Family Portraits

It was decided that when my brother and his family came to visit we were going to get a big group family portrait done. It's been years since we had one done and we have added a few children since the last one. The question then became where would we go to have it done and who has the patience to deal with this many of us. We decided to use our neighbor across the street. She has a photography studio set up in her home and we could get both indoor pictures taken along with some out by the lake. For those of you here in the area, she is amazing and you should check out her site.

So we got all dressed up and got to her house. We got some of each family taken and then we got some of us as a group.



We then went outside and got some by the lake.


Then she just kind of hung out and got some random ones of everyone.


They turned out great and we were all excited to get them. And the best thing besides getting all these pictures, it wasn't that much of a beating to have done.

Sweating at Six Flags

Every summer we try to go at least once to Six Flags. This summer we did it when my brother was in town. So we knew that we would be at least 11 of us going. But then my cousin Sandy and her family decided to join us as well as long as my cousin Sally's son. So we ended up with a grand total of 16 of us going to Six Flags.

We planned to get up early and be there by the time the gates opened and stay as long as we wanted. It was a very hot day and we knew we were going to be drinking lots. We planned on having a picnic lunch outside the park so we wouldn't spend a fortune on food. That worked out well since we got to sit in the shade trees and visit a bit more. Some ducks came up to us and were very aggressive in getting our food. The kids liked them until one of them got bit, then they were a little more careful.

I had to laugh because it's been a while since we saw my cousin and her family. My favourite quote of the entire day was when Sandra told us her nephew Johnny saw us all walking up to them and said "We're related to white People, how is this possible?" But once she explained how it was possible I guess it was all good.

Everyone rode the rides, even Grandmama and Pappy got in on a little action.

I was forced to ride a few roller coasters this year since I no longer had the excuse of having to stay with the baby in the stroller. I really miss those days. But for the most part, it wasn't to bad.

The big boys were able to go and do rides together and Scott, Stacey and James tried to be manly and hang with the kids. I don't think Scott and Stacey were quite as manly as James in that department though.

We got lots of pictures of us looking hot and tired and very sweaty.



My kids even got in a quick picture with Scooby but Hannah wouldn't go near that character figure to save her life.

I still don't think she goes to see Santa Claus either so I wasn't all that surprised. But it was fun to get to be all together again and see Sandra and James and the kids.

After the long day at the park, we headed home. I was told by Hannah that I was driving the cool car since I had the kids with me and all the loud music. My parents, Scott and my brother were in the boring car listening to Pappy's music. Even the kids are tired of listening to Piano by candle light and they haven't had near as much of it as us grown ups have. Rhonda gave that up for the ride home and hopped in my car. I don't think I ever told Hannah that the reason the music is so loud in my car is because I'm trying to drown out the noise of all the kids so she may not have realized it. My kids already know this and so just scream louder to be heard. But anyways, it was another fun day with the family and I enjoyed every bit of it.

A visit to Cowboy Stadium

My brother and his family came to visit us this July. It had been too long since we saw them last. But since they moved out to NC, it's just not as easy to see them anymore. But by far the highlight of my brothers trip was not seeing me. (Not sure why though) It was going on a tour of Cowboy Stadium.

All I can say about the house that Jerry built is Wow, Wow, Wow. That man can build a stadium better than he can tick off die hard Cowboy fans. I must say it was very impressive.

We went on the VIP tour so got to go in the locker rooms and VIP suites. The kids had to get thier pictures taken in front of some of the players $10,000 a piece lockers. We weren't allowed to sit on the benches in front of them.

And so did mom.

It's definetely the suite life and I doubt I will ever be there again unless I go on another tour. But my poor brother was just besides himself with happiness. I've never seen such smiles on that guy. Well unless you count the smiles on the kids as well.


We got to see the suites, the press room, both the player and cheerleader locker rooms and the field. Here is my brother with a big grin as he poses in the Cheerleader locker room. The big dork.

We normally would get to go out on the star and kick field goals but they were changing the astro turf for a big soccer game at the time so we didn't get to do that part.

It was very entertaining to say the least. And if you ever get the chance to go on the tour, then do it. It's a lot of fun even if you aren't a Cowboys fan.

A Snapshot into the Sillyness of Everyday Life

Such typical behaviour for these two.

The Road to Omaha

We went to Omaha this summer with my son's baseball team. None of us had ever been and we were going up to play in the College World Series tournament they had going on. So we packed up our van and Grandmama and Pappy's truck and headed out. Naturally I got window paint for both vechiles so that everyone from Texas to Nebraska knew where we were going and why we were going there. All I can say is that it's much easier to put that paint on then it is to take it off. But it was still fun for the kids to have it on the cars. And it was amazing to see how many people wished us luck going up.

