eat dinner with and play games

9. Warm weather year round

10. GALVESTON BEACH!!

11. Tons of parks, mueums, zoo, and water play areas

Most of all, I will miss all my awesome friends that always were up for an adventure and who are some of the greatest moms in the world!!

Well, we knew the day would come and it surely has. Now it is on to our future plans and all that the future holds...

Since the month of May was going to be very busy we decided to start packing early and do a little bit every day. It seems like we have been living among boxes for a long time. I couldn't beleive how many boxes it took to pack everything up, I guess you don't realize how much junk you have until you have to go through it all!! And we had a lot of stuff.....

The kids room

Our living room/dining room

Lucky for us we had lots of strong guys from church show up to help Kevin load up the truck. We rented a 26 foot truck and Kevin was really worried all our stuff might not fit. It took 15 guys about 3 hours to load everything and strategically get it all too fit. I have to admit I was sure it wasn't going to work and we were going to have to get another truck!

Conner and Jace loved the empty truck

And the work begins......This is the point I was starting to worry, when I came out of the house the truck was 3/4 full and the whole street was filled with all our stuff, I was starting to think we should have had a garage sale

Getting closer....

Is it all going to fit? Our moving crew

Myles Scott, Matt Sjoblom, Scott Ellsworth, Bradford Peck, Sean Berensen, Jeremy Funk, Nelson Ortiz, Chris Hawks, Kevin, Grant Adamson, TC Ence, Seth Hawks

It's a good thing Kevin is a strategic packer because our stuff barely fit. The truck looks pretty full in this picture but we still had a few more things to add.

One of my good girl friends showed up to hang out while the guys worked. We ended up nursing our babies and "supervising". It was hard to watch three kids, nurse Gentry, and supervise all the guys packing. I guess I wasn't doing a very good job because pretty soon I realized Avery and her friend, Nathan, were missing. We couldn't find them and soon we split up and started yelling their names while walking all around the house. Luckily, I spotted them walking back toward home from the pool together, I was glad that they were together and headed in the right direction.

Nathan Hawks, Avery

To my surprise a couple of my good friends showed up late that night to help with all the cleaning. I really do have the sweetest friends in the world. You know they are good when they will show up to clean your house!! I couldn't have appreciated them any more!! Thanks Kim and Sarah!!

Birthday party with Gma and Gpa

2011-06-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

Before my parents left to go home we had to celebrate our May birthdays one more time with a little cake and a few presents. I think the kids think their birthdays last for weeks!!

The day I came home from the hospital my mom bought an ice cream cake and we celebrated Conner, Jace, and Avery's birthdays with not only Gma and Gpa but Trent, Julie, Nana, Papa, Tamra, and Kacy.

We sang Happy Birthday to each child and they blew out their candles. They all love that special moment when everyone is singing to them!!Avery was super excited about getting to blow out her candles. She got a little over zealous and almost caught her hair on fire!

Thanks Gma for the really fun pop-up books and the interactive books.
Conner being sung to and blowing out his candles

Happy Birthday to Jace

Avery got TANGLED that she had been asking for since she saw it at the store. When she started opening her present she didn't know what it was and everyone was watching her carefully. She opened it up so she could only see a portion of the back of the case, she sat and carefully studied it, then all at once looked up and shouted, "I got Tangle!!" Then she ran around the room showing everyone and screaming, "I got Tangle!!" at the top of her lungs.

Gentry's Blessing Day

2011-06-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

Gentry and I were released from the hospital on Saturday and we were able to be home with all our family that was in town. It was a little loud, crazy, and busy but it was nice to be home with my other kiddos. I love being able to watch them all interact with their new sister, they really love her so much.

Originally I thought I would have Gentry about a week early and so I thought by the time of Kevin's graduation when all our family was here, would be a perfect time to bless our baby. Of course, Gentry decided to make her entrance a week late so when Sunday May, 20th arrived she was only 4 days old. I really wanted my parents to be there for her blessing and so I figured it was either now with everybody or later in Childress with just Kevin's family. So I painfully got out of bed and tried to put something on to look decent enough for her blessing and we drove to church. I think everyone was as surprised as I was to actually see me in church. I still can't believe I actually did it.

It's probably no surprise that we were late to church with so many people trying to get ready at once. The most embarrassing part of the day is what happened next....

