3 Stephens Boys

Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-20T22:20:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from
The Stephens!
2011

I hope that this post finds you healthy and well! We here in the South are doing fine and have been busy as I'm sure most of you have been too! So as not to bore you with all of our particulars, here is a highlight of this past year.

Dakota:

Spent much of the summer in Colorado & Pennsylvania
Began High School!
Turned 15
Made the jv soccer team!

Kye:

Loved camping in Colorado this summer
Began 3rd Grade
Turned 9
Continues to love his HipHop Class & Cub Scouts

Kru:

Also had a blast in Colorado this summer
Began all-day Kindergarten
Turned 6
Played soccer again, but has decided it's not his sport

For the other 2 Stephens, everything is pretty much the same. We have the same jobs, still live in the same place! and still trying to keep up with the boys and their craziness! Although during the past 2 weeks, we have gotten rid of both of our old vehicles. Just yesterday we bought a new little 2011 Soul. We are pretty excited to have a reliable vehicle! We are having to get used to everyone sitting so close together after the van, but it runs! it's under warranty! it has heat! it has ac! the windows roll down! it doesn't smoke!!!burn oil! So YAY!

After spending Thanksgiving alone, we are excited to see family during the Christmas season!!! In fact, only a few days away! I hope that all of you will have a blessed Christmas and that Jesus will be the focus of all of our celebrations!!!

A Birthday, Parties, Field Trips & Halloween

2011-11-02T20:39:00.000-05:00

Dakota is 15! How did THAT happen?

Not sure, but it's crazy! He is soooo a teenager

and of course can't wait to drive!

He is loving high school and is a good kid that

I don't have to worry about!

I'm very thankful and blessed!

Didn't do too much for his birthday...

presents of course!

and a cake with pink icing!

Forest Ridge had their Falcanpalooza

and Kye and Kru had a blast!

My school had a fall dance, Fallapalooza, and

Dakota was invited! Talk about fun! We danced for

4 hours and had a great time!

Kye had a museum day and was a caveman!

Kru had a field trip to the Oil Ranch!

I was able to go along and even though it was chilly,

we had some fun! He milked a real cow with success,

fed cows and goats, rode a train and hayride!

I loved being able to go along!

And then, Halloween!

Our church, Connecting Point, participated/sponsored

BooFest again this year. This was our 1st time to go.

Dakota trying to "win" a trip!

Nice pitch!

And then the night, of trick or treating!

Dakota's idea of trick or treating!

At Kru's teacher's, Miss Farnie, house

And then today, I was able to go with Kye's

class to the Renaissance Festival. It was his

first time and he loved it!

Shootin' some paint ball guns with Thomas,

Bryce and Caleb! Look at Kye's intensity!

Of course we had to see the animals! He wanted

to ride the elephants and horses as well, but

the petting zoo had to do!

Cheering for the blue knight at the joust!

He didn't win :0( Kye was bummed!

Kye and his buddy, Caleb!

It was a great day!

I'm super thankful that I was able to spend a

day with Kye and Kru! One on one time

is rare, but really important!

Homecoming 2011

2011-09-27T20:47:00.000-05:00

Have I told you that Dakota is in high school?!?! It blows my mind and on any given day it scares me a bit because he goes to a large 5A school. There are 2500 kids there and over 800 in his class alone! That is bigger than the college I went to! But every time I find myself becoming a wee bit nervous, I have to take a breath, say a prayer and know that Dakota will be fine!

Dakota asked Mati to go to Homecoming with him. Not ever having a high schooler before, I was a newbie at this whole thing! Apparently, the whole entire affair is important and we learned quickly what we had to do! It started with how he would ask the girl. It had to be creative! You can't just go up to a girl and ask her, you had to think of a special way to "pop of the question!" Mati is a swimmer, so Dakota got her locker combination and we used a pair of goggles and wrote of the eyes the question. Attaching the goggles to a sea turtle stuffed animal, Dakota hung the turtle in her locker along with some candy. I thought that was the end of it other than buying him a outfit, but no there was more! Of course I was assuming there would be a purchase of a crosage for her, but not here in Texas, at least not for homecoming.

This is a mum!

Here is Texas they have this tradition of making and giving mums! What is it, you ask? It's a fake flower that you embellish and then embellish some more. The girls' mum is bigger and the boys' mum is attached to a garter that he wears on the arm. But it's only for pictures! They don't wear them at the dance, but whatever! So a couple of weeks before the dance, Dakota and I went over to Sarah's (a Texan native) so she could help us. I really enjoyed it! And actually made another one for a friend!

So now that the mum was made, Dakota and I went to the mall to find him an appropriate outfit that wasn't shorts or jeans! It took awhile, but we finally found pants, a shirt, a tie! (his first) and a pair of Vans! (making uncle sooo proud!) Having never worn a tie before, dad had to help him out!

Chillin' before time to leave!

A pose with mom!

The complete package!!!