Our intentions were to play games and be done by 4 every afternoon in order to go catch some of the college games that were being played at Rosenblatt Stadium. It never really worked out for our group though. Some of the other players on the team made it to some games but by the time we would get back to hotel the rest of us were just worn out. So we would spend lots of time in the hotel indoor pool. We would then go out in groups of all sizes and walk around downtown Omaha until we found a place to eat at. Whichever place could fit us first is where we ended up. Then we would head back to the hotel and hang out with everyone there in the lobby. In the picture below, I think all 8 of the players with us at dinner that night somehow crammed themselves into that old English telephone booth. Very funny to watch them coordinate that one.


It just so happened we were staying at the same hotel as the UCLA team. They eventually were one of the teams that made it to the finals with USC. It didn't take long for our Viper boys to discover what floor the UCLA team was staying on and that is where they would run off to. That team was so patient with our boys and really made it fun for them. We actually went to Rosenblatt stadium one afternoon after our game and got some pictures of the team there.



Then we went inside only to find out that UCLA was practicing at the time. So we sat down and watched them. Amazing to see how much they can get done in a short practice time. Our boys caught the eyes of some of the players practicing and before we knew it they were passing out NCAA College World Series baseballs to our boys and started autographing them. I don't know who had more fun, them or our boys. But it was just another cool thing for these players to do for our boys.

After the practice was over we went to a local spot which is legendary for it's burgers and ice cream.

All I can say is WOW, that was a huge hamburger and no one was able to finish them, not even the dads. Grandmama thought she would get an ice cream cone to go along with her malt she shared with Pappy. I don't know where she had the room to put it, but she ate it. All 10 inches of it!! And I am not kidding, I've never seen such a huge ice cream as that before. But it was she said and just like the Frosty restaurant in Alamogordo that our grandparents owned for years.


Our boys went up to play baseball and we weren't sure how they would do competing against all these other teams from around the country. They didn't do to bad at all and won enough games to put us in the middle bracket. We were soon out of the tournament and done. But we were so proud of how all those boys did playing their hearts out. So we packed up and headed back home and got ready for the AAYBA World Series Tournament held in Flower Mound a week later. No rest for the weary or so we thought, we ended up getting rained out of a lot of that so I am extra glad that they played so well in Omaha. It was a fun trip and we have some great memories.

Another year blows by

Time is moving to fast. I blink my eyes and it seems like months have passed by in a blur. So I am going to try and catch my breath a bit and recollect a bit of what has been going on.

We celebrated my baby turning 4. Hard to believe it but she is. Unfortunately her birthday also happens to fall in April which is smack dab in the middle of baseball season and soccer season. Makes for planning a birthday party for her a little difficult. We celebrated with a small family birthday dinner like we always do. I mentioned it in a previous post. Finally, a month later we finally found a free time where we could have her "friend" party.

She picked none other than Chuck E. Cheese. It's not my favorite place but she really loved it and having her friends there to play with. She met Chuckie himself and seemed a bit impressed.

Then she went into the ticket wind tunnel with Zach to help her. She liked that, but she loves anything that her big brother Zach does with her. It was a fun time for her and her friends and that's what really matters.


So after celebrating Anna's birthday a month late, it literally was a blink of an eye until we celebrated my big boy turning 12. I can't believe I have a 12 year old. Seems like yesterday he was still a small baby. He also had a small family party and got his desired and highly coveted PS3. Instead of our normal chocolate cake, he made his own dessert. He spent the day at Grandmama's and Pappy's house and decided that he wanted Peanut Butter Rice Crispy treats. So not only did he turn 12 on me, he made his own "cake" so to speak. See what I mean by growing up so fast. And they were good too. I think I'll let him keep on making those. But I was keeping with the lack of birthday planning and forgot to take my camera out. So I didn't get my picture of my birthday boy on his actual birthday.

Two weeks later we celebrated Kate turning 6 years old. She turned 6 the day before we headed out to Omaha for the College World Series tournament Zach's team was playing in. So naturally we had another small family birthday dinner to celebrate.


And yes, the chocolate cake was there. Although Kate had been at grandmama's house and helped to frost it. I've never seen such a brightly colored cake before. She went to town with it. She enjoyed her pink DS she got and got to use it plenty over the summer. But in keeping with this awful habit I started with Anna this year, her friend party was about 5 weeks late.