My dad dropped my mom, myself, and Gentry off at the door so I wouldn't have to walk as far. I told him we were late and to hurry and park. We went in and found a seat in the second row with my sister, mom, brother, and all of Kevin's family. As soon as we sat down they did the announcements and then said we would be blessing Gentry. It was also said she was probably the youngest baby to ever be blessed in that building (I know we are crazy!!). Then all the men stood up and went to the front for the blessing. Kevin and I were both looking around trying to find my dad; he was no where to be seen. I started to panic and sent my mom and sister out to look for him. Kevin was really patient and just stood in the front holding Gentry. It was literally like 10 minutes of silence before my dad walked in. EMBARRASSING!!!! He hurried up to the front and we were able to bless Gentry. Kevin gave her a beautiful blessing and I was able to calm down and enjoy it. It was great to be able to have my parents there as well as Kevin's parents. Thanks to all our family that made Gentry's day so special.

Gma, Dad, Gentry, Mom, Gpa Ward

Priesthood Power

Papa, Dad, Gentry, Gpa

Ward FamilyThree generations of beautiful women

Keys Family

Sisters

I love that she was able to be blessed in the same dress as Avery and myself, I think it is gorgeous

My Amazing Man!

2011-06-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

So much has happened in the last couple weeks of our lives. We had our 4th child, Kevin graduated from dental school, we celebrated three birthdays, moved to a new city (can you call it a city?), and are busy setting up a brand new dental practice!! WOW!! I am still in shock about all that has happened......

But in all this chaos I want Kevin to know that I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished in the last 4 years. Dental school is no easy feat and he has done it all with little kids keeping him up late and waking him up early, a wife that begs for his attention, a church calling, and then making a little bit of time for himself to get out and excersize! I feel like the luckiest wife in the world to have a man that can balance his time so well and make room for everything!! We are extremely excited for this new phase of our lives and even though we don't know quite what to expect we know it will keep us busy and bring greater blessings into our lives.

Kevin graduated on May 20, 2011 and sadly I was not able to make it to his ceremony because our littlest girl, Gentry, decided to enter our family the day before and we were both still in the hospital. I love this picture because it depicts a little bit of just how crazy our life is!! I was so sad to miss his graduation because this is something we have looked forward to for so long. I was even planning to throw a big graduation party to celebrate with all our family and friends, but things change and instead of a party we got to celebrate with a healthy new baby!!

We were extremely lucky to be able to have so much of our family in town for the big day. Since my dad is a dentist he was able to present Kevin with his diploma during the ceremony. I know he was really excited about that! My mom was kind enough to stay with me in the hospital while the rest of everyone attended the ceremony. I just think moms are the best!! I hope Kevin felt really special on his special day and that he knows just how many people are really proud of all that he has accomplished and become!!

I love you Kevin and I am so proud of you!! You are a wonderful husband, friend, dad, and I know you'll be an awesome dentist too!! Congrats, Dr. Keys!!!

Dr. Keys and his parents

It's official.....Dr. Keys!!

Dr. Ward and Dr. Keys

Meet Gentry

2011-05-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

We feel so lucky to have our 2nd little girl in our family. She is our calm in this whirwind of life that is going on around us. It is amazing how much a new baby can bring such a feeling of peace and calmness to such a crazy and hectic world.

Gentry arrived early Thursday morning at 4:40 am and she was able to meet her sibings a little later that morning along with Gma and Gpa Ward, Aunt Julie, and Uncle Trent. (I think she purposely timed her arrival so that she could have the largest crowd of family around her.) Conner, Jace, and Avery were very enthusiastic about their new sister. All of them immediately wanted to touch and hold her. It is one of my favorite moments to watch all my children interact to sweetly to each other. Gentry was immediately accepted and it is easy to see how much they each love her in their own special way.

Jace with Gentry

Conner with Gentry

We all enjoyed some of the sibling cake the hospital provided and then the kiddos got a couple presents from Gentry that they immediately had to play with.

When I saw this picture it really hit me how big our family is getting....

Sweet, sweet

Of course the kids couldn't leave the hospital without touching all the buttons on my bed. We had to make sure the bed moved up and down, and then we had to call the nurse a couple of times. I thought I was going to be sick after all three kids got a turn pushing the buttons but I think it was their favorite part!

It seems like it was just a few days ago we were doing all this with our baby Avery, I can't believe she is turning 2

Gpa and Gentry Grace (Grace was my dad's mom's name, so it was pretty special for him)

Gma, Gentry, and Jace

Introducing our newest addition...

2011-05-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

Baby Gentry's footprints

Only twenty minutes after posting about the prospect of being induced I went upstairs to check on the kiddos and get ready for bed when out of nowhere my water broke. My water had broken with the twins and so I knew what was happening but I was still really surprised. I called Kevin and he called the doctor.