So the plan was that we would meet Mati at a friend's house and that all of the parents would take turns transporting the kids for the evening. First was Kelly's house for pictures, then off to dinner, then to George Bush Library for more pictures, then to the Expo Center for the dance and finally pick up at Midnight and drop off at homes! Here are some picts of the couple!

I made them pose funny!

And then the double date!

All in all I think he had a fun time! And it was a High School experience and memory for sure! I couldn't believe how perfect his tie matched her dress!

Back to School 2011

2011-09-17T19:11:00.000-05:00

Really need to update about our summer happenings, but thought I should get up the first day of school picts at least! Seems I can't find time to keep up with the blog! So here are the pictures from the first day of school a few weeks ago! It's hard to believe that we have been in school for a month now!

My high schooler! 9th Grade!
Dakota

My 3rd Grader!

Kye

And my Kindergartener!
Kru

Walking into Forest Ridge

Kru-man at his desk! He was way excited!!!

And Kye-Kye at his!

Then it was off to the high school!

Where did the time go??? Seems like yesterday that I was dropping Dakota off at Kindergarten!

Snow Day in Texas

2011-02-04T22:23:00.005-06:00

Today we had a snow day from school!

Out of the 5 years we have been in Texas,

I believe it has snowed 3 of them!

This year we have been cold! Coldest temps in 20 years, so they say.

Still not as cold as other places, but for here, cold!

The 1/2" of snow was very dry today,

but the boys got out and made a few snow angels on the tramp,

tried to throw snowballs and Dakota and Kru made a snowman.

Hot cocoa was a must afterwards!

Merry Christmas! Card 2010

2010-12-22T15:15:00.020-06:00

Merry Christmas!!!

It appears as though I will only be updating this blog possibly 2 times a year! Since I have gone back to work, this poor blog has been neglected! I apologize, but that's how it goes. But to the few of you who actually look I wanted to give you our Christmas update. It's hard for me to believe that this is our 5th Christmas in Texas! If you known us long, you will know that this is the longest we have lived anywhere in the 16 years we've been together! Crazy! You would think I'd be used to the weather by now, but I still miss the seasons and having a snowy, cold Christmas, but Texas has been good to us! As you can see by the photos, the boys are huge! All of them have seemed to shoot up and change right in front of my eyes this year! It's crazy!!! So here is what we have been up to!

Darrin:

Continues to work for Texas A&M in the TEEX division. He was promoted this year to Multi-Media Project Coordinator. He has also been busy drawing his own web-comic as well as drawing for other projects. The spaceslugs are loosely based on our 3 boys!

Our Hi-light's - Celebrating our 16th anniversary & our (adults only) 2nd annual trip to Kory and Shelley's in July!...Thanks Papa for watching the boys!!!!

Kari:

I'm in my 2nd year at KOR Education School and this year I'm teaching 9th Grade Humanities as well as 8th grade Language Arts & History. It is really time consuming but I do love the "stuff" I teach and the kids too!

Dakota: (14)

This past year Dakota played numerous sports. Last Spring, Dakota made the school soccer team, track team - hurtles, and this Fall the basketball team. He also played city soccer this fall. His grades stay up and he made National Junior Honor Society and also participates in Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Hi-light - his trip to see Uncle and ShellShell in August

not a hi-light - getting braces!

Kye: (8)

Kye continues in Cub Scouts as a Wolf Cub this year and he added HipHop dance classes this year as well. His first performance was a few weeks back and he did great! We are looking forward to his Spring performance as well. Found out this Fall that Kye has dyslexia, so he has been getting the extra help that he needs and is doing very well in 2nd grade. He loves his teachers!!! Kye is quite the actor and loves his school musicals!

Hi-light - this Fall Kye got saved!!! He loves Jesus so much and he continues to share Jesus to friends at school and his teachers as well. He has been quite a little missionary!!!

Kru: (5)

Kru is in Kindergarten already and is doing great! It's a half day Kindergarten and his writing and reading are coming along nicely! He played Soccer again this Fall and really seems to enjoy it.

Hi-light - His 1st airplane ride! Mom and the boys went to Denver this summer for 2 weeks! Kru met cousins he had never met and had a ton of fun swimming with them!!! He had hoped to make it up into the mountains, but made me promise that we will do it the next time we are in Colorado!

We have loved hearing from everyone! I love the pictures that you send! We miss so many of you and wish we could spend the holidays with family and friends!!! May you have a blessed Christmas! We have much to be thankful for this year! If you ever want to head South, you are more than welcome!!!

Summer Flew!!!

2010-08-10T21:24:00.008-05:00

We have been without internet now for months now and that would be the reason I have not posted about our busy and fast summer!!! I will, to satisfy the few of you who actually follow this blog, post a few snapshots of my favs during these summer months. Once we have internet again and I'm not sitting in the local grocery store I will do some major updating...but for now...

June - Colorado and Kru's 5th Water Birthday!!!

Seeing friends we hadn't seen in years!!!

