Too Funny

I have a love/hate relationship with the song…The Christmas Shoes.

I love it because it’s a beautiful song and full of such strong emotions.
I hate it because every time I hear the first note I start bawling uncontrollably.

Last night my little family was driving through town when out from the radio came the first couple notes of this song. I immediately switched the channel, saying how I can’t listen to that song right now because I’ll cry. Well, John and the kids were intrigued…they had to know what the big deal was and begged me to turn it back on. Reluctantly, I switched the channel and braced myself for the tears, which started flowing with the mention of ‘a pair of shoes’. By the end of the song I was a mess...thankfully John was driving. I turned around, wiping away tears and asked them if they were happy now that they made me cry. The boys thought the song was pretty sad but it didn’t make them want to cry and John just thought it was way too sappy.

Ashley on the other hand said “I don’t get it…why does the boy’s mom need a PARACHUTE to go see Jesus?” We all burst out in laughter and tried to explain that he actually said ‘pair of shoes’ and that the mom was dying and would be seeing Jesus in heaven. To which Ashley said “OH I get it now...wow that song really is sad, I think I’ll cry next time I hear it.” As for me I don’t think it will ever make me cry again now that I’ll be thinking of parachutes!

An Evening of Music

Last night we attended Zachary’s first band concert.

Zach plays the saxophone and had been practicing like crazy to get ready for the big show. Going to the concert brought back a few memories for John and I of late 80’s band concerts back when I played the flute and he played the trumpet. With those concerts in mind our expectations weren’t that high, especially considering these kids (mainly 5th graders) had just started playing 2 months ago. Boy were we surprised…they were really good. The beginning band did 4 songs (including Jingle Bells) then played with the advanced band to close the night with a really cool song called Dr. Rock. It was nice hearing the complete song after weeks of hearing just the saxophone part.

Zach's buddy Nate with his Baritone.

All I want for Christmas...

I think it's time for a little lesson about the true meaning of Christmas.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

We've been doing a little decorating...

Our family room tree.

My new special little livingroom tree with my Snow Babies and glass ornaments.

Ashley's tree, complete with cell phone, flip flops, sunglasses and other girly ornaments.

The boys red sparkly soccer themed tree.

SIMPLY MAGICAL!

Thanksgiving Play

Ashley was one of the 3 narrators in the 1st grade Thanksgiving play titled 'No Turkey for Perky'. She had practiced her lines all week and did a fantastic job especially considering in last years play she was a corn stalk and was too shy to even say 'Pop, Pop, Pop'.

Ashley reading her lines.

Ashley with her friends and fellow narrators, Bridget and Alania. She was so happy when she saw that Courtney had come along to video the play for me while I took the pictures.

Ashley with her teacher Mrs. Heinemann as Perky the dog.

Good News, Bad News

Good news:

We woke up this morning to a beautiful white snowfall...nothing major just a nice pretty dusting.

Bad news:

It was freezing and windy over night so before our light dusting of the powdery white stuff we got a nice layer of ice. Which caused a women who was driving way too fast down Santa Fe to slam her car into the back of John's as he was driving into work this morning. She hit him so hard that it spun him around in the opposite direction, over the median and into oncoming traffic. Thankfully the oncoming drivers were careful enough to avoid him and neither John nor the woman was hurt, other than some minor soreness on John's part...I'm sure he'll be feeling it more tomorrow though.

While I'm so grateful no one was seriously injured but our car didn't fare so well. So now we get to deal with all the insurance hassles that come with accident claims.

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving and all...I'll end this post with a few reasons I'm thankful right now:

1. I'm so thankful my parents were at my house this morning and my mom was able to stay with the kids while my dad and I went to get John at the accident sight.

2. I'm thankful we've let Courtney store his jeep at our house for the past few months so now John can use it instead of dealing with a rental car.

3. Lastly I'm thankful the dear Lord was watching over my husband today...because it could have been sooo much worse and his family really needs him!!

Thanksgiving

My parents arrived Saturday night after a safe trip up from Texas to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their offspring (actually they're really just here to spoil their 7 grandchildren). After they got all settled in, we stayed up watching my dad's footage from his recent flight with my grandpa Mickey (my dad's dad) on a 1940's B-17 bomber. My grandfather flew on B-17's as a tailgunner and waist gunner for 31 missions in WWII, he even survived a crash landing on his second flight. This flight marked the first time in 60 years since he's been in this type of aircraft. The flight was a great experience for my dad and a lifetime highlight for my grandfather. It was such a special treat to witness these priceless memories and I'm so thankful we get to share them with my children.

The B-17 Bomber.

My dad and my grandpa posing at the tail of the plane after the 30 minute flight. My grandpa used to spend 8 or more hours crammed in the back of the plane (the little area above my dad's head) while sitting on a bicycle seat...god bless him.

My grandpa retelling some of his war stories to the pilot and the other passengers on the flight...they didn't know they were going to fly with an actual WWII vet that day.

My parents also got us caught up with pictures and video from my Nanny and Pawpye's (my mom's parents) new house in the country and their adorable new miniature pony...he's so cute. His name is KC for Kenny Chesney. My grandfather built him an awesome stable. They are having so much fun on their 7 acres by the lake. We can't wait to see it!!

The 'Lawn Ranger' (Pawpye) on his new tractor.

K.C. (Kenny Chesney) the miniature pony in his stable.