We got to the hospital about 11 pm and I was admitted. I was dilated to 4cm and was told I could get my epidural whenever I was ready. I got my epidural around 1:30 am and started feeling lots better but realized I could still feel contractions on my left side. I used the pump button three times but it didn't seem to help, so eventually I got some more medicine through the epidural and then I couldn't feel much of anything waist down. I did end up getting nauseous and losing all my dinner...good thing they have medicine for that as well!! Around 4:15 am I started feeling a lot of pressure and the nurse told me I was completely dilated and ready to have a baby. I woke up Kevin and told him we were ready!! The room was prepped, the doctor was called and 1 1/2 pushes later our little girl was born. She arrived at 4:40 am weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs 10 oz and 21 inches long. If you had told me I would have a baby that big I probably wouldn't have believed you but sure enough I did!! The labor was relatively smooth and she has been such a pleasant, calm baby. She has beautiful light brown hair and dark blue eyes. She is a great little eater and sleeper; I don't think I could ask for anything more!!

41 weeks and still pregnant...

2011-05-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right I never in my life thought I would have to say I was pregnant at 41 weeks. As of 40 weeks I had dialated to 1/2 cm and I was excited that things might work out quickly but as it turns out my luck so far hasn't been too great. The biggest lesson I have learned is that I am NOT in charge. I am a control freak so this has been hard for me to handle, not knowing when this baby was going to come. In my mind I was thinking I would have a two week old by now..,,

So the plan is to call tomorrow (Thursday) morning and see if I can be induced. I have never been induced before and to be honest I am a little worried. My family just arrived tonight and we enjoyed a yummy dinner at Pappasitos. My family is in town because Kevin's graduation is on Friday afternoon.....once again, proof that I am NOT in charge. So we are hoping I will be able to get in and that an induction will go smoothly tomorrow. Wish us luck!!!

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

Conner and Jace have graduated from preschool!!! They have learned their letters and numbers, practiced their writing, completed lots of fun crafts, and had a great time. I am so proud of them and all that they have learned to do--cutting paper, using glue, writing letters and numbers, singing songs, and learning to follow directions.

It has been fun to teach them along with their friends. I am amazed at all the things kids can learn to do so quickly. They have a great group of friends and this was a great experience to get them all ready for real preschool coming up this year!

Jace, William, Conner, Ellie, Audrey, Lois

Baby Update

2011-05-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

40 weeks.....isn't it great?

So for anyone wondering......it is May 13th which means my due date has come and gone....

I can still feel our little girl moving around inside but it seems she is quite content to stay put. My last doctors appt on Thursday revealed that I still haven't dialated at all and everything seems to staying the same.

I am hoping she'll come later this weekend!!! I am getting huge and super uncomfortable. My feet are ginormous and the swelling has also moved into my hands and legs.

I just can't wait to meet this little girl!! We are praying she comes safely and sooner rather than later!!

Take me out to the ball game....

2011-05-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

Julie, Jace, Dad, Avery, Mom, Conner

We are always up for a baseball game, especially a FREE baseball game! Kevin was able to get enough tickets for our whole family and my sister to go see the Astros vs. Brewers. We even got some really good seats!!

The best part was that we found the kids play area for the first time and the boys were in heaven. They didn't even care about watching the game when there was a playplace and lots of baseball games to be played!!

Conner running
In this game you had to race the baseball runner from the base to homeplate. The kids got a kick out of it and I loved how seriously they took their competition! They are definitely their father's sons!!

Avery was pretty intense herself

Jace was fast!

I love this picture of Jace cheering his little sister onHere we are watching the game, or attempting to
Avery was enjoying getting to know her little sister rather than the ball game
This is me at 38 weeksCarching foul balls with Aunt Julie is always fun

She is such a goof!

Father & Son campout

2011-05-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

The boys absolutely love camping, in fact I would vouch to say it is among their favorite activities. So when the stake announced their father/son campout we were sure excited!! Kevin was slightly hesitant about leaving me and Avery behind because of the chance I might go into labor (don't worry I didn't, and I am pretty sure I never will!).

Kevin found some friends to carpool down with and together they loaded up the van and took off. Poor Avery was sooo sad she couldn't go camping too. She kept saying she wanted to go and she likes camping. To ease her pain Kevin took her to the store to get some last minute camping stuff and it made her feel happy to get some special attention!

The boys were thrilled to go and and didn't blink an eye at leaving mom and Avery home. After the boys left Avery and I met up with some friends and took off for a girls night out with some yummy food. We had a great time with moms and babies, it was nice to be able to actually have a conversation and only have to worry about one kid rather than three.

Since Kevin isn't much of an elaborate story teller I have only gathered bits and pieces of what went on.....

I know the boys stayed up way too late and finally got tired enough to ask daddy if they could go to sleep.

I know that Jace slept most the night sleeping with only half his body on the air mattress.

Both boys told me excitedly that they got to eat marshmallow first and then hot dogs!