Uncle surprised everyone and flew in!

the boys had never been to my mom's gravesite

swimming and playing with cousins

Kye and Kru had never met!

It was long over due!!!!!

July - Mom and Dad's trip to Cali=Papa time with the boys, Roberto Visits/River Trip & Dakota's trip to Cali!

Always have a blast with Kor and Shell!

Boys helped PaPa clean the garage while we were gone!

Papa took the boys lots of fun places while he was here!

Actually only once to the pool while Papa was

here, lots of rain!

The Comal was a blast!

Best of Friends reunited after 1 year!

Dakota spent 2 weeks in Cali!

Universal Studios - was his fav.. oh and Shell Shell's too!

Uncle took him boogy boarding!

"It's awesome!" - Dakota

As for August, Kye, Kru and I went to the pool a lot while Dakota was gone, but now things are gearing up for school again and days are spent up in mom's classroom. We are still attempting to get to the pool a few more times before they close! I will update y'all in September with back to school shots! School starts in less than 2 weeks!

School's Out for Summer!!

2010-05-28T16:33:00.007-05:00

Dakota and Kye completed school today!

Headed to 8th grade!!!

1st Grade...check!

Headed to 2nd grade!

I asked the boys to show me their

school's out smile and this is what I got!

Everyone is excited about our trip

to Colorado in a few days!!!

YAY! SUMMER!!!

Awana Celebration '10

2010-05-27T08:20:00.003-05:00

Last night was the Awana Ceremony for Kye and Kru. Dakota's all grown up now and in youth, so it was just Kye and Kru this year. Both of the boys did so well with memorizing a ton of scripture and Kye learned the New Testament books of the Bible as well.

So last night they received their ribbons for completing their books.

This is Kru's last year as a Cubbie! He will be in Sparks next year!

The Cubbies sing their Cubbie song!!!

Wow! So proud of the boys and for them hiding God's word in their hearts!!

Makes a momma proud!!!

Kye's a Wolf Cub Now!!!

2010-05-24T13:19:00.002-05:00

Saturday was Kye's Cub Scouts' Awards Ceremony. Still being new to the world of cub scouts and all, we didn't know what to expect.

Kye completed everything he needed for his Tiger Cub patch and now continues onto being a Wolf Cub. He was awarded all of his different belt loops and other patches as well.

And every year they get to pin their moms. So I now have a bobcat pin and a tiger pin.

He was excited, but it was very hot! We were all ready to jump into the pool!!! He has enjoyed cub scouts a lot this year, so looks like he and Darrin will be continuing next year!

Den 2

Pinning their moms

Soccer Season Ends for Dakota

2010-05-24T13:12:00.002-05:00

This year, Dakota went out for 3 sports: football, track and soccer. I'm proud to say that he made all 3. Soccer wrapped up the year with only 5 games, but it was great to see him play again. This year was the first to have a middle school soccer team. The boys did great and only lost 1 game. Dakota is in the back 2nd from the left.

I'm so excited because Dakota remembered how much he enjoyed the game and how much he missed it due to football season. So beginning in the fall, Dakota will be going back to soccer with his old coach, Sarah, who we love! and many of his old teammates will also be returning.

He wanted to score so badly this season, but never had one, had many attempts and even more assists. He's a great soccer player!

Kru Completes Pre-K!

2010-05-24T13:01:00.003-05:00

Thursday was Kru's last day of school!

As he walked into the building,

I couldn't believe how fast this year has gone!

I love Covenant Day School and

these 2 ladies,

Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Braden.

Kru's teachers!

(they were Kye's too!)

Such a bittersweet moment!

Wanting Kru to continue into Kindergarten,

but at the sametime wanting him

to remain.

He's growin' up!!!

1/2 day Kindergarten for him next year!

Wasn't it just a few days ago that he was born?!?

Kye's 8th Birthday!

2010-05-14T09:59:00.004-05:00

Kye turned 8 on April 29,

but we had his birthday on the following weekend.

He wanted a Toothless Dragon cake

from How To Train A Dragon movie,

so I did my best!

He liked it and recognized it

(even if others didn't)

And that is what is important!!!

Because of the wind, we had to fake blowing out candles! Again!!!

He invited 4 of his buddies from school

to join him at the pool!

They had a great time as you can see below!

It's hard to imagine that he is 8 already!

He continues to warm my heart with

his tenderness, compassion

and love of animals, singing for Jesus,

his family and friends!

We love you Kye!!!

"Toothless"

Meet Jack

2010-04-21T15:53:00.005-05:00

This is Jack!

Isn't he cute?

An early birthday present for Kye.

He is ecstatic!!!

Jack is a mutt, a mix of boarder collie,

pit bull, lab, who knows!

He is 11 weeks and so adorable.

A great outdoor pup!

Haven't heard a peep out of him!

Much different than our other

experiences.

Really weren't planning on this,

it kind of just happened,

but it was perfect in many ways!

Nothing like a boy and his dog!

