Are you ready for some FOOTBALL???

We are certainly getting ready around here.  Ty starts practice tomorrow and could not be more excited!  Some of his excitement comes from the fact that he won't have to get up at early o'clock with Steve to get his conditioning in!  Steve has been putting him through some drills and a whole lot of running every morning to get him used to the heat and in good condition. 


With all that excitement Ty got some tickets to the Cowboys first PreSeason game last night!  Steve, Tyler, Ty's friend Tanner and I all got to go.  Cowboys Stadium is absolutly AMAZING!  We didn't stay for the whole game, but we had a good time and I think it will be something that the boys remember.

A Family Reunion! Windermere 2011

We got to escape the heat of the Texas Summer and head North for a week!  I LOVE heading to Canada and out to the Lake, my kids and Steve love it as well!  This year it just so happened that All of my siblings were going as well!  So, what is better than a not really planned, but planned family reunion??? I would venture to say not much! 

While everyone else drove, we (the Texans) saved our frequent flier miles and flew into Calgary and drove out to the Lake with Granddad.  It was amazing and beautiful and as always I felt blessed to be there!  I really did grow up in a beautiful place. 

We didn't get as much time on the boat/beach as we would have liked, but we really had fun when we did!  The kids LOVED the tube, except for Noah that is (he screamed), Tyler turned into a wild man this year and was daring Granddad to throw him off.  Granddad did not diappoint and sent Ty flying.  It was awesome!  Noah also loved driving the boat with Granddad, but as is the norm with him he just couldn't resist trying to touch all the buttons and pushing the throttle down while pulling the kids on the tube - needless to say they went a little faster than they wanted for a minute! 

With the kids getting older we also had alot of fun on the beach!  One afternoon the kids and some of the parents had some great volleyball match.  Sadly due to my lameness, I did not take any pictures with my camera!  I was too busy using Marilee's much more cooler and better camera.  As soon as she sends me copies, we'll be in business (hint, hint)

One night the Sista's headed out to a beautful evening to ski.  Sadly this is as far as Julie and I got! In the water I mean.  Marilee, the older and much more better sister actually got up and had a great ski!  Come to find out besides the fact that I am a wimp and had no arm strength, I put my ski on with the wrong foot forward!  Seriously, what a nerd I am!  Despite the fact I couldn't get out of the water, it was a great evening on the Lake with my sisters and my dad!

With the weather not being quite as lovely as we wished we opted for some other fun activites!  We tried some fishing, unfortunately nobody caught anything except for a turtle or two!  Still it was fun watching Uncle TJ get his line stuck up in the tree and the kids had some fun!

Since Granddad has become the great Hunter that he is, he brought his guns along.  There is a shooting range not far from the cabin so one night he took some of the older kids and dad's so that they could all try out his rifle.  The boys had fun, but thought it was a little loud. 

We also had the chance to go out and go Clay shooting!  I got to tag along this time, thanks to Nana staying home with my sleeping boy!  Can I just say - IT WAS SO FUN!  I was a terrible shot, but I had fun.  Tyler did great and shot 6 or 7 out of his first 10, but then he realized he was holding the gun on his bicep instead of his shoulder and he got a little bit of a bruise and a dead arm!  He still had a great time though!  Josh had to watch most of the time, but he got to take one shot at the end.  I was busy taking some video so again Marilee and JuJu have some pics of him.  Needless to say, he wasn't a fan of the gun kicking back at him!



These two (Logan and Josh) got to watch from the tower and had fun playing with the shells!



Ty getting some instruction from Granddad!

Me!  Let me just say again - LOVED IT~

Steve had never been clay shooting before and loved it!

A few more of the pictures from the week!

Miss Avery and Noah pretty much ignored each other until the last day.  They are so cute!

The Fraser crew came up and Campbell and Brookie had a great time together! Campbell is gonna come visit us with Nana sometime!

Me and Poopsie - this girl could not be any cuter!!

Heading back to Calgary.  So beautiful!

We stopped at this little canyon that is right off the highway. Never in all my life did I know it was even there!

Once we got back to Calgary I took the kids on a little tour of my world!  We had a whole afternoon/night to hang out and play because we didn't fly out until the next day.  Calgary has changed so much since I lived there, but it was fun to show them my Highschool, get a shake at Peter's Drive In and stop at a few other great places!  We also drove by the site where the new Calgary Temple is being built.  Growing up this was down the street from my Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Don's house - way out in the country.  Now it is a big huge community and the temple is well under way!

We had a wonderful time and hope that we can go back again next year! 

Wasatch Back 2011

I did it again.  I loved it all even when it was hard and I couldn't run (stupid knee).  I still finished even though I may have walked much more than I had planned, even though I slept on the cold hard grass in some park in the middle of the mountains and even though by the end I was completely exhausted - again - like last year.  It was fun and worth it all, especailly to hang out with 5 awesome women! 

I was not nearly as prepared this year, but I went for it anyway and was so grateful to my wonderful Father-in-law for coming to help Steve with the kids.  It was wonderful to get away and find out that my cute Jackson is 2 inches taller than I am and see my other cute nephew and nieces and to hang out with my Mom and my sister!  It is always nice to get away, if only for a minute!

 Van 1 Ladies: Lindsay, Me, Julie, Sheree, Natasha and Claire

 Julie - she is such an awesome runner and I wish I were as cool as her! She ran a Marathon the week before this.

 Me, looking my most beautiful! But the smile shows that I am DONE!

 Me and Mine Sista!

The whole crew!

So far this Summer....