I know that no one got too much sleep or was accused of sleeping in

I know they had a great time going for a bike ride with daddy and seeing over 20 alligators!

The boys love throwing things in the fire.....I think it is a boy fascination with burning things

Their 2nd favorite activity oustide of burning things is playing with flashlights in the dark Conner, Jace

A little soccer play timeJace enjoying his morning cerealConnerThey were able to stop at the Nature Center where they got to pet a baby alligator and learn about the animals
Conner, Nathan, Jace looking in the aqarium This alligator was coming to say hello They are so big up close. It is amazing they are just wild and there are no fences or cages! Jace leaned out of the bike trailer to watch the rocks go by and evidently got to close to dad's bike tire and it scraped his cheek and his ear. Poor little guy had a scab for a week!!
Aren't those the dirtiest little faces you have ever seen? I guess that's how we know they had a good time and also how we know that dads don't believe in hand sanitizer or baby wipes to clean up!

Discovery Green with Daddy

2011-05-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

After talking so much about Discovery Green and going with the kids Kevin mentioned that he had never been with us in the four years we've been here. I couldn't believe it, so the next available night we headed downtown as a family to go check it out. I love having Kevin around because he always gets right in on the fun. Sure enough as soon as we got there he was chasing the kids in the fountains. Avery loved having someone to carry her around and splash around with her. Of course thought it was hilarious to try and catch dad and splash him and just be crazy.

Having daddy around is always more fun and we love how he jumps right in and plays with us!!

38 weeks

2011-04-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

We are now at 38 weeks and counting!! Yesterday I had my doctor appt and so far nothing is happening. Our baby is still head down and everything looks good for our VBAC so for now we are just sitting and waiting...

I am feeling pretty good overall just super super tired! Now I just look forward to the kids naptime so I can lay down too!! It is hard to have so many things I want to be doing but just not have the energy I usually do. My sister, Julie, is coming to stay with us indefinitely and she will arrive tonight. That gives me comfort knowing I will have someone to be with the other kids while I am in the hospital. My legs, feet, and hands, are all swelling tons and they hurt but I think all I can do is try to take it easy and keep drinking TONS of water. I am hoping we have this baby sometime before our due date....seeing as Kevin will be taking his licensure exam on our due date and I really don't want to mess with that!!

An amazing husband!

2011-04-29T11:32:00.001-07:00

It's not very often that I get to blog about what a wonderful man I am married to, but I want everyone to know how proud I am of him!!

Last night was his Senior Awards Banquet and we were lucky enough to get some babysitters so we could go together. Neither of us really knew what an awards banquet was really all about but it was fun to get dressed up and go somewhere really nice together! It was held downtown at the Magnolia Hotel and we even got valet parking...hooray!! We had a yummy chicken dinner (that I didn't have to cook) and then we listened to around 50 awards be presented by different dental organizations. It was mostly the same people getting awards for "academic excellence", "leadership" and so on. Every now and then a new name would be called and everyone would get excited, no one knew beforehand who was going to get an award. Kevin and I weren't expecting him to get anything, we were just enjoying our time together at dinner without any whining or fighting. Then out of the blue I perked up to hear two men talking about a new award for integrity and ethics in the dental field. I thought to myself that would be an impressive award especially since it seems those values are so often overlooked. Then before I knew it they presented the award to Kevin Keys!!!

I was so proud of my husband I didn't know what to do. I was wishing I had brought my camera but of course I didn't!! I really think this award was presented to a very deserving man. Kevin has always set himself apart from the crowd and made sure to live up to his own expectations and standards. It is amazing that out of 84 students in his class he was picked because of his "ethics and integrity", it makes me very proud of him and I want him to know that he is a very special person to me!!

Easter Morning

2011-04-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

I think I was just as excited as the kids for Easter morning! I was glad they slept in a little bit (yes, 8:00 is sleeping in). But even after they woke up I was expecting them to run downstairs and start looking for their baskets, but they seemed to have forgotten about Easter momentarily until I reminded them. It was good though so we could videotape them....oh, wait, we didn't realize our video camera was out of tape!!

The boys found Avery's basket within minutes and "helped" her find it. Then they found mom and dad's but theirs seemed to be pretty well hidden and required a couple of dad's suggestions. Conner's was eventually found in the closet and Jace's was in the kitchen cupboard. I thought it was funny that when people asked them where their baskets were the boys responded they were too easy to find!!

Avery with her basket

Jace with his basket

Conner and Avery with their water squirters

Conner and Jace were super excited to get a giant water squirter that they have been wanting for a while. Avery loved getting some mini Princess dominoes so she wouln't have to keep stealing the boys'. She also loved a new mermaid toothbrush and princess toothpaste (it was weird to buy a toothbrush and toothpaste because we have soooo much at home but I thought it might work as good incentive to help Avery brush her teeth.)