He has been wanting one of his own

for some time! He is quite proud of

Jack and takes care of him, all on

his own!

The first day we had him, Kye cried on

the way to school because he didn't want

to leave Jack home alone.

But everyone has adjusted well to the

new addition, that is, except for Tag and

especially Shadow! He is growing on Tag,

but not a chance with Shadow.....yet!

Our Track "Star"!!!!

2010-03-26T09:59:00.003-05:00

Went to Dakota's first track meet that he participated in yesterday. It was fun to watch as I have never been to a track meet before. He competed in the 110 hurdles. I don't know who was more nervous him or me, but he did great!!! It was over in 20 seconds so the pictures aren't the best, but wanted to brag on him, here!!! We will see if he qualified for the district meet or not!

It's crazy how close together the hurdles are!!!

There are a total of 10 within the 100 yds!

Crazy!!!

He cleared them all, which is also crazy for me!

Those things are high!!

He came in 3rd in his heat, not sure overall where he placed,

but that doesn't really matter.

He really was stoked about it!!!

Big News from Texas!!!!!

2010-02-23T16:22:00.006-06:00

First, and most important....

Dakota made the track team!!!

He will be running the hurtles.

(I think that is how you spell it)

CONGRATS!!!!! Dakota!

And second......

IT'S SNOWING!!!!!! AGAIN IN TEXAS!!!!

Everyone LOVES to play in the snow!!!

As soon as we arrived home from school...

extra pants, jackets, hats and gloves were on!!!

trampoline snow angels!!!

don't even think about it Dakota!!!!

Dakota's snowman!

Kru's snowman!

Kye "making" his snowman!

10-15 minutes later.....

all of the jackets, pants, hats, etc...

on the floor

and...

hot chocolate!

Snow here in Texas is supposedly rare.

However, out of the 4 1/2 years that we have

resided in Texas, it has snowed 3 of them!

Hmmmmmm!

Not complaining!

Actually, after watching the Olympics for the past week

I have been wanting to be somewhere with snow

and mountains and tall trees!!

For now, this will have to do!

VOTE FOR DARRIN!

2010-02-03T11:17:00.000-06:00

Darrin is in the latest group of creative teams to make it into February's ZUDA COMICS lineup. Starting on the 1st February, his project, ALIENS VS NINJA VS SAMURAI, will be featured at www.zudacomics.com. If you're not familiar with ZUDA(which most people are not), it's DC COMICS' webcomic site-- a site where 10 new comic submissions are hosted and showcased for the better part of a month. Registered users on the site can vote, rate and comment on their favorite submissions. At the end of the month, one submission is picked to continue as an ongoing web series. There are lots of perks to winning but in the end... there's a regular paycheck.The creative team behind each month's winning submission gets paid to continue their series.

How exactly can you help us win? Well, you can get the ball rolling by registering at

Go to ZUDA.com (60 second process)
Reading ALIENS VS NINJA VS SAMURAI
Then VOTE for it (you must be logged in to vote)
RATE it.
Add it to your FAVORITES.
Leave a COMMENT on our ZUDA page.

This is a big deal, PLEASE vote and if you could go get 3 more people to do the same. :)

Thanks for your support

Christmas Card 2009

2009-12-14T08:37:00.018-06:00

Merry Christmas!!!

2009

Hello Friends and Family,

Thank you for taking time to visit our blog and read our Christmas card. I hope that many of you have received our photo in the mail. Here are a few of our family highlights for the year!

Dakota's Highlights:

Sports:

* won spring soccer tournament

* first year playing tackle football - got an interception! and name in the local newspaper!!

School:

* taking advanced classes including Spanish

* is ready for keyboarding to be over!

Events:

* got a cell phone

* 7th grade at College Station Middle School

* turned 13 in October! finally a teenager!!!

Kye's Highlights:

Events:

* turned 7 in April

* 1st grade at Forest Ridge Elementary

* joined Cub Scouts and loves it!!!

* ate lunch with Shamu at Sea World during spring break

School:

* favorite class -

* favorite CAMPP -

* is enjoying reading, but not so enjoying homework

Kru's Highlights:

Events:

* started preschool!!

* turned 4 in June

* played soccer for the 1st time this fall

School Favorites:

* paint on the easel

* read in the loft

* making new friends

Darrin & Kari's Highlights:

* traveling to California to visit Kory & Shelley for a week--alone with no children!!! Thank you Kory & Shelley!!! And Miss Amanda!!

* celebrating 15 years of marriage on Friday!

* shock that we are still at the same address for 4 years now!

* Darrin - success with iPhone games!

* Kari - went back to work after 7 years--teaching 8th grade

We hope that this Christmas season finds you all well! We miss so many of you and wish we could all spend time with one another! May we always remember what Christmas is really about and be thankful for that Wonderful Gift that was given to us so long ago.

Love,

Darrin, Kari, Dakota, Kye and Kru

Football Comes to an End!

