Ozone Warning

This morning driving Kye to school, I was listening to the local Houston Christian radio station, KSBJ.

"Ozone Warning today."

I'm not quite sure what that means?!!!! As I tuned in even more attentively, the DJ said it was most hazardous for the elderly and the very young, causing them to have breathing issues.

Huh!

"As it heats up this afternoon, if you are elderly or have younger children, it may be best to stay inside."

Now I know this is a Houston radio station and I'm a little ways away from Houston, but it made me pause.

What does one do after hearing that we are having an ozone dangerous day!?!

I don't know, but I pondered.....

and then went on with my day....

Things that make you go hmmmmmm!

My Busy Kindergartener!

Kye is loving school!!! Everyday he wants to stay for lunch, (he gets out at noon.) "And mom, can you not pick me up so early?" :) I'm so happy that he enjoys school! And I'm so thankful for Covenant School! They are fabulous there!!!!

Many of the kids there he knows from last year and he has made new friends too. Kye likes everyone and plays with everyone too! It amazes me how he is learning and how he remembers specific things he is learning about at school. They just finished a unit on Dinosaurs! Kye was thrilled! For Parent Night at school, they built dinosaurs out of boxes and then painted them! Kye's was terrific and he named it "Rainey."


He is becoming quite the little artist as well and I just couldn't help but put up a few of his best!

The Family Portrait!

Polar Bear

And my favorite, his self portrait!

Kye did this himself!!!!

At school, one of the centers is a writing center. Kye LOVES the writing center and is becoming quite prolific! He is writing/illustrating at least 3 a week if not 3 books a day. I wish I could share his pictures with you, but my scanner isn't hooked up and I have no idea when it will ever be hooked up, but I wanted to share a few of his stories with you!

If you really know Kye, you will really appreciate his stories!!!

Kye Looks at Animals
I am looking at all the animals around me.
I am looking at a T-Rex.
I am riding on a camel.
The brown cow is jumping over the moon.
While I was watching, the chicken ate the butterfly.
I am getting out of my space ship so I can get to Earth.
I am getting eaten by a dinosaur.

The Flower Book
I read the flower book. There was a turkey in it.
A leaf is falling so spring can come.
A dog ran away.
This cow is jumping over the moon.

Animals and Boats
An airplane is flying over a dinosaur.
The dinosaur is growling at a mouse.
I am looking at farm animals. I am the squirrel.
I was riding on the boat. I was going to save Taggers.
I was petting Shadow and a bunny jumped over me.
A pteradactyl was flying over me and I was on a camel.

He is dictating these to a teacher who writes them for him. He has begun to write the word "the", but he loves dictating! They also do on every book an About the Author page. This is what cracks me up the most. On one book he said his middle name was John. Here are a few of his author pages.

Kye Stephens "got bit" by a lot of fire ants in Nebraska and his mom

was scared and put him in the bathtub so the ants would die.
He likes writing books. This is his fourth book.
He wants to write lots of animal books.

Kye Stephens is 5 years old. He likes to eat vegetables.
He likes marshmellows and s'mores. Kye likes
boats and helicopters. He likes to eat spaghetti but not
green beans. He likes sharing a room with Dakota, his brother.

We went on another field trip last week, to the fire station. It was fun and Kru and I enjoyed it as well.

A Few More Images of the House!

The bunk beds finally arrived and Kru is now sleeping in a "big" bed!!! So far (knock on wood) he hasn't ventured into our bedroom during the night! I'm crossing my fingers that that will continue!! I also have hung a few things up and wanted to show y'all!


Doesn't he look so tiny in that "big" bed!?!

Our Dining Room Wall

I Have A Cross Wall!!!! I have wanted one now for almost 4 year!
And now I have one!


The Backyard from a different angle!

Our Great Trees!

Kru playing with water!

Dakota's Party

A Ben 10 Themed Cake!


Dakota, Kye and Darrin enjoy watching the cartoon Ben 10. So Dakota wanted a Ben 10 cake. Having made cakes now since Dakota was 3, I still had no idea what to do!!! This character/alien is CannonBolt. I think he looks pretty close to the real deal, but I'm obviously biased.



Dakota invited friends from church and school to a neighborhood park for his party. Playing 4 square and football were among the activities. Anson's present was super popular, a blasting off bomber man that shoots 30 feet up into the air. The best part was it required no batteries, all done armstrong, so we were able to enjoy this immediately. Kru, Kye and Kye's friend Daniel loved this!!! It is way cool!!! Thanks Anson!!! :)


Having a party outside, can have one downfall, you can not light candles especially when there is a nice breeze! So we faked the picture for scrapbooking purposes, of course! Count them, 11!