The kids spent that whole morning before church going through their baskets and eating way too much candy. They got some really funny little chickens that laid bubblegum eggs while it walked and it kept their attention for quite a while. I love how long new toys can keep their interest. Finally, we had some cereal and decided we'd better get ready for church.

Jace and his pooping, I mean egg laying chicken

Avery eating her chocolate bunny

Church was great and afterwards the kids were all ready for some naps which worked out nicely so that even Kevin and I could lay down.

Later we had a yummy Easter dinner with friends and the kids had another Easter egg hunt. After the kids were done the couples played an egg toss game that was actually really fun and Kevin and I were the 3rd to the last couple to get out and I was lucky enough to escape without any raw egg on my clothes!!

The kids getting ready to go hunt for eggs

We had a great Easter and I think the kids even learned a little bit about the real meaning of Easter. I was so impressed with how much they understood about Jesus dying on the cross and then being resurrected. Little children are seriously blessed with such a curiousity and innocence that makes them so teachable!

Easter egg hunting

2011-04-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

I love having a playgroup with so many little kiddos...it makes an Easter Egg Hunt that much more fun. My boys were some of the oldest (they're in that group that is just a little too young to go to school) and Avery was the same age as most of the other kids.

All the moms brought 10 eggs for each of their kids and then we hid them all over the park. This was Avery's first egg hunt and I didn't even have to explain to her what to do, she already knew! When they said go she was off and before even 10 seconds had passed her bucket had way more than 1o eggs. The boys were super sweet not to steal all the eggs before the little kids and they even helped Avery (not that she needed it). I kept busy trying to pull eggs out of her basket faster than she could put them in because she was only suppossed to take ten. Then she noticed what I was doing and started screaming at me not to take her eggs. Oh, she is too funny. I finally had to convince her that there was yummy candy in the eggs and to go sit down and eat the candy while the boys finished. When I sat down by her a bit later I realized she was just eating candy with the wrappers on because no one was helping her!! She makes me laugh so hard!!

Jace found some really tricky ones

Grabbing the goodsAvery

Conner trying to find some hidden eggs

Jace Conner

It was so fun to see Conner, Jace, and Avery open all their eggs and get so excited about all the candy. I love holidays!!! We enjoyed running and playing in the park for a while and then headed home to show off all our loot to dad. It was a great egg hunt and hopefully not the last this season!!

36 weeks

2011-04-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't been very good at posting about this pregnancy for lots of reasons....but I won't get into all those. This is a belated pic of me at 36 weeks....and yes it was a long day and I was a very tired mama by the time we took this picture.

So far I can't really complain with this pregnancy... the first three months I felt like death, but since then I have felt great. We were excited to be able to have one more baby in Houston so we can attempt another VBAC. At 34 weeks, the doc said our baby was breech and so she was going to have to turn around in the next two weeks before she ran out of room. SO FAR...so good--our little girl is head down and ready to go as of 37 weeks. I am just hoping she'll stay put now. She is a super active little thing and is kicking and stretching all day long. But it does give me comfort that I can always feel her and know she is doing good!

Easter Egg-stravaganza

2011-04-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

We couldn't wait to start on the Easter fun (by we I mean me). So on Tuesday we broke out the egg dye and got started.....

Avery took her job seriously

Jace
I boiled about 36 eggs and thought it would last us a while. I should have known that with three sets of little hands dipping we will never have enough!

Avery would only color pink eggs so her hands ended up pretty pink...it didn't really show up in the picture

Conner
We had a great family night dying eggs together and talking about Easter excitement. I doscovered that the boys are at an ideal egg dying stage because they didn't make a mess at all and it kept them busy FOREVER. After all the eggs were dyed one color they didn't think it was time to be done so they started double and triple dipping them into all kinds of different shades of colors-- and yes, we did end up with a good handful of brown eggs!!

Dental Olympics

2011-04-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

I am getting so far behind on my blog!! A few weeks ago the Houston Dental Branch hosted the Dental Olympics. This is one of our favorite dental events mostly because Kevin is super involved and plays everything (anyone surprised?)! The three dental schools in Texas (Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio) get together to see who has the most athletic talent!!

It took place on a Saturday and Kevin left the house around 8 am to start the day out on the b-ball team. After the kids and I got up, ate breakfast, and cleaned up a little we headed over and watched daddy in a couple of volleyball games. It was co-ed and someone told Kevin to ease off a little. I thought it was funny that he responded, "the girls I play with tell me to hit it hard!"