2009-11-16T14:31:00.002-06:00

Football has ended,

actually it did a couple of weeks ago,

am just getting to posting this!

I know this first picture is fuzzy,

but Dakota is in the mess there making a tackle!

He's right there in front #17! Really!

He had a good season.

Played a little every game.

He got an interception in 1 game,

which got his name in the paper!!!

We were excited about that!

He enjoyed it! and I guess that's all that matters!

Kru's Soccer Season Finale

2009-11-08T15:52:00.004-06:00

Yes, the Orange Tiger's 1st season is complete!

We had a great time! and most importantly

FUN!!!!!

Of course the hi-light for this U5 team was

the trophy!!!!

Throughout the season, Kru scored several goals!

He chased the ball!

and got in the action of the game!

He excelled at his throw-ins!

But most importantly...

still enjoyed it at the end of the season!

YAY! Kru-man!!!

You are a great little soccer player!!!

Until next season!

Kye's Fall Sing-a-Long - 70s Style

2009-11-07T13:50:00.004-06:00

Friday, Kye's school had their Fall Sing-a-Long!

70's Style!!!

Kye was totally groovy and felt it 100%!!!

Between "I Will Survive", "Boogie Fever",

and "YMCA", it was a great show!

He looked super!

And as I said, was feelin' the beat!!!

If you know my Kye at all,

you know he loves to sing and dance!

Needless to say, this was a pretty good day for him!!

Love you, Kye-Kye!

You did a fabulous job!!!

P.S.

Thanks to Ms. Cindy for the groovy vest!

It accented the afro perfectly!! ;o)

Dakota Turns 13!!!!! Yes... I have a Teenager!!!

2009-10-30T20:48:00.003-05:00

Back on the 19th, Dakota turned 13!!!

Crazy to think about, but it's true!

I have a teenager!

He decided that he was cool with no party this year,

and because Monday nights are HOPE group,

we just sang and ate the cake there instead.

We sang to 4 people that night who had birthdays that week!

After school, we let him open his gifts and cards.

He scored a lot of $$$ this birthday, which

was fine with him!!!

He also got a couple of games for the Wii!

Mario Cart that everyone can play was the big hit!

Even Dad!!!

Happy Birthday, Dakota!

You are so loved!!!

Dakota Plays Football!!!

2009-10-14T16:03:00.007-05:00

Yup! Much to my chagrin, Dakota has begun

playing middle school tackle football.

He LOVES it, so I'm trying to stay quiet!

So far he has been playing defensive cornerback.

I have to tell you, he isn't the smallest on the team!

Last night, he broke up a pass right before

the game was called due to lightning.

So far B team has only lost 1 game.

Last week when Dakota had the swine flu,

he tried hard to convince me to let him go to school

so he could play in the game!

He is devoted! and for some reason enjoys it! :O)

Doesn't he look studdly??!! :o)

A pile of Cubs!!! Gooooo Cubs!

Hard to believe that in just a few days

he will be an official teenager!!! oy!!!!

2 in 1 Day!!!

2009-10-14T15:23:00.002-05:00

Teeth that is!!

Kye lost 2 teeth in 1 day!

This morning while he was brushing his teeth a top one came out!

And then when I picked him up at school this afternoon,

he had lost another one, on the bottom this time!!

Kye, the Fabulous Falcon!!

2009-09-30T16:09:00.005-05:00

A week or so ago,

Kye was one of the Fabulous Falcons at school

"for being super good." (quote from Kye)

He is always so proud of his purple ribbon,

pencil and prize from the treasure box!

As a teacher and mom,

it always makes me smile that for the

past 2 years, he has been selected within

the first month of school! :o)

Way to go Kye!!!!

Kru's First Soccer Game!!!

2009-09-19T11:22:00.003-05:00

Today, Kru took the soccer field for the first time!

With great enthusiasm, he played hard!

He has a pretty good concept of the game and at least

kicked the ball in the right direction!

Half-time fruit snack! Yum!!!

No, not a headder, but a super good throw-in!

and another!

He enjoyed it and looked so cute in his little cleats,

big shorts, shin guards and socks!!!

The U5 soccer is so much fun to watch!

No stress and cheers for everyone!

Gooooo Orange Tigers!!!!!

2 Years

2009-09-17T16:42:00.003-05:00

Seriously?!?!?!

Yep! 2 Years in the house! And crazy, but going on our 4th year here in College Station, TX.

A serious record breaker for the Stephens! FOR SURE!!!

Really haven't made any changes to the house. Repainted a hand-stained wall, planted more bushes and made a don't even know what to call it in the front yard, as you can see from the picture.

We need to repaint the house due to fingers and hands of 3 boys, but maybe this year!??? :O)

Still blows my mind that we have lived somewhere for more than 22 months! But alas, we are still here. So 2nd house happy anniversary to us!!!

3 weeks in....

2009-09-08T15:55:00.003-05:00

No pictures to post,

no real news to share.

Just wanted to mention what the boys are up to!