Connor had a fun time making sure that Dakota REALLY enjoyed his cake!

Among the gifts was a PSP. Dakota was incredibly thrilled to receive this. And he also became the owner of his first ever CD, The Jonas Brothers. He has downloaded it onto his PSP along with Newsboys. I'm not sure if I'm ready for this next phase, but here it is!!!

He had a great day and like every year he continued to say, "This was the best birthday ever!"

Rainy Days on Mondays....Nice Reprieve!!!

Ahhh.... the rain...

Today we woke up to an overcast rainy day. I LOVE it! I'm actually wearing a light jacket!

I feel a little bad, I sent the boys to school in shorts, but it's not that cold!!! :)

It's a nice reprieve from the hot Saturday we had. During Dakota's soccer game, my face got sunburnt. So bizarre! My right side of my face was a little more red than the left!! But it has already faded.

We had Dakota's birthday Saturday afternoon and it was hot, but breezy. Last year it was hot no breeze, so this was a little better. We had a good time at the park with some of Dakota's friends from church and school. It was so great this year to have a few of the moms stay and visit. I have friends!!!!! Last year, I didn't know anyone, so I was so blessed to have some fellowship time with other moms during Dakota's party! So thanks Kelly, Erika, Mayra and Stacy.

I will add pictures from the party soon, Kru just woke up from his nap and it's near impossible to blog with him wanting the computer!! Have a grand week!

Eleven Years Ago, I was Blessed!

On October 19, 1996 at 9:10 a.m., 11 years ago today,
I became a mother of a perfect baby boy, that was named Dakota!I had no idea how my life would instantaneously change, but it did. I no longer thought of myself first, but of my precious babe. At the moment I first glanced at him, I was in love. A love that I had never experienced before, an unconditional love. He was mine and came from inside of me. God had placed this little man into my arms and into my life to teach me so much; lessons I didn't even know I needed to learn, about my heavenly Father's love for me, about what it meant to sacrifice, what it meant to love, what it meant to trust in God's love for him more than my own love for him and much more.

From the very beginning, Dakota was special and has only amazed me more and more every single year that he has lived. I stand back at times in wonderment of his intelligence, helpfulness, thoughtfulness, tenderness and love. He is growing into a tremendous person. He loves Jesus and knows that Jesus loved him! He strives to be good at all he does. Getting straight "A"s, keeping a relationship with Jesus, playing sports well, being a helpful big brother are just a few things that makes Dakota so special.
God has blessed us with this young man, who informed me the other day that he is now a "tween." How did that happen??? Time flies by and I pray that I stop taking the moments forgranted and that I would live in each moment to soak it in. I pray that as another year passes that Dakota would continue to love the Lord and mature in his faith and relationship with Christ.

Eleven years ago I was blessed and I thank God that He chose me to be this little man's mother. May I continue to learn from him the things God would have me and be the kind of mother that God would want me to be.

Check out Our New House!

I know y'all have been waiting to see pictures of the house, so here it is!!! Most everything is finished, they are planting the tree today and I don't know when the shutters will be up! The inside isn't as complete as I would like, but it is coming along. Bunk beds should arrive next week and I will add a picture of our bedrooms later, but here is the house from the very beginning until today!!!

Ya'll versus Y'all

Did you know that there is a difference between the two?

It has taken a little over a year for me to figure it out, but I believe that there is a major difference, well ok maybe it's just a little difference.

My mom's family was originally from Arkansas before moving to Colorado. And she would go back in the summer to her grandmother's to visit.

I grew up with my mom using Ya'll quite often. Thus, I used the word often. In Oregon, Colorado and Nebraska, my students or youth group kids would look at me weird when I would use it, but ya'll was a part of my vocabulary influenced by my mom.

Now living in Texas, it is different. It is y'all! It sounds different, and who knows maybe it even means something different down here! I wish you could hear me say each of them to understand that I'm not mental and they really do sounds different. But for those of you who have heard them both, hopefully get it and me! :)

Have a great week, y'all!!!

Is It Really ok to Wear White in October!?!

Seriously, I need to know!!!!

Down here in Texas, we don't really have seasons, well I know that some of my Texan friends would disagree, but we don't have seasons that make us put up one set of clothes and untub another one that would have sweaters, coats, cords, etc... I tried very hard last year to figure things out down here, but 1 year later and I still am not sure about what is and what is not ok to wear. Truth of the matter is that you see pretty much everything and anything all year round, so maybe that whole white after Labor Day thing doesn't exist anymore?

So I ask, "Is it ok that I wore my white flowery high heel sandals today, October 9, to teach my class?" Everything that my mom taught me was screamin' NO, but I'm pretty sure it was ok! I actually received a few compliments on them!

It is so hot here still!!!! So I haven't even bothered to begin to look through my tubs with my winter clothes in them. Truthfully, last year I didn't get most of them out, well not completely true, I took most of them out, but didn't wear many of them. So I think that I will skip it this year and leave my short sleeves and shorts and flip flops out instead!

I know I need to get pictures up of the house, but things got crazy right before closing and I never got pictures of the house finished before it had our stuff and boxes everywhere. So I will try to get things put in their places soon and take pictures of our house with stuff in it. Just know that we are so thankful to be in the house and even more so grateful that it is ours! God has blessed us greatly and I just can't praise Him enough for all He has done for us!

Have a blessed day!
Kari

Cotton Boll, Cotton Bowl or Cotton Ball????

Do you know what a cotton boll is?

I didn't until Kye's field trip today.

He is holding one.



It's what the cotton comes from. That boll finally pops open and then you see white. I learned quite a lot about cotton today! Did you know that Texas produces more cotton than any other state and that that equals the square footage of the entire state of New Hampshire! I know! Amazing! And did you know that 80% of U.S. cotton is exported!

You see, I'm not from the south and have only seen cotton fields on the way to Louisiana during college. So the cotton fields here are still new to me and the whole process is fascinating.



I remember the first time I saw a cotton field back in 1993. I can't remember if I made Darrin stop the truck, but I know I made him slow down. I had never seen cotton in it's natural state. So today was probably more interesting for me than Kye, but he did have his own fun as well.







And I just have to say that it is October and still 95 degrees. It is so bizarre to me that you can just be standing outside and have sweat dripping off of you. I will never get used to that! We had an exciting and hot time today! I have been quite jealous of Darrin enjoying the coolness up in Chicago this week. He has been wearing sweatshirts and pants!

The House is Officially Broken In!

I should be in bed getting ready to teach my class tomorrow, but I just had the most bizarre thing happen with my child, Kye. It is 10:30 pm on a Monday night and I was finishing preparing for my class when I heard this noise like water from the fridge. The noise continued and led me to Dakota and Kye's room, where I see Kye looking just like this statue!



SERIOUSLY!!! Well, minus the cliff and greenery, AND.....

HE WAS PEEING ON THE BRAND NEW CARPET IN HIS ROOM!!!!

WHAT IN THE WORLD?????!!!!!

SERIOUSLY!!

This has never happened before and I'm shocked, but at the same time I am not. You must remember, this is Kye, and... well it's Kye.
Attempting to stop him but not wake the other boys, I said something quite brilliant!

"What are you doing?"

In which this blank stare replied!

"Kye, you are peeing on the floor, stop."

Blank stare

I was still in shock, I didn't know whether to laugh, get angry, or cry wondering what is wrong with my Kye?!

Seriously! Lord, what are you wanting to teach me about myself and YOU and Kye by giving him to me?
Lord, give me patience and the ability to bite my tongue!

Oh and he finishes, and it goes everywhere. By the time I had gotten over the shock and turned to go get some towels, he pulled up his pajamas and crawled back under the covers!

How does one really clean up pee, anyway?

Will the cat and dog now have to pee on it to mark it their own?

Someone told me that I would get over being extra cautious about the newness of the house and that it would be broken in soon. HOWEVER, I did not expect it to be broken in in this way!

I want to add pictures of the house, but I am trying to wait until it looks presentable, but we are so thrilled and thankful to God that we are finally in our wonderful house.

We moved in on Wednesday, right after closing. The kids are great and loving having all of their toys back. The dog is happy to have a yard and we are happy not having to lease him up 4 times a day to go do his business. I still can't believe it is ours, but that same friend told me I would know that as soon as that first mortgage payment is due! :)

Darrin is in Chicago for 5 days at a conference, so he didn't get to enjoy the house but a few nights. I will get some pictures up of the first day of schools and some other going ons while we were in the apartment! It is so great to have internet again!!!!

So really what do I need to do about the pee thing???? :)