The kids ate lunch with daddy and took a break in the shade until the softball was about to start. Just before the game when the field was empty I looked up to see Kevin out there playing softball with all three of our kids plus a couple others. It is moments like this I am reminded of what a wonderful man I have!!! He could have been drinking Gatorade in the shade rather than wasting his energy out playing before the game started but he didn't even think twice. The kids loved it and thought it was the best part of the day!! I was enjoying it too much to even remember to take pics. I thought it was funny that Conner was up to bat first and finally got a hit and dad showed him how to run to first, then Jace was up and after he hit it, Kevin was showing Conner how to run to 2nd and when he turned around to see that Jace made it to 1st--Jace was gone!! He had run the wrong way and was standing on 3rd!! We got it sorted out and then Avery decided she needed to run the bases too. She ran to 1st and Jace pushed her off, then she ran to 2nd and Conner pushed her off, then she ran to 3rd and stayed put. Then anyone who came to 3rd base got a nice shove off, I guess that's how she thought you played. She ended up just claiming 3rd base the whole time the kids were playing. She is too FUNNY!!

Conner, Avery, Jace

The Houston team won softball and then as fast as Kevin could change shoes he was headed over to play flag football. The kids and I were super hot, sweaty, and tired so we headed home and wished daddy good luck. Of course the kids fell right asleep and took a good long nap....thank goodness so I could put my feet up and relax for a while!!!

Sadly, Houston didn't end up winning the Olympics but they sure gave it a good shot!! Kevin was tired, sore, and extremely sunburned but he was so happy to be outside all day playing sports!!

Volleyball at the Park

2011-04-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

We have really enjoyed our ward while we have been here. There are so many great families and it seems like there are always great activities going on. Some of our friends have gotten together and started some volleyball games. Kevin loves having a chance to get out and excersize a little bit. The kids love going and playing with the other kids.

Jace and Ellie playing in the sand

Every now and then when the ball rolls off the court Kevin has to chase it down and then pick the pokeys out of his foot

Conner and his buddy, Nate

I love this picture because it shows just how dramatic our little Avery is. She had just finished telling me she didn't want to play in the sand ANYMORE!! This was her reaction to me telling her I didn't want her to play on the playground.

We LOVE water!!!

2011-04-12T11:43:00.001-07:00

After living in Houston for close to 4 years my kids have taken to loving water. It doesn't seem to matter if it comes out of a drinking fountain, puddle, hose, pond, pool, beach, anywhere really....they just love splashing and playing in it!!

Now that it has really started warming up.....I mean I am sweating before I get all 3 kids in the car--we are talking WARM!! We look for any place with water to spend our mornings out. This last week for playgroup we went downtown and played in the Discovery Green water fountains!! My kids thought it was a hit and after two hours they still weren't ready to go home. I love how long water can entertain them, and there isn't even any fighting. I can't wait to go back again!

I am pretty sure Jace is below

Jace (rear) and Conner (front)

A little lunch break with our friend Levi (he's just one day younger than Avery and they loved chasing each other around)

Yep, it was a great day in the water and I am sure it won't be long until we are back again!

Just the Fam

2011-04-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

Now that I have been released as the YW President it seems we have more evening time together as a family which I am trying to soak up as much as possible!! I love having Kevin home and being able to go do things all together!

Last week we were able to head to a nearby park after dinner. The boys brought their bikes and Avery was super excited for PLAYGROUND!!

Jace loved riding his bike around the gravel trail loop. He is getting so good!! Isn't he a cutie in his helmet? Of course dad followed Avery around the playground and he thinks he's still the perfect size for all the equipment....don't you?

Jace was loving posing for pictures....isn't this a good one?

I love this picture of Conner.....I think he looks so old!!

It wasn't really this dark outside but the pictures made it look darker. The boys were excited to set up their t-ball and have daddy teach them how to run the bases. It was pretty comical to watch them run and try not to get out. I was impressed that they were able to hit most of the balls though---next we just need to find a few more kids to make a team. P.S. We learned Avery is stil learning the art of taking turns....she did not enjoy this part of the evening!

A beautiful background.....and very mad kids!!

2011-04-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well on the way home from the Blue Bell ice cream factory we saw gorgeous patches of Texas blue bonnets and had to pull over to take some pictures. I knew the timing wasn't great since it was 2 pm and we hadn't had naps and we were all pretty exhauted, but when you drive that far you have to take advantage of being there.....and what a beautiful background it was!!!

As for my kids....well they are always beautiful..... but I will say these aren't the happiest smiliest pictures!!

Jace, Avery, Conner

This was the best picture I could get of all three...

Jace and Conner (not looking at the camera!)

Ok, so only mom is happy....and at this point she is only pretending to be happy, since mad kids who won't smile for pretty pictures don't make her very happy!!

One of our favorite treats....

2011-04-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

Bluebell ice cream is a treat like nothing else.....one that I hadn't tasted until we moved to Houston!! It comes in just about every flavor or combination you can imagine and when some friends invited us to join them for the factory tour we said, "Of course!!"

It was a beautiful drive to Brenham (a drive that I enjoyed while my kids were tuned in to Peter Pan). We learned the ins and outs of making ice cream and then enjoyed our free cup of the delicious treat at the end. The boys were both excited to get cookie dough ice cream and Avery insisted on PINK...which translates to mean strawberry. I tried one of their newest flavors, Homemade in the Shade and loved every bite!

Conner, Avery, Jace

Conner (close up) and Jace

Thanks Bluebell for making the most delicious ice cream we have ever tasted!!

Happy Birthday, Kevin!!

2011-04-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

Kevin celebrated his 29th birthday--his last birthday in Houston, Texas! The day before his actual birthday we chose to celebrate with the kids since we were going out on his real birthday. The kids were so excited about dad's birthday. They worked really hard on some beautiful cards and then we all hid and surprised dad when he walked in the door from school. I wish I had the video camera out because they were SO EXCITED and I think it made Kev's day!!

They were so excited to give him his cards and open presents but first daddy had to shower and get dressed so we could hurry out the door to enjoy some yummy Outback Steakhouse from Gma and Gpa!! The kids were great at the restaurant and it was fun to all be out together (it doesn't happen all that often)!! Kevin opened his presents at dinner. He got Astros tickets w/ all you can eat buffet, Bohnanza card game, and the new Spanish Bible.

Avery loves feeding dad Dad and Avery enjoying their free ice cream sundae

Oh, yeah and these two little rascals were there too!!

After dinner we had planned on having cheesecake instead of birthday cake at home but everyone was too full to even think about dessert.

Thanks letting us share in your birthday fun!!

Our first camping experience...

2011-03-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

Most people are surprised to find out that Kevin and I had never been camping together since we've been married. Kev grew up doing a little bit of tent camping and I grew up doing lots of motorhome camping--which most people don't consider to be "real" camping. Last year Kevin took the boys on a father/son campout and the boys have talked about "campin" ever since! We have been wanting to take the kids camping together for awhile but it seems like we never plan ahead very good and something always seems to come up on the weekends. I was determined to go camping over Spring Break while Kevin was off school and it seems like our kids are at the perfect age. All of them are pretty independent and we don't have any little babies, at the moment! We were lucky to find some friends that had already reserved a site and they let us join them. It turned out to be two full days of camping fun!! I was even surprised at how much fun I had.

We packed so much stuff, I was surprised there was still enough room for the kids to fit!

Conner, Jace, and Avery

We got up to the park on Wed afternoon and had time to set up camp, ride bikes, and even swim in the lake! Then the boys loved building a fire and getting dinner set up. It turns out Kevin is a great moutain man (in fact I am convinved we'd never be hungry if we had to live in the woods and hunt and cook our own food) and gathered and and stacked up tons of firewood and I don't think our fire hardly died for two days!!

The boys loved roasting marshmellows over the fire--in fact they just loved anything that had to do with the fire. They helped dad get it started and then they continued to find little pieces of wood that they insisited needed to be thrown in the fire! Conner and Jace (left to right)

Avery had a good time camping too. She wasn't really into the fire but she was fascinated with the moon and stars in the sky. It's times like these she really reminds me of her dad!!

Our campsite Brinley, Summer, Ellie, Avery--just the girls!!

We had a great time and we all can't wait to go again--hopefully before the weather gets too hot!

BYU cupcakes

2011-03-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

We were really excited to see BYU play in the Sweet Sixteen. Our kids were chanting, "Go BYU!! Go Cougars!!" I made some blue and white swirl cupcakes just for fun--and because we always love to eat something sweet. We all wore our BYU gear and enjoyed watching a good game. It was too bad we couldn't pull it out in the end. It would have been fun to have some more games to watch. GO BYU!!

Summer Bliss

2011-03-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

So I have officially declared myself a beach bum!! I am in love with Galveston Beach. In the last few weeks I have been twice, just me and kids along with some other brave moms! It's so much fun and oh so relaxing! The beach is the perfect place to let the kids run, chase, throw sand, and just be crazy.

My beach beauty

Avery and Nathan

Jace

Conner in the middle of a timeout

Boys love being dirty...

do you see how the bum burns occured?

Enjoying some Cheetos

We loaded up the car with some friends and headed down for a great day. The weather was perfect and even the water felt great. We had some lunch, jumped in the waves, buried each other's feet in the sand, made castles, and chased the birds. We were there for a grand total of about 4 1/2 hours!!! The kids were zonked out before we were even on the freeway which made for a quite and peaceful ride home.

I didn't realize until later the night just how burned I was. I put sunscreen on my face, shoulders, and back but didn't think about my arms and legs. Don't worry I am thinking about them plenty now!!!! Avery didn't burn thank goodness and both boys just got a little strip of the top of their bums burned. Their swimsuits are a bit big around the waist and so when they bend over they don't quite stay up....hence the little one inch strip of red!! The boys and I were laughing pretty hard when we started calling them "burned bums"!!

I can't wait to go again!! I think there is something about leaving in 2 months that makes me want to live up all my time I still have here!

St. Patricks Day (a little late)

2011-03-19T19:48:00.000-07:00

Since we were camping over the real St. Patricks Day I decided to do our own little St. Patty's day a couple days later. The kids left early in the morning with Kevin to go play some ward basketball. I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in REALLY late and when the kids came home they found that a sneaky little leprechaun had left little footprints on our countertops and fridge....in fact he was so sneaky he got into the fridge and turned the milk green!!!

Then we had green scrambled eggs and green milk for breakfast. It wasn't long before the boys tracked down another leprechaun and found a trail of shamrocks with some gold coins at the end....but no sign of the little trickster! Then the kids headed upstairs with dad to make a trap. They came up with an excellent trap but didn't catch a single leprechaun!!

It's hard to tell in the picture but the actual trap is over by the mirror (the baby wipes box propped up with a Chuck E Cheese rocket attached to a long string) and the string runs across the floor and boys are holding it waiting to pull it when they see a leprechaun.

After nap time they found that their trap had caught some more gold coins but still no leprechaun.....how frustrating!!

Jace was so cute all day pointing out everything that was green and thought it must have something to do with leprechauns. The boys also had fun pinching everyone that wasn't wearing green (that was a lot of people since it wasn't actually St. Patrick's Day--I had a lot of explaining to do).

Yee-haw!!

2011-03-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

The Houston Rodeo is here, Yee-haw!!! We are so excited!! Every year this is one of our favorite events--every year the kids enjoy it a little more as they get a little older. We are fortunate to live so close to the stadium that we don't have to pay for parking and we get to watch the tents go up and enjoy the carnival lights from the freeway every night. The boys have been asking with anticipation about going to the rodeo, so I couldn't wait to take them!

My mom was in town this week and she loves this stuff as much as I do--so we teamed up and went two days in a row!!! My mom is the greatest sidekick in the world. She is always up for excitement and adventure. Tuesday night it was an "adults only" night, so Kevin, myself, and my mom enjoyed some rodeo, fireworks, an amazing Keith Urban performance, and yummy funnelcake!! It was great to have a night to enjoy ourselves without any interruptions.

Then Wednesday was an action-packed day of rodeo, carnival, and animals with the kiddos. We spent the entire morning doing all the kid activities and lunch then we headed home to nap before starting back for an evening enjoying rides, rodeo, and another concert with dad!!

One of the really nice cow owners helped the boys pet the cows up close and personal, the boys loved it!!

Bucket of dirt + worms = two happy little boys

The kids loved being farmers and taking care of all their chores...

Milking the cow

Avery fed the chickens and collected the eggs

Then we all collected some wool from the sheep

Doesn't that look like we're having fun?

Jace picked some peaches

The boys drove the big tractor

Then Gma treated the kids to a RIDE!!! They were in heaven!

After all that we had to head home for a nap (myself included)

Then we grabbed daddy and headed back for some.....

Jace feeding the deer

Conner admist the goats

Avery loves looking at the animals, but she wasn't sure about actually touching them

Conner loved hugging the animals

Avery did like this bunny

Yee-haw, we liked the bronc and bull riding the best

After the rodeo we saw Martina McBride in concert, of course the kids weren't too interested in the concert but they had a great time screaming and clapping and being as loud as they wanted.

Don't forget to try something fried......we got some fried oreos and a fried snickers. We all agreed the fried oreos were the best!!

oh, yeah and FUNNEL CAKE!! The kids all agreed everything was yummy with all that powdered sugar!!

Then we ended the night on lots of fun rides. It was a great night together!!

Fishing with dad

2011-03-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Eventhough it wasn't quite warm enough for a picnic and fishing excursion we decided to get out of the house anyway. Kevin loves fishing anytime of year and was excited to try out our poles for the first time this year.

Tom Bass Park

Kevin and Avery

A little snack while dad baits the hook

It ended up being a little chilly, and we didn't catch anything so hopefully our next time will be better. But we did have fun playing football with dad after our picnic dinner.