Dakota-

football! He is practicing 5-6 times a week! His ankles are sore, but he is hanging in there with ice, ace bandages, ankle supports and epsom salt! He is enjoying it! His first game is next Monday, not sure what string he is on yet, but of course he hopes he will be starting as a cornerback but I'll let you know! We will attempt to get pictures of him in his uniform on here eventually!

homework! He usually has homework every night!

youth group - this week, Dakota starts youth and I'm sure he will be busy with that as well!

Kye-

This 3rd week of school is a little less fun than last year. I think he is realizing that there is more to do in school than what Kindergarten entailed! :O) But, we press on! Making sure that we stick to bedtime is super important for the sanity of everyone come around 4:00 in the afternoons!

We are anxiously awaiting news of when gymnastic classes will begin! Will add pictures when we have some!

Awana - Kye will be a Spark again this year and will be working on memorizing the books of the Bible right away!

Kru-

Kru is into his 2nd week of school. He loves it! Everyday he comes home with at least 2 paintings all the while telling me he likes his school! :O) Kru-man is tired though! On the way home from picking up Dakota from football around 5:00, Kru falls asleep in the car! But he loves school!

Soccer begins in a couple of weeks for Kru's first time! Darrin is actually coaching his U5 team! That should provide great entertainment! I will post pictures when I have some!

Cubbies - Kru will begin his 2nd year in Cubbies! He enjoys hearing the stories and saying his verse and of course snack!

That's a wrap up of the past 3 weeks!

Kru's First Day of Pre-K!!!

2009-09-01T16:30:00.004-05:00

Today, it was Kru's turn to pose in front of the door.

Today, my 4 year old, began school!!!!

In fact, he was so excited that he woke up at 5:45.

Of course, I told him to go back to bed!!!

All smiles!

Finally, after dropping off everyone else, we arrived at

Kru's school! He hopped out of the car and put his backpack on!

As soon as we walked in, he found his hook, no problem!

Thank goodness for short names! ;O)

And then into the classroom!

He went straight for the paint!!! Literally, he didn't

stop at ANYTHING else! Look at his grin!

So happy!!!!

Kru loves to paint!! He came home with

3 masterpieces just today! :O)

Kru with his wonderful teachers:

Mrs. Braden & Mrs. Davis

We love them!!!!

When I picked him up, he was still smiling!

What a great first day!

But man, he was tuckered out!! :O)

Hard to Believe!!!

2009-08-31T14:10:00.004-05:00

It is so hard for me to believe that Kru is going to be starting school in the morning.

It's hard for me to think about that Kru is the age Kye was when we arrived in College Station, going on 4 years now!

It is hard for me to think of my baby growing up!

but....

he is starting pre-K in the morning,

he is 4 and that is how old Kye was when we moved to Texas,

and he is growing up!!!

Even the conversations I have with him in the car, knock me upside the head to where I can't deny that he is getting older!

Today we went to school to choose a cubby and a hook, to play with the room and see all of the kids. We only stayed for an hour, but Kru had the best time! He is going to LOVE school! We have been counting down all week!

Here are a few pictures of his time in his classroom. We are so excited that he is going to the same school that Kye went to for two years! We love Mrs. Davis, Mrs, Braden and Mrs. White! I will post more tomorrow of his first day!

Choosing his cubby!

Lacing! He has never done this, but liked it!

For whatever reason, this was what he enjoyed the most.

"See mom, I can cut without cutting myself!"

snacktime!

Playing in the kitchen!

My Middle Schooler!!!

2009-08-28T07:46:00.004-05:00

Monday, Dakota started 7th grade!!!

He didn't want me to take pictures, but

I told him that wasn't his choice!

Here are the traditional poses of Dakota!

(in front of door & in the car)

Starting at a new campus always brings new nerves!

But Dakota was brave and walked in with his head high!

I quickly, tried to get the pictures of him walking into the building,

but he didn't want me to embarrass him, so I had to be subtle.

He's in the crowd up towards the front!

So where is his picture after school???

Football practice began the very first day of school.

So I didn't even pick him up until 5:00!

By that time, I completely forgot, but oh man...

I wish I had taken one! You should have seen him!!!

He came out bright red faced!

Hair drenched with sweat!

Walking in barefeet!

Looking exhausted!

It would have made a great picture for his scrapbook!

All in all he had a good first day!

He found where all of his classes were,

and most importantly...

survived football practice!

Later that night,

we surprised Dakota with a cell phone

of his very own!

(thanks to Papa, Uncle and ShelShel)

We put it in the back pocket of the seat in the car.

Then I called it!

"What is that?" me

"Oh no you didn't?!!!" Dakota

Do you think he was surprised???

Can ya tell if he likes it?

I haven't seen him this happy and excited about

something in... I can't remember when!

Maybe when Uncle and ShelShel surprised him in Lincoln?!

He loves it!!!

It's hard to believe that my firstborn baby is

a 7th grader! He is growing taller and taller!

