Frizzy Hair and Mosquito Bites

The two things I can usually count on when we go to Houston are frizzy hair and mosquito bites. I got really lucky last weekend though and didn't have to deal with either one. I was really excited. It's the little things in life, right? Anyway... the kids love to play and swing in Grammy and Grandpa's backyard and this time we didn't have to bust out the mosquito repellent.

They love this swing... they'd twirl around for hours if we'd let them. I don't know what's happened to me, but I get horrible motion sickness now. I used to love roller coasters and now I get sick to my stomach just looking at a swing. What in the world??

Reese is wearing my first attempt at a dress. Not too shabby for my first semi-major sewing project.

Look at Tucker with his arm around his sister. Sometimes he's pushing her down in the dirt and other times he's lovin' on her. You just never know.

Tucker's diggin' for the treats that Grandpa hid in his pocket.

"More puffs please." We were bribing them with food. It didn't quite work out the way I planned. Instead of them being content and happy to take a few pictures, they were restless and just wanted more. I think they were reaching for more food in just about every picture we took!

The kids would rather be outside right now than anywhere else. So, it was good that we didn't need a mosquito net last weekend. Thanks for a fun weekend Grammy and Grandpa!

Emmy's First Birthday

I'm not sure who had more fun at Emerson's party. The birthday girl, herself, who got to have cake and ice cream for the first time...





Or Uncle Chris, the psycho princess...

As you can see by the bald head at the bottom of the picture... Reese was staring up at Daddy thinking "Who is that crazy man?!"

Secret Rendezvous

Last weekend, I met Chris in Georgetown on his way back from his conference in San Antonio. Since it was Valentine's Day weekend, we thought it was a perfect opportunity for a fun little getaway. So, I dropped the kids at Brian and Jen's and headed to Georgetown. When I got there, I went ahead and checked in to the hotel. Long story short... the hotel clerk was convinced that I was having a secret rendezvous with a married man.

Note to self: don't forget to wear your wedding ring when you're meeting your husband at a hotel for the weekend.

You think forgetting my wedding ring was bad? How about forgetting my suitcase? Yep... forgot that too. I'm really not a dingbat... I actually have a pretty good explanation. Again, long story short... my suitcase ended up in Brian and Jen's house along with the kids' stuff. So, when Chris and I got back to the hotel late Saturday night, I opened the trunk and thought, "Hmm, where's my suitcase?"

Despite all that, we had a really fun weekend. We laughed a lot (mostly at me, as you can imagine) and just enjoyed being together. In Georgetown, We ate out, caught a movie, did some shopping and then went to Inner Space Caverns. I enjoyed the caverns more than I thought I would...

On our way home on Sunday, we stopped and spent the afternoon in Salado. We ate at the Stage Coach Inn (Yum) and checked out the shops around town. It's a cute, quaint little town and totally not Chris' thing... but he was a great sport.
Thanks Brian and Jen for watching the kids so we could enjoy a fun weekend alone. It was a great Valentine's Day weekend!

Snow Much Fun

The day after Christmas, we were supposed to head to Oklahoma City for the Tims/Olson Family Christmas. Unfortunately, the 15 inches of snow they got prevented us from going. We waited a couple days and then went to play in the snow.

Tucker was pretty good on the 4 wheeler. Dad can't wait until he can buy him a real one!


Ella, Macie, and Owen shoveling snow.

Reese would have hung up here for hours if I would have let her. She's going to love roller coasters like her mommy.

Lisa, Owen and Tyson having a little snow ball fight.

Reese looks like she's trying to hitch a ride.... guess her car's stuck in the snow.

Reese and Hallie just hanging out.

It was fun to get to play in the snow while we were there. Unfortunately, the Kansas bunch didn't get to come because of the crazy blizzard they were having. But it was good to get to see the OKC gang and the Chicago crew.

Each year we try to get a picture of all the kids. All the cousins are having babies and the group just keeps growing and growing. We weren't very successful this year... mostly thanks to my kids. Again, they are the uncooperative ones when it comes to pictures. Pretty crazy group... and this isn't even all of them.

Here are just a few pictures of everyone hanging out at Lisa's.

Jen, Kaylie and Ella.

Chris and Ella.

Lisa, Ava and Jamie.


Marilyn (Nana) and Ava.

Emmy, Grammy and Tucker.

This wraps up my Christmas posts. What a month! Seems like December gets busier every year. I wouldn't have it any other way though. We were blessed to get to see over 65 family members this Christmas!!

Scrap Weekend

Twice a year, I get together with some of my girlfriends and go to a place called Scrappin' Around the Corner in Denton. We spend the weekend eating, talking, eating, watching movies, eating, laughing, and best of all... scrapping! We started scrapping together a few years ago. It's started off as a hobby and now it's totally an obsession. Chris dreads our "family fun times" because he knows I'm going to take hundreds of pictures so I have some good ones to scrap. I'm always months behind and so look forward to these weekends where I can knock out tons of fun layouts. I always come back exhausted because we stay up all night... but it's always a blast.

This trip I had to finish up their first year scrapbooks before I could get started on the current stuff. Yes, they're 17 months old and I'm just now finishing their first year. I told you I stay months behind.

It was fun hanging out with you girls this weekend. Until next time... Go Eagles.

Down on the Farm

Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead in Overland Park, Kansas... highly recommend it. Our annual Tims/Olson Family Reunion was held in Kansas this summer so we took all the kids to this FREE children's farm. Tucker loved it. Reese, on the other hand, was miserable. This was when she was going through her "I hate being outside" phase, so she was not happy. It also didn't help that she was almost eaten by a giant goat when we first got there. That pretty much ruined it for her.

Note to parents... ease your children into a place like this. Starting with the goats that jump over the fence to be fed, is a very bad idea.

Tucker loved it all though... feeding the goats, riding the tractors, using the water pump and then splashing in the water and petting all the animals. He didn't even mind me forcing him to take a picture behind the huge potted flower.

Aunt Jen was our photographer for the day and she captured lots of great shots... you can't even really tell how much Reese was hating me for this forced fun!

Splish Splash

We went to Houston to visit Grammy and Grandpa; one last trip before school starts. Or should I say, "before football starts?" My Friday nights will be spent at the football field for about the next 5 months, so our weekend trips will be few and far between. The kids enjoyed playing in the pool while we were there. Tucker loved the slide... feet first, head first... it didn't matter. And Reese had fun pushing the side of the pool down to let all the water run out. They are so different!

Love the Summer... HATE the heat!

Is anyone else tired of this smoldering Texas heat? I don't think I remember it being this hot last summer. Oh wait, maybe because I was laying on the couch WAY pregnant with twins. I'm pretty sure I didn't see the sun at all last summer; which was evident by my ghostly white body. I digress.

Anyway, I really do love summer... the vacations, the food, the not working, etc. I love eating corn on the cob, ice cream cones, juicy hot dogs and of course, the famous Doyle snow cone. I love playing in the pool, going to the lake, and going to the waterpark like a crazy teenager. Because I HATE the heat, I pretty much refuse to do anything outside in the summer that doesn't involve me getting wet (and sweating doesn't count.)

After being at the lake all afternoon and the pool all evening, I needed to cool off. Here are some fun pictures of us playing in the snow this past year...



We spent the babies' first Christmas at Granny's house... and it was definitely a white one.


Chris and Tuck playing in the snow




Making snow angels with Emma





Dana and the kids after sledding




Caden completely burried in the snow




All bunddled up and heading out





Nick and Amber ice skating. Did you see the Rock?! Baby sister is getting married in December!





We didn't get to ski at Christmas time, so Chris surprised me with a ski trip in February... more fun in the snow!





I know winter is months away... but a girl can dream can't she?

Small Texas Towns

There's something great about spending the day in a small Texas town! I'm not into antiques or western wear, but I still love to look around in the shops and eat in the "hole in the wall" restaurants. I love that the people are so friendly and they all seem to know each other. I also love how acceptable it is for shop owners to close their stores at anytime and just put a note on the door that says, "be back at 3." I've visited my share and have come to realize that small Texas towns all have three things in common: Dairy Queen, overpriced western decor made out of fence pickets, and the fact that Child Labor Laws don't apply.
These facts were once again confirmed when we spent the day in Calvert, TX yesterday. Grammy and Grandpa drove up from Houston to meet us for a few hours to eat and play. We ate lunch at Loretta's Cafe where I'm pretty sure we were served by Loretta herself. Her 12 year old daughter worked the ice cream counter. After lunch the boys headed off to the sale barn... since we're going to turn "country" now that we bought 25 acres to live on. Anyway... they went to check out the livestock while Grammy, the kids and I did some shopping. It was clear that this town was built before handicap laws were put in place! What a beat down... trying to get the double stroller up and down the stairs and in and out of shops. We finally got smart and just took them out of the stroller and carried them around. No need to worry that the stroller would be stolen in Calvert, TX. Good, honest, small town people can totally be trusted! What a fun day... the kids were totally pooped and slept all the way home! Here are a few pics of them with their Grammy and Grandpa...