She decided she wanted her first ever slumber party. So she picked a few friends from her summer camp and invited them over. It was a small group to begin with but it ended up being just three girls at the party. All the other kids were sleeping over at friends houses or grandmama's. So we went to the movies Friday night and swimming Sat. morning before all the fun finally ended. She loved it and wants to have another slumber party soon. Anna is begging to be included in the next one though. And again, I never took out my camera. Truly, I'm lacking in my pictures here aren't I?

So there we have another year flying past in a blink of an eye. For the time being, I am allowed to say I have a 12 year old, 7 year old, 6 year old and a 4 year old. It will change in a month's time when Michael finally turns 8 but until then I'm allowed. Hopefully his party won't be so late in arriving as the girls.

At the ballpark with Big Z

It's been a while since I've been at Z.'s game. With all the other kids and the games they have, it's been a real juggling act getting everyone where they need to go. But I did finally get to one of Zach's game and remembered my camera. He was pitching that day so I got a few shots of him on the mound and then the rest that I got were of him at 3rd base.

Watching to see what his pitch will be.



He gets set.


Winds Up.


And Releases


I was even able to catch him getting a grounder down the 3rd base line before he threw to first. I can't remember if it was an out or not but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.


Not a bad day for Zach at the ballfield or me and my camera. Always fun to get some good action shots of him.

My baby turns 4

Hard to believe it but my sweet baby girl turned 4 on me. She got to wear her birthday crown all day at school and was spoiled by all who saw her. Grandmama picked her up a little early from school and took her out for lunch. After that she got to go to the post office with grandmama. When she walked in they actually stopped and sang Happy Birthday to her. Not your typical postal group there.

She had grandmama make her cake for her. It was her favorite chocolate of course.

I had to get a picture of my big 4 year old with her mom and dad and grandparents.






Then she got down to the business of presents. With her brothers and sister encouraging her, it didn't take to long for her to get through them. She loved them all of course. That's just how she is. But she really likes her big girl Hello Kitty scooter alot.


She is such a sweet little girl and such a blessing. I am so proud to have her for my daughter.

The Big Egg Hunt

We were invited to some neighbors who live on the lake for an Easter Brunch and Egg Hunt. So we packed up the kids and the camera and headed out to visit with some of our friends around the lake. They had collected over 1500 eggs and had spread them out over the backyards of about three houses.


There were eggs everywhere and to me, it looked like more than enough eggs for the kids that were there. Z. had gone ahead earlier in the morning and helped to spread out the eggs for the smaller kids so he didn't actually hunt them. But he did give his little brother a heads up about an awesome egg which held a cool truck in it. He even showed him where he hid it. Then children were finally set free to gather eggs (it looked like a plague of locust swarming the eggs) leaving nothing behind. Anna made out pretty well and so did Kate and Michael. (Yes, he did get that egg Z. had staked out for him and was very excited about it).


We let the kids get settled in with checking out the eggs and all they held and the grown ups finally got to enjoy our brunch and Mimosa's. It was a big fun party that started early in the day and lasted through the afternoon.



Happily, the eggs didn't make it much longer so we didn't have much fighting about candy after that. But even the kids had so much fun they didn't complain to much.

Penny for your thoughts

I often wonder what my kids are thinking at random moments when I stop to watch what they are doing. Are they happy, sad or just content to be where they are and with what they are doing. In the photo below, she was sitting there in the goal, surrounded by soccer balls and she was happily picking flowers.


I love this one of my girls. I don't know what they were looking at but whatever it is, it's got both their attentions. Since they were so far away I couldn't ask them what they were looking at. So now I'm left to just wonder.

Soccer Saturday Happenings

It's soccer season right now. And I realized that I do not have any pictures of Michael playing soccer. I pulled out the telephoto zoom lens and went to the game. Now can I just say that my mom went with me and that it was beyond windy. I love my mom but I hate the wind. There now you know how I really feel. Anyways, I got some great pictures of Michael looking like he knows what he's doing.


He played extra hard on Saturday and did a really good job. And when I told him so he commented to me "Yeah, I wanted you to get some really good pictures of me so I tried really hard." Have to love that and yes I did get some really great pictures also.

Now Dad and Z. were off at a baseball tournament on a different windy hill so it was just me, mom and the girls watching the game. Well okay, the girls didn't watch a bit of it. Instead they played with their friends and found some interesting ways to keep themselves entertained.

And once they got tired of passing the ball between the tunnel of legs well they moved on but I'm not sure exactly what it was they were doing.