He is not a little kid no more! :O(

But he is a terrific teenager! (well almost) ;O)

Polite, obedient, honest, loving, and handsome,

He is my Dakota!!!

Kye's First Day of 1st Grade!

2009-08-27T15:48:00.006-05:00

Monday, my 7 year old, began 1st Grade!

We took the annual poses!

by the front door and in the car

It was nice being familiar with the school.

He wasn't nervous at all, just really excited!

As we walked into the building,

everyone was all smiles!

Still excited!

Apparently, we weren't going fast enough and Kye took the

lead. We passed his old Kindergarten room and he kept on going!

As he walked into the 1st grade pod, it looked

like we were the only ones there, but we weren't.

Arriving at his room, mom had to take this

scrapbook shot!!!

Kye found his hook, cubby and finally his seat!

Kru had to give him a hug before we left!

Awww! So sweet! (but I missed the pic!)

After waiting in the forever carpool line!

Kru and I picked Kye up!

Again, another yearly tradition!

Kye had a great first day!!! YAY!

(By the second day, he didn't even want me to walk him in!)

My baby is growing up!!!

Summer is Done! :o(

2009-08-21T19:42:00.003-05:00

I don't like this time of year!
I would like summer to last a little longer!
But it is that time again for school to begin.

Last night we went to Kye's school, Forest Ridge, and met his 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Livingston.

He was excited to go to his school and he kept acting surprised that he knew the art teacher and his music teacher. He is so funny! I'm so happy that he is going back to the same school where the only change will be where his classroom is and who his teacher is. As we walked by his Kindergarten classroom, he told me that they made the square rug into a circle one. I told him that that room wasn't being used for Kindergarten this year and that the teachers in that room weren't Mrs. B.

We went into his new room and he looked around, found his seat, and was ready to go! Quick as that! :O)

You Know Your Kids Have Watched Too Much TV When...

2009-08-12T19:28:00.004-05:00

We were sitting down to eat tonight at dinner and Kru, the 4 year old who can't read, says that is the Hidden Valley ranch!

-or-

The boys can sing the commercial songs!!!

Oui!!!!!!

July Whirlwind part 3

2009-07-29T18:55:00.005-05:00

This past week, we visited Granma and Pappy up in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We hadn't seen them in a while and it was nice to be at their house! We went to the lake on Sunday and swam with some crazy fish! Once we got over the fact that the fish weren't scared of us and would nibble on our feet, we all eventually got wet!

Granma & Pappy observed

My 3 crazy, good-lookin' boys!!!!

And my 4th!! :o)

The inner-tube was a hit!

reminded us of our trip to the river

Playin' on the beach

Kru, my fearless one!

The following day, we went to Magic Springs which is a water park/amusement park. It was fun! We were worried about the weather and it was cloudy all day, but the rain held off and we enjoyed a full day there. Darrin took the 2 older boys and went on the bigger tube rides while I hung out with Kru. They all loved it!!!

Kru slidin'

Kye in the lazy river!

Dakota floatin' in the lazy river.

Then we headed to the "dry" side and rode some rides! Darrin and Kru watching Dakota and Kye in the boat swing. Kye wasn't too fond of it and Darrin is laughing at him!!

What Darrin is laughing at!

Kru went on his first roller coaster ride!

He was ok the 1st time around,

scared on the 2nd time around,

and finally enjoying it on the 3rd time around!

We had a nice time. The boys love playing with Granma and Pappy!

July Whirlwind part 2

2009-07-24T09:36:00.006-05:00

Darrin and I arrived home on Wednesday and on Thursday, we left for a camping trip to the river. We camped along the Guadalupe River and then on Friday we floated the Comal River.

We went with a bunch of friends from church. Thanks to Miss Mary and Miss Becky, our camp was completely outfitted!! I believe that there were 15 of us! We arrived and set up camp, bought some groceries and went to the water!!! IT WAS SOOOOOOO HOT!!!!!!!
Because of the heat, we honestly spent the majority of our time in the water! The Guadalupe's water was kind of warm and went from shallow to deep. We tried the rope swing a couple of times, but mostly just floated and sat to keep cool.

We spent the night in a tent, which was the hottest night of my life!!!!, and got up the next morning to go float The Comal.

We were supposed to spend another night, but we didn't and got home really late. But floating the river was so cool! We want to go again, but this time planning a day trip! We hope before school starts!!!!! If you want to come let us know! It was a ton of FUN!!!!

July Whirlwind part 1

2009-07-24T09:29:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that July has almost passed

and I haven't updated at all!

So today,

I'm going to try...

At the beginning of the month,

Darrin and I went to California

to visit Kory and Shelley.

The boys stayed home with Miss Amanda and all her helpers!

(Miss Anna, Mr. Paul, Mr. Cameron, Miss Angela, Mr. Brian & the Freemans!)

Thanks to all of you!!!!!

The boys had a blast!

Cindy sent me these pictures of them at the pool

from her phone while we were gone!

Claiming she was going to hold these cute boys for ransom!

:o)

We enjoyed ourselves a ton, but we were

happy to get back to these boys!!!

Becoming A Fisherman!!!

2009-06-29T09:05:00.003-05:00

Papa bought Kye a fishing pole for his

birthday in April.

Lately, Darrin and Kye have been

venturing off to a swampy pond thingy

in walking distance from the house.

2 weekends ago,

Kye caught a whopper!!! :o)

Definitely the biggest fish that Kye or Darrin have ever caught!!!

I don't know who was more excited,

Darrin or Kye!

They both were pretty stoked!

Even though it is stinky, muddy, and

SUPER HOT!!!!

Kye loves going down to through in the pole

or cast the net that Mr. Ken is letting us borrow!

He has the fisherman spirit, the patience

and the love of it, for sure!!!!

Way to go Kye!!! and Darrin!!! ;o)

My Baby is 4!!!!!!

2009-06-27T15:15:00.007-05:00

4 years ago, on the 23rd on June, I had my last baby! I knew that he would be my last and I soaked up everything about his pregnancy and his delivery and pretty much everything else, because he is my baby.

Kru turned 4 this past week and I can't believe it!

He is getting so big! No more babies in the Stephens' house! :o( It makes me sad, but I'm so blessed by all of my boys. It's amazing to me how much Kru has grown up even in the past few months! He is so smart and loves to do everything! Whether it's helping to feed the animals, laundry, sweeping, or having fun with his toys, he loves to be doing!

We celebrated with a few friends on Friday night! He wanted several friends to be there, but not everyone was able to come! But Sydni, Camille, Ashton, Hayden, Anson, Daniel and Roberto were able to come! As well as Miss Mary, Miss Amanda, Miss Brynn, Mr. Ken. Mrs. Cindy, Mr. Aaron and Mrs. Heather.

All day long, Kru was so hyper and excited about his party! Please remind me not to do a dinner bday party again! Too long to wait!! :o)

Kru had wanted Lightning McQueen for his cake, but he wanted the blue one! So I attempted my best and he was thrilled and that's all that matters!

He blew out the candles like a pro!

And enjoyed unwrapping the presents!

And then playing with his friends and new toys!

He was tuckered by the end of the night!

Happy Birthday Kru-man!

We love you!

Another Day at the Pool!!!!

2009-06-17T19:18:00.005-05:00

I wasn't going to take the boys to the pool today

because we were out in the sun yesterday for 3 hours

and the heat index this week has been over 100!!

But, Miss Mary called and said that she and Miss Becky

were going to a pool in Bryan that we have never been to!

So I woke Kru up from his nap,

changed quickly

and loaded up and drove over to Henderson Harbor!

It was a nice pool and Kru REALLY liked it!

He even went down the water slide!

We had gotten out to get a snack and heard a familiar little bell!

It was the ice cream man via bicycle!

He was outside the fence of the pool!

You can't get that at College Station public pools!

So the boys enjoyed a cool snack!

Kru and Kye enjoy their Batman popsicles!

Dakota slurpin' his jolly rancher pop!

And after, Kru was a mess!!!!

Thanks Miss Mary and Miss Becky for

inviting us to Henderson Harbor!

We will have to do it again!

for sure!!!!

We're Famous!

2009-06-11T13:59:00.004-05:00

Just kidding, not really!

But our picture was in the Eagle spotted section!!!

Go here to check it out!

We were downtown last Friday night for first Friday nights in Bryan.

We saw a ton of our friends there and just happened to be with the Duty's and Hendrick's when someone asked to take our picture!

Kru would be the one with the piece of paper in front of his face! Nice!

Allen told me we were already famous, but now this picture just proves it!!!!! :o)

Just Another Day at the Pool

2009-06-03T14:54:00.004-05:00

Today, I finally took my camera with me to the pool.

We went to the neighborhood pool with friends today.

Tomorrow we will be back at Thomas pool!

I do love being able to stay cool at the pool!

My boys are so tan already!!!

Gotta love it!!!

The First Day of Summer Vacation

2009-06-02T08:20:00.003-05:00

What did you do on the 1st day of summer vacation?

We spent 5 hours at the pool!!!

I hadn't planned to stay that long,

it just happened.

We were tired!

But the boys really didn't sleep in this morning.

I forgot to reapply the sunscreen...

we aren't burnt

we had really good base tans

but Kru's face was a little pink last night

but already tan this morning!

It was a good day!

Can't say I can stay that long every day at the pool.

But for the 1st day of summer

it was perfect!!!

A Middle Schooler, 1st grader and Pre-schooler!!!

2009-05-29T13:50:00.004-05:00

Today was the last day of school!

I now have a middle schooler!!!

Dakota will be in 7th grade in 83 days!

Kye will be in 1st grade!

and Kru will be in Pre-School 3 days a week!

Next year will be very different for all of us!

So I was a bit teary-eyed at Forest Ridge today for the Kindergarten celebration.

Dