Happy Holidays

We hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas full of love and joy!

To ALL of our family...we miss you and will see you soon XOXO!

Brent, Kerri, Brandan, Keyton and Tucker

Thanksgiving Day!

All my boys were busy and helpful...of course the more help I had with the food, the faster the food got on the table! We enjoyed a great lunch and then headed to the movie to see

The Blind Side!

Oh my goodness, that was the best movie I have seen in a long time!

I would love to meet the real mother in person. She must be a ball of fire!

Sandra Bullock was awesome and so was the actor who played Michael Orr.

I actually want to sit and watch a football game (that he is playing in) now.

You gotta go see this movie and buy it when it comes out on DVD!

Very inspirational and perfect for the holidays.

Then...we had our Big Entertainment for the evening!

The boys and my Mom said Brent couldn't jump up and touch the arched opening that separates our kitchen from the living room. Well, of course he had to prove them wrong!

He took a step or two start, jumped up, touched the arch,

then in slow motion his foot slipped on the tile and he started falling backward where luckily our couch is and did a BACK FLIP over the back of the couch, angled himself just enough to miss the edge of our coffee table and landed standing UP! It was a perfect 10 if I do say so myself!

We were all just standing there staring with our eyes wide and mouths wide open in disbelief as to what was happening! It was a move that Doug from King of Queens would have done!

At first, when he started falling backward I though he was doing it on purpose, but then as he kept going over, over, over the back of the couch I just was speechless. We all laughed hysterically at that point just grateful he didn't break anything!

So...next year for Thanksgiving if you're not busy,

our house is the place to be for all your Holiday Entertaining!!! :)

(shhhhh, don't tell Doug, oops I mean Brent, I told you)

I don't know if you've noticed, but I've posted three different posts in one night!

I needed to play catch up!

Tuck is at a friend's house, Brent is asleep, and the big boys are watching movies!

Tomorrow I hope to post my treasures I found in McKinney a couple of weeks ago and an album that I covered at a crop I went to about a month ago!

Hugs,

K

Thankful for...

My Mom was here for Thanksgiving!

And...with my birthday just a couple of days later, that made it even more special.

Enjoying a pretzel and a drink after Birthday & Christmas shopping!

So glad she was here!
Thanks for coming Mom, we love you!
Have a wonderful evening, K

The Feast

Thankful for: one adorable indian boy

The Thursday before school was out for Thanksgiving Tucker's class celebrated with a breakfast feast! There were donuts, muffins, fruit, and most importantly (to Tuck at least) McDonalds Breakfast Burritos. He ate two and some fruit, no donuts...can you believe it????

The teachers sent home a letter requesting that you pick between one of two items. My note said syrup or breakfast casserole. I did the breakfast casserole since I didn't think many people would want to go to the trouble. Well, I'm not sure what one Mom's letter said, but that teacher received...

a BOX OF PANCAKE MIX!!

I'm not sure where that Mom thought the teacher would be fixing those pancakes!!

We all got a good laught outta that one.

Have a super evening.

Hugs, K

(ps. is that a crazy face that little girl is making or what!)

Fall 09 Soccer

Shooters Fall 2009

1st 9 Week's AWARDS

Tucker received the Perfect Attendance Award and Citizenship Award!

I have him trained well. All the other kids grab their ribbon and head back to their seat,

but not Tuck, he stops and smiles for Momma and the camera!

Keyto and Brando are also studying hard and doing well in school.

Keyto is in all PreAP classes so he has to work extra hard and study lots!

I have amazing boys don't I??

Hugs,
K

Scrapbook Layout

Noooo , not from me, but from Keyto!!

He had to do a Scrapbook layout for his Language Arts class about a pet.

I think he did a great job and so did his teacher because he got a 100!!

(Wally's not so cute right now after he drug himself thru a mud puddle under the fence

again last night to explore the neighborhood)

I am enjoying being home today because there weren't any sub jobs and because I have been fighting a sinus/hayfever issue (not an infection thank goodness) and barely have a voice from trying to get the attention of 6th graders on Monday and 1st graders yesterday! I am cleaning, getting ready for my BFF to be here tomorrow so we can hang out on Friday and for my Mom who is coming next week for Thanksgiving. Needless to say we are all so excited to see some familiar faces from home and spend some time with my Mom here at our home.

Hugs,

K

Belated Halloween

Even though I'm way late, I wanted to post some pictures of halloween.

Tucker was a Star Wars Clone this year.

We went Trick or Treating with his best buddy who lives a few blocks over.

Then it was to their house to raid the candy and for the adults to rest and eat!

Brando and Keyto stayed at the house to scare the Trick or Treaters and pass out candy.

This (below) is the Friday before at The Crafty Scrapper.
The downtown merchants pass out candy to all the little Trick or Treaters after school.
I worked and Brent brought the boys in to town to help and T or T!
It was lots of fun to see all the neat costumes and people we knew.

This is Tucker and Carolyn's son Denton. Denton was the cutest little old man!

