Folding Socks

When I was a kid one of my chores, well one of our chores, was to fold the socks. I absolutely hated it. I don't really know why it's not exactly a difficult task. Anyway, now I know why it was our chore. I constantly have to get on to my kids about turning their socks right side in before they put them in the dirty clothes, which I'm assuming is the same reason me, my brothers and sister were forced into this task also. So now I've passed sock folding onto my kids. Somethings do come full circle huh. As you can see Bailey isn't making a lot of progress. She refused to start until Riley joined her - which irritated him a little since he's had to do the socks all by himself the last two times. Shortly after I took these pictures we all ended up having a sock war. I'm usually not big on wrestling, but every now and again Riley provokes me!

Boys will be boys!!

This morning I had a really funny conversation with Riley. Yesterday all the boys from Mrs. Pugh's class were lined up in the hall. The girls had already been dismissed to wherever they were going and the boys at the end of the line decided this was a good time to do the wave. Mrs Pugh says to the boys "if you think you can do the wave then go ahead." Well, they obviously did not pick up on her tone so naturally all the boys now followed suit. Riley did not understand why she then got mad. I began to explain to him that she did not really mean what she said. That she was actually saying if you think you can disobey, go ahead, and we won't move until you are obedient. I tried to tell him that if she sounds like she's mad she probably is and that she doesn't mean exactly what she's saying. He still seeemed a little confused so I said it's the reason why dad tells me to respond to you with a definitive answer. I'm in this bad habit of answering Riley with whatever, I don't care or some other vague response. Jeremy keeps trying to remind me that Riley, as a man, doesn't get that and that it sends him into confusion. Apparently Jeremy's dead on. Riley's exact words were "yeah I don't get that I mean all I wanted was a granola bar" and "when you say that I just ask dad anyway"

Going All the Way!!

We are huge Mavericks fans!! We started following basketball five or six years ago because Jeremy got free tickets from work. At first it was just a lot of fun to be in the arena with all the fans, loud music and of course the free food didn't hurt either. But now we're completely hooked. Here we are again in the playoffs and this time we're going all the way. Last night we just had to let the kids stay up late and watch the opening playoff game. Even from home we go all out with signs, clappers and food!!

Somebody's Gonna' Get Hurt

On Saturday we met Jeremy's brother in Southlake for coffee. Southlake Town Center is
one of my favorite places to shop and walk around. After Starbucks we took the girls to check out all the decorated cows and then let them throw money into the fountain. We ran out of money to throw so we decided to do a little acrobatics. I was sure Robert was going to break something - you're getting old you gotta' be careful with those hips :-)

G-Stamps

We have some friends from church whose parents are our Sunday School teachers. They have two boys Doug and Greg, so it gets confusing to our kids trying to figure out which set of Stamps we might be talking about: Deb and Jerry, Doug and Anglea or Greg and Becky. So Riley now calls them D-Stamps, G-Stamps and J-Stamps. Tonight we were babysitting for the G-Stamp kids Abby and Reese. We took them to the park to swing and slide and even got to see some ducks and turtles. Abby is 5 and Reese is 3, so they're a bundle of energy. It's been a long time since I've had to chase two kids around the park. Truth be told Bailey did most of the chasing, but it was still a lot of fun. We also played a little X-Box (hope that's okay with ya' Bec), Polly Pockets, horses and ate some candy - Abby decided we should have a "candy night" but I didn't think that was such a good idea. Finally around 9:30 we put on their pj's and laid them down for a movie. They got to sleep in Riley's queen size bed since he was at the Rangers game. I'm gonna' sneak in there again when they're all asleep and take another picture. I just love sleeping kids! Sorry no new pics they never actually went to sleep :-)

En el Parque

I took 8 years of Spanish classes and I still had to ask my sister-in-law how to say at the park!! I hardly believe that's possible. I guess there's something to be said for the saying "use it or lose it." Anyway, we were supposed to babysit our niece Mariana on Friday night, but the hail and tornado's changed everything. The kids were really disappointed that they didn't get to see each other, so today we all got together to play at the park. You won't see Riley in any of the pictures because he was playing basketball with a friend. The swings don't exactly hold his attention anymore. What's so funny about my niece is that she mainly speaks Spanish. Jeremy's older brother Robert and wife Sonia just moved here from L.A. a couple of months ago and they're both bilingual. Spanish is spoken more often in their home so naturally that's what Mariana speaks more of also. When we first started spending time together she spoke to us in Spanish also, but she quickly realized we had no idea what she was saying.

She's a Star!!

Autographs anyone? Last night at BSF one of my ladies brought me a copy of the Fort Worth Star Telegram because she recognized Bailey in one of the articles. This season Bailey played in a select basketball league in Southlake. The teams were allowed to be any range from 3rd-5th grade girls. Well, Bailey's team the "Keller Xplosion" was only one of two teams that actually had 3rd graders on the team. We kind of thought this would be more of a transitional teaching season, but the girls ended only 2nd to a team made up of all 5th graders. Seriously they had girls taller than me. You should've seen Bailey out there. It was sooo cute!! Anyway her team ended up making the newspaper and Bailey was super excited. She was supposed to go to bed early last night because she had her math TAKS test today, but as soon as she heard Jeremy's car pull into the driveway she jumped out of bed to show him. Since it was already 10:00 I made her show dad quickly, who was also super proud, and then rushed her back to bed.

Made for Me!

I absolutely love the sun! Today was such a beautiful day we just didn't want to be inside. We grabbed our lunch, a blanket and headed out back to enjoy the warm weather. Days like today make me so ready for summer. I know I'm crazy, but I'd take heat even extreme heat any day over the cold. Of course I'm from Texas so cold is like 50 or even 60 if it's windy! We had a great time eating, talking and listening to the birds. Spending time with my husband and my kids is one of my favorite things to do. Gotta' go watch the Mavs beat the Spurs now!

Victory!!!!

Riley and I finished off our series with a 3-2 victory over Jeremy and Bailey. It was a close game 21-19 and Riley scored the winning bucket. I think he'll be able to beat Jeremy here before too long. He's really fast and has learned some pretty good moves. I was not exactly "on fire". Riley suggested I take the Don Eddy Offensive Camp where you're guaranteed to improve drastically. That all sounds good, but I'm not sure they'll let me in. I can't exactly pass for 18 anymore ;-)

Jordan Alexis Winans

My new niece is finally here. Apparently, she was quite cozy with mom and put up a little bit of a fight. Lori was in labor for almost 24 hours! I told her the next one should be easier. Jordan was 7 lbs. 7 oz. and I can't wait to see her. I'm sad that I missed her birth, but hopefully I will see her this summer. I just hate that we live so far apart. I'm trying to bribe them into moving here so that I can help watch the baby. Texas is great y'all.

Rain or Shine???

No one really knows. This week it has snowed, been over 70 with plenty of sunshine and now today it hailed - our weather is so crazy! Bailey doesn't ever remember seeing hail before (the last time I can remember it hailing she was three) so she and Jeremy went out to take a look. She was not at all interested in moving off the back porch. Jeremy picked up a little for her, but really she was content to just watch. The storm didn't last long and immediately after we were back to sunny skies and a huge rainbow.

Visiting Again

I made it to Children's Medical again yesterday to see Dirah. Doctor's say she's doing well, but we need that to continue. She's going to have her stomach tube removed soon and there's a chance that the toxins in her tummy will start to reproduce again. If that happens they'll have to take her in for emergency surgery. Please pray that all goes well and that she'll be able to go home soon.

We love you, Dirah!

On Monday morning I received a call from my older sister that my niece, Nadirah, was in the hospital. As soon as I dropped my kids off at school I rushed to Children's Medical of Dallas. Nadirah's appendix ruptured causing a serious infection. She had a tube inserted in her stomach Monday to drain the fluid's and relieve pressure. The surgery was successful and as long as the antibiotic's control the infection she will have her appendix removed in the next month or two. Unfortunately, she is still very sick and will need to stay in the hospital for another week and then will be released to home health care with an IV to keep her from dehydration as well as 24/7 antibiotics (this will continue for at least a month). Riley and Bailey have been super sweet!! They sent her cards, Easter candy and a stuffed animal that Dirah named Dr. Spot because he was with her during her surgery Monday. Dirah was too tired for visitors immediately, but we were all able to visit with her on Tuesday. Children's Medical is an awesome hospital and they have a lot of activities and rooms the kids can hang out in to keep them from being cooped up in their rooms. On Dirah's floor she has the "Aikman End Zone" with computers, pool table, air hockey, crafts, and even a basketball hoop. We managed to get her up on her feet long enough to enjoy some time playing. We got her a Gmail account set up so that we can all email her and then we did a couple of crafts. After about an hour she was tired and hungry so we took her back to her room so that she could sleep until her food arrived. Speaking of the food - she actually has a menu to order from. She's very excited about the "room service". Oh and while we were there Uncle Justin called and said Aunt Lori was in labor. Anytime now we should have a healthy baby girl!

Star Wars Battlefront

After dinner the kids convinced me to play X-Box with them. This is not exactly my favorite activity, but they LOVE it when I play. I am totally at a loss with the controller. You actually have to use 7 different buttons to look around while you're walking, aiming, jumping, shooting and whatever else that I can't do. I usually end up being more entertainment than the game! The game was half over before I realized how to actually use my lightsaber.

Race for the Cure

Today Becky, Anglea and I ran in the Susan G. Komen 5K. As you can see it was freezing! I'm pretty sure it was in the 30's. I've wanted to run in a 5K before but never did because I didn't want to run alone. So when Becky invited me I didn't really have any valid excuses. Two weeks ago I ran 3.1 miles for the first time in my life! Needless to say I was a little nervous about keeping up with the girls, but Becky promised she wouldn't take off and leave me behind. There were so many people in front of us that we got off to a slow start, but after a little off-roading we past most of the walkers. It was really cold and windy but overall the run was not that bad. I finished in 29 minutes which I was pleased with after only two weeks of training and 6 runs at 3.1 miles. Anglea finished in 26 minutes and Becky in 28 - she could've finished faster, but she kept her word.

You want to what?

On Thursday morning I got a phone call from Kendall's (Riley's friend) mom who wanted to know if it was okay for Kendall and her friends to tp our house. At first I was a little surprised because where I grew up that was more of a sign of disprespect than admiration. I also thought it best to run this by Jeremy first since he would more than likely help Riley clean it up. After getting his okay we told them to go for it. So everything was going as planned. The girls came by and tp'd our house while the boys secretly tp'd Kendall's. Funny thing is around 1:30a.m. I hear a knock on the front door. Of course I was quite out of it after having been asleep for a couple of hours already, but I realized quickly that the police were at the door. I quickly opened the door and explained to him that we knew that house had been tp'd and that we had actually given our permission. He found that a bit strange and had been more than ready to pursue this since the girls had written their names all over the driveway! Riley ended up spending the night at a friends so he didn't get to see the house until Saturday morning. When he got home he was very eager to tell us all about the night. How the boys snuck up on the girls while they were working on Ryan King's house, sprayed them with silly string, totally surprised them with Kendall's papering, then how they all ended up hanging out at the Kings and later at Kendall's for cake. If Riley has his say he'll definitely be doing this again!

Painting Easter Eggs

Friday night Aunt Sonia, Uncle Robert and Marianna came to visit. The girls painted their Easter Eggs together. Marianna had a little difficulty understanding that you can't bang the eggs together without them breaking. She also had the most fun taking off the stickers while Bailey was putting them on.

Hmmm...

Apparently we now use frozen vegetables as ice packs. Jeremy burned his hand while removing cornbread from the oven and thought frozen spinach would be the best relief. As soon as Bailey saw Jeremy she decided he had a great idea and she grabbed a bag of cauliflower to put on the knee she bruised Monday night. I think I'm raising a hypochondriac! Last night she asked me at least three times for Riley's old crutches because it hurt too bad to walk. I guess the seven hours of walking at school was just too much.

Breakfast with Daddy

Today Jeremy had an orthodontic appointment so he got to sleep in a little and see us before work. He's usually gone by 6:30 and we don't wake up until 7:00. Since we won't see him tonight (he's got class) it was nice to have breakfast and bible study together.

Bailey makes me laugh. She's really a lot more like Jeremy's personality than mine, but every now and again she'll do something that shows me too. For breakfast we had sausage and egg biscuits. Well Bailey has decided recently that she doesn't like her food mixed, so I sort all of it into little piles and make sure none of it is touching. That was so me as a kid. My parents used to serve us mixed vegetables (which I still find gross) and I would get so upset. I would sit there until they were completely cold hoping that if I just sat there long enough they'd feel sorry and let me up - no such luck. Finally I would sort it all into piles, pinch my nose, and try to suck it down with a drink. After many long nights and vomiting they realized that I would actually eat vegetables as long as they weren't mixed (but still never green beans), so we ventured out to canned peas, carrots and lima beans. Really how did they not know that there's nothing nutritional in a canned vegetable anyway!

Oreo Goodness

I'm not feeling very good, so this one's going to be short and sweet. After school the kids usually have about an hour before Jeremy gets home. Today the kids and I decided to make him a special treat - Oreo Cheesecake (Riley thought Oreo Goodness sounded better). I think they had the most fun crushing up the Oreo's to make the crust. At least until Bailey accidentally spilled my Diet Coke everywhere. Quickly following the drink incident I realized I didn't have all of the ingredients. So as I ran off to the store Riley helped Jeremy mow the yard. Wasn't the smoothest of preparations, but it tasted good anyway.

Lending a Helping Hand

Jeremy's got control of the blog now (insert maniacal laughter here). This weekend Tim, Bobby, Riley and I helped a widowed lady from our church clear some unwanted brush and tree limbs from her yard. I thought this would be a nice gesture as well as a teachable moment for Riley. This picture of Bobby, Tim and I turned out much gayer than I had imagined.

As you can see Riley worked hard and was a big help, he's such a hoss.
We also found a small grass snake that Riley took home to show Bailey. She was quite frightened by it. We new better than to show it to Jill, she wouldn't even let us set it free in our front yard so we had to let it go across the street.

Guy Time

On Sunday Jeremy, Riley and our friend Greg Stamps went biking on a trail south of Grapevine Lake. It rained all day Friday and part of the day Saturday so it was pretty muddy. They were filthy when they came home. I'm kinda' glad I wasn't invited. Riley's biking has improved so much this year. I think this is an awesome picture - I just had to share it. If Riley's lucky I'll frame it for his room and replace the current picture I have of him playing baseball at age 6. He's more than ready an update.