So far this summer we've spent time waiting for those in swimming lessons....

 I got to visit with my Sweet Grandmother.....

(I think this picture of me is fantastic too and I NEVER say that)

 We've spent countless hours swimming.....

 Tyler went to Twilight Camp for Scouts....

We've seen movies and had BBQ's and spent tons of time just playing...... and playing.  And of course there is more of that to come!

It makes me cry....just a little!

Today was a big day at our house.  It has been months in the making.....

Noah went from this....

To This......

I have to be truthful, it hurts my heart.  But Steve and I decided it was time to take control of the mop top.  The poor guy was waking up with a sweaty head and it was getting more and more out of control.  He really has some great hair - any girl would kill for it.  There is something about this BIG BOY haircut that pulls at my heart and makes me realize how fast my little baby is growing up. 

Davy Crocket and PreSchool Gradutaion

Tyler had to do a research project this year on a Famous Texan.  He chose Davy Crocket.  He did a great job with his research and as apart of his project had to Dress Up Like him for the Living History Museum.  I made him an shirt, found him a coonskin cap, and a wooden rifle and he was set.  Tater, Noah and I went up to the school to visit the museum and listen to Ty given his memorized summary of Davy Crockett's life!  He did an awesome job! 

Preschool Graduation was fun!  Josh and his class sang us some great songs and even did the Chicken Dance for us.  Josh was trying to be super cool and as he tends to act shy in a crowd he didn't crack a grin the whole time.  He acted like it was torture to sing and to dance when I know he really loved it!  He had fun and even though we really missed Miss Ashley and his class in Fresno, Miss Angela and his class here was good.  Now, as he is quick to tell me, he will be off to ALL DAY Kindergarten in the Fall.  (Can you all hear me crying????? Oh, that's because I'm not!)  I cannot imagine having him gone all day he has been my sidekick for a long time, but at the same time I am super excited for him (and for me) and he will LOVE it.  I know the adjustment to all day school might be a bit hard but in the end I think it will be great! 

Thunderstorms....

There are two things about Texas that I do not love -
1.  The bugs, they are big and yucky and everywhere.  Let's just say thank heavens for pest control! 
2.  The possibility of Tornados

Two weeks ago we had a huge storm and Tornados warnings and some crazy Thunderstorms and Hail.  It was a bit freaky. The thunderstorms here are Wild and since we had maybe 2 the whole time we lived in California it has taken a bit to get used to them.  Brooklynn and Josh are TERRIFIED of them.  If I open the front door or anything during a storm Josh starts to cry and screams at me to come in and close it. 

So the night of the storm the kids were really worried.  I let them stay up until they could see on the radar that the threat of tornado had passed us by.  Since the only thing on TV was storm coverage they learned to read the the radar. 

Thankfully they were all sound asleep when the next storm came through and the hail and thunder didn't wake them up!  Because lets me honest it was completely freaking me out!

I'm Still Not Ready!

Here we are half a week into summer vacation and I am not ready.  I'm not sure if it is living somewhere new and not being super familiar with everything or if I just was not prepared to be the Entertainer Extrodonair or if I just wasn't ready to have my kids home 24/7.  Or maybe just maybe it is the fact that in Fresno I could escape the heat and go to So. Cal or out to Pismo or even drive to Utah without it taking forever, but here there is no escaping, no where to go to cool down for a day or two and driving to Utah takes too long for my liking.  I can't quite put my finger on it but every morning this week I have woken up and thought "Oh crap, here we go again!"  I have a bad attitude to start the summer!  The funny thing is that the week has been good, the kids have been great and we've even gone swimming everyday, well except for Monday because we cleaned the house.  The kids love having access to a pool and it is a good way to tire them out and get out of the house. 

Noah has been especially adorable.  He LOVES to Cee (swim) and LOVES to go unner (under) the water.  I'll dunk him and then he'll start saying, "unner, Unner"  until I dunk him again.  He is so funny.  Today we went to run some errands and JLo's song  'Get on the Floor' came on the radio, when I got him out of the car he was trying to sing, "Get on the floor"  Haha, it was so funny.  Then tonight when I took him in to get in the tub he was picking some dirty clothes out of the basket and holding them up to himself and saying, "Tute" (cute).  He also just a minute ago figured out he can climb up onto the barstools.  He is such a monkey, but I love him!

Brookie is taking swimming lessons to refine her skills - she despises the Butterfly, but has to learn it anyway.  She is cute and loves to swim.

Tater took swimming lessons up until last week and he is already swimming by himself!  I'm going to put him back in so he can start learning strokes.  He is such a fish and it is a wonder he isn't a complete Lobster because I can't get him out of the pool and dry enought to reapply sunscreen.  My kids all love to swim, but Tater has a special fondness for it!

And as for T - he is the best!  He is my helper. He loves to swim with Noah and take for trips around the pool.  He too is a fish as always!  I was going to sign him up for swim club forgot, so he is just going to chill this summer until football starts in August, and boy is he EXCITED he gets to play football this year!

OH summer, please be kind to us! 

T's Baseball

T (that's what we call Ty these days thanks to Noah) had a great baseball season this year.  His team started out in pretty rough shape.  It was a good group of boys, but many of them were younger than T and a few had never even played before!  Thankfully he ended up with a great coach and had a fantastic season!  I was amazed at the improvement of not only Tyler but his entire team.  They ended up 6/14 in his league and made it to the second round of the playoffs.  All in all the A's had a great season!

I love this picture, he puffs out his cheek like that when he bats and I love it!