Have a super Sunday!

Hugs, K

Surprise for you!

Keyto playing BASEBALL and the team winning a CHAMPIONSHIP!

I believe the tongue and pointing is another way of saying Ha! Ha! to his big brother!

One of his best buddies and all around great ball player, Jacob!

Way to Go!

Proud Papas and Best Buddies!

1st Place Trophy

Stealing bases

Bring it on!

(photo thanks to Sherrie McDougal)

Keyto hasn't played baseball on a team since Spring 2007!

That was his last Little League team and right after we moved.

He has played only soccer and basketball since then.

Tim called Brent and asked if Keyto might be interested in filling in last weekend.

Keyto was so excited to see his friends and play ball with them.

He was in a great mood and had that cute smile on his face all week, except for the one day he was home from school with a temperature. But, luckily it wasn't the flu!

His buddies from home are the best!
Enjoy the pictures!

Hugs,

K

He's not very smart

but we love him anyway! Silly Dog! With all the rain, he has been digging under the fence and getting out. One day, when Brent drove up in the driveway this is what he found...Wally...STUCK! Under the fence. Whining. Silly Dog! It was interesting to watch Brent and Brando get him back through :)

On another day, Brent drove up and Wally was just sitting on the front porch waiting for him. We have also walked out into the garage to find him sitting in his kennel. We keep the garage door open a little when we are home so Dudley can go in and out and get some air in there. That is also where we keep Wally's kennel for when it is cold or raining or he is just being a sissy and can con Brando into letting him in it even it it's just a little cool outside with NO rain.

You should see the set up Brent has got going along the east fence to keep him in! Everytime Wally escapes the set up gets more elaborate and complicated.

Sorry so long in posting. Can't believe it's been almost a month. I've been so busy and weekends have been kinda slow with all the rain. When we have downtime, I don't have many pictures, but then when we are busy with sports and activities I have pictures but no time to post them! I do have some great ones to post this week though so stay tuned!!

Have a super Monday! I will be subbing at Tuck's school with the 3 year olds! I had two classes (each day am and pm) of 22- 4 year olds on Thursday and Friday. It was too cute.

Hugs,

K

MUSIC MAN

I think I may have used that title before when showing pictures of Keyton playing his trombone, but it is the only way I can describe how he looks to me. We all love music in our house, but Keyto actually knows how to "read the music" and "play the music". That is so impressive to me since I have no clue what those little notes are and what they mean. When singing in church I sing very quietly and look at the words in the hymnal and hope that I am singing the right notes, tone and rhythm as everyone else!

The Jr. High band performed after our Founder's Day parade last Saturday. They were Awesome! I can't believe they know so many great popular songs. It makes me so proud to watch and listen to Keyto when he's performing. According to his Band director he has real talent. You know, the kind of talent we all admire and are a bit jealous of. Only a special few can paint, draw, dance, compose, invent, ... The rest of us have God given talents, just not quite as specialized or obvious.

He is also performing at the Jr. High Football games which is a lot of fun and brings back memories of my Jr. High days!

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

Hugs,

K

Tie-Dyed Attire

Last week was Homecoming here so on Friday the High School had Tie Dye day! Luckily I had a kit (camo colors) ready and waiting. Keyto and Tuck got in on the fun. I thought their shirts turned out really cool (will have to post those pics later).

Have a great weekend!

Hugs,

K

Teachers R AWESOME!

Thank goodness for teachers!! I am always very appreciative of the boy's teachers. It just takes a special person to teach, love, listen, referee, be patient, and most importantly exhibit genuine compassion all day everyday! I made these little candy jars for Tucker's kindergarten, 1st grade and current teachers last week just to let them know they were and still are appreciated and also because I know how important chocolate is in stressful situations. :) Little did I know how stressful!!

I have been blessed this week in that I finally have been able to substitute, and 2 of those days have been at Tuck's school with KINDERGARTNERS!! Ohhh, there are no words to express those two days. Most importantly...more unending appreciation for teachers! I also learned that even though teachers give 200%, their reward is that little smile, hug, or light bulb moment when the student catches on to what is being taught. My two days were challenging and exhausting, but the little moments of joy, love and understanding were priceless! I probably learned more in those two days from the kids than they learned from me! Now, if I could just conquer my fear of 8th grade and above I will be ready to conquer anything!!

Have a super day!

Hugs,

K

Fabric Cuff Bracelet

I ordered the kit for this vintage fabric cuff bracelet from her etsy store back in the spring and finally got it all stitched up and have been having fun wearing it. I love the feminine vintage look. I think I am going to make a couple more for Christmas gifts! When we to Lubbock this summer a friend and I found some crocheted runners and mats at an antique store that were 50% off!! Which was like $3 for one and they can be cut up and used on many projects! I am wanting a blue and chocolate brown one for this fall for myself. The bracelets are great stitching while watching a movie or waiting for kids to get out of school or practice.

It's rainy here again. We are getting as much rain this fall as what we do in the spring. Tuck finally got to play an outdoor soccer game last night before the storms hit. Keyton's still waiting and it looks like for the 2nd week in a row Brandan's baseball double header will be rained out tonight! My roses, hibiscus and geraniums are certainly enjoying the rain though!

Have a super Tuesday!

Hugs,

K

Prayers Please

Please pray for Tina of Glue on my fingers:paint in my hair

She is an amazingly talented girl with a fun spirit who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

I met her before Paper Cowgirl and then took a soldering class from her.

Have a blessed day,

K

Busy Mom's Vanilla Pudding

My boys love Vanilla Pudding!

I thought I would share this easy peasy recipe with you.

Keep in mind, it's easy, not the homemade from scratch recipe!!

Busy Mom's Vanilla Pudding

3 small packages vanilla instant pudding

3 cups cold milk (i use 1%)

1 (8 oz.) sour cream (i use light)

1 (9 oz.) cool whip (i use fat free)

1 box vanilla wafers
Approximately 3-6 bananas sliced

Mix together pudding, milk, sour cream, & cool whip.

Layer pudding mixture with vanilla wafers & bananas.

Chill overnight or as long as you can stand to go without eating it!

Enjoy

Hugs,

K

Makes me HAPPY

Last week end we bought one of those (above) so that we could see one of these:
Aren't they awesome?!?!
If I am lucky enough to be standing at the kitchen sink when they fly up, I can see their little feet holding onto to the lip of the feeder.
I guess when your wings are going at warp speed, you have to hold on to something while you get a drink!
We tried and tried in Lubbock to attract hummingbirds but never with any luck.
I didn't know if it was my water recipe or the dogs or the atmosphere...
But, the other day Brent was certain he had seen one in our yard, so off to Lowes we went for a feeder. They make boxes of powdered mix (like koolaide) that you can now buy to feed them.
I don't know how many we have, but we have certainly been enjoying them.
Have a happy and restful Labor Day weekend!
Hugs, K

Fun Saturday!

My boys took me here first thing Saturday!

It was amazing. I have been wanting to go check out "The Red Shed".

My BFF mentioned the place to me, then I ran into their blog while blog hopping one fine day!

Their blog has lots of fabulous treats!

This past Saturday was their "Special Sale" that they only have four times a year.

The ladies were so nice and helpful. We (Brent even) got lots of fun ideas for our backyard.

I found a pretty vintage lampshade like I have been wanting.

I will take off the fabric and decorate with ribbon and vintage ephemera.

I also found a cute little two drawer utensil type holder thing-a-ma-jig.

Downtown Grapevine was a delight and I think next time I may grab a girlfriend or two and stroll through more of the downtown stores and sights.

We then took Brando to Rosa's Cafe for his birthday lunch. There isn't one within 45 min. of us. It's one of our top 5 restaurants we miss from Lubbock.

Brent gave us an unexpected, unplanned tour of downtown Dallas which included Highland Park and SMU. I love to see what all is hidden in downtown Dallas. We are always on the main highway/interstate and in a hurry to baseball or soccer, so there's never much time to just explore. I always wonder where taking one of those less busy/popular exits will take us. I know there is so much more around here to see and do than what is in our little corner of North Texas. It was fun and interesting. The homes in Highland Park are amazing!!

I hope you had a fun and adventurous weekend too!

Hugs, K

Sophomore, 7th, & 2nd

Keyton had to be at school for football at 6:15 on the FIRST day.

Needless to say we went to football for the first three days and have now gotten the heck outta there! We tried to warn him, but sometimes they have to see for themselves.

Keyton just is not a football kinda kid (actually none of mine are).

Tuck in his new shoes!

Their school is all uniforms, so they really look foward to wearing their new shoes.

and new backpack.
Tuck doesn't like all the bells and whistles of a traditional backpack...to much trouble to unzip, unclip, etc. So, for the 2nd year he has ordered a soccer knap sack.
Last year it was Argentina, this year Mexico!
He has a very nice teacher, Mrs. Pack

And Brandan, what more do I need to say.
He is looking foward to Fall Baseball with the High School players.

I delivered cookies to Tuck's elementary for the office staff.
Chocolate chip and Oatmeal Scotties

All the boys had a great week.

I know it will be another successful year for all.

I found out last week that I will be subing for the school district, so I am looking foward to that.

Hugs,

K

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY!!

My sweet Brandan Allen!

We are so so so proud of you and the young man you are turning into!

Have a wonderful day!

Love ya bunches,

Mom, Dad, Keyto and Tuck

A few little tidbits about B:

Sophomore this year!!

Passion for baseball ... and very talented if I do say so myself :)

Started talking in sentences at 18 months

Loves his puppy...Wally

Great Big Brother

Talkative

1st Grandson in our family

Compassion for others

Very chatty

Amazing smile

Great sense of humor...loves to tease

makes A's and B's

did I say talkative??

All in all, he is one of a kind and holds a special place in anyone's heart who knows him.

(this is his first day of school pic, more to come)