Sunday morning we we're treated to our family's favorite breakfast of scrambled eggs, real bacon and my dad's awesome blueberry pancakes. Later that afternoon all my siblings started to arrive for a big family dinner of Nawnie's (my mom) baby back ribs...yummy. I love when my mom is in town, her and I camp out in the kitchen and basically cook all week. Ashley also likes helping out in the kitchen, which my mom and I really enjoyed.

My sister Sandy and her little man, T.J.

My sister in law Christina, my cute niece Rylee and my mom.

Tylor, Sandy, T.J., Toney & Trevor

Chris, Christina and Rylee (who had discovered my hidden stash of markers).

It was really nice having everyone together and the kids all enjoyed playing with their cousins. Even though all of us kids live within 30 minutes of each other...our busy schedules tend to keep our get togethers to a minimum. We finished off a great day with a typical round of laughing at old home videos and retelling all our favorite family stories.

The boys...my brother Courtney, Trevor and Zach playing soccer on the Wii.

Looking through past home movies with my sister.

Fall Soccer '07 Recap

Ashley U7 Wildcats
Record: 6 Wins - 1 Loss - 1 Tie

The Wildcats ended up having a fantastic season. These little 6 & 7 year old girls are fierce and such a hoot to watch. Ashley had a great time playing and ended up with 2 goals this season. She was also a great goalie and does very well in the forward and mid-field positions. The best part of this team is our great coaches, the hilarious parents and best of all…the fun parties (3 of them) with another one planned in between seasons…nice!


Cameron U8 Invaders
Record: 4 Wins – 2 Loses – 1 Tie

The Invaders had an action packed season. Cameron enjoyed being on his new team and getting to play with his buddy CJ again. Cam has turned into quite an awesome little soccer player and had a really sweet game winning goal. He also took a second turn as goalie and was so proud that this time he didn’t let in one shot. Cameron is thinking about playing on an indoor team during the winter but has also mentioned tennis lesson so well have to wait and see.

Zachary U11 Real Red Team
Competitive Record: 5 wins – 1 Loss – 4 Ties (4th place)

Oh how I underestimated the impact competitive youth sports would have on our family.

Zachary’s team had a great season and ended up placing 4th in their bracket out of 13 teams. The boys have turned into a well oiled machine and they work so well together. They have great passes and assists and their communication on the field is awesome. Zachary was finally subbed out of a game after going up for a header that ended with a head to head collision with someone from the other team…he was ok just a swollen eyebrow and a little headache. He went back in after 10 minutes and almost scored…all the parents were saying we should hit him in the head more often. Zach played a majority of the season at the right outside defender position but recently his coach tried him out as a mid-fielder which Zach really enjoyed. Their last game on Saturday ended in a 0-0 tie and was followed by a quick team pizza party. Then with a mere 3 hour break between seasons it was off to their first game for the winter indoor league. They won their first game 6-5 with Zachary scoring 2 goals and getting to play goalie the second half. Indoor soccer is a lot of fun and the boys really enjoy it. It’s fast paced, the games are less stressful, and they get to try out different positions and best of all, my favorite…no practice!

A very blog happy day...

I picked this funny little shirt up at Target because it just screamed CAMERON!

What do you think?

In other good news...Ashley finally lost her 'Nanny McPhee' tooth after 3 months of bribery and a few harmless threats. It's funny how she looks like a completely different girl. It might be because she's actually smiling and showing her teeth...something we've been missing the past few months.

Project Update...The Livingroom

Over the weekend John, Ashley and I finally painted the livingroom.

Our family has a deep love of the ocean and sailing.

It's something I hope is reflected in this room.

Over the years I've collected a lot of cool beachy themed items that we've incorporated into the room. Instead of going with a traditional blue, white and red nautical style, I chose a more neutral South Pacific inspired design. Some of my beachy things have been stored during the holidays to make room for the current autumn and upcoming Christmas decorations.

The livingroom ceilings are vaulted which made painting in here a little more challanging than the rest of the house. I have to give a little shout out to John who is by far the fastest, cleanest and most patient painter I know. We finished the whole job in just over an hour and only have a little cutting in left to do this weekend.

John was a little skeptical of the color at first but now he loves it especially in the daylight with the sun shining through the big window.

The name of the paint color is Sandy Beach...it's a golden yellow color.

When Cameron first saw it he said "It's not beachy, it's spicy mustard!"

and you know what...he was right.

So next time you're at the grocery store take a look at the Gulden's spicy brown mustard...that's our new wall color.

A super fun Halloween.

Wow it turned out to be a great day. First we had a very successful costume potluck at work with some really awesome costumes (we couldn't figure out who the Granny was for at least 20 minutes). The kids also had super fun parties at school. Then to top it all off it turned out to be a nice night for trick or treating. The forecast had originally called for rain or even snow but it ended up being dry and not too chilly.

The gang from Rooney all dressed up for our party.

Zachary as a giant woopie cushion. Now that he's a 'grown up' 5th grader he got to go trick or treating with his buddies...with no parental supervision. They had a great time and even called it an early night at 7:30 but they still managed to fill half a pillowcase with candy.

Cameron as Black Spiderman and our neighbor Jake as the 'Real' Spiderman.

Ashley went as Sharpay from High School Musical. Her favorite part of her costume was the awesome clip-on hair extension we found at Walgreens. Her least favorite part was the nude leotard I made her wear under her costume...she said it made her look like a mannequin.

The kids all ready to go trick or treating.

My absolute favorite costume of the night was Ashley's friend Grace as Wednesday Adams...complete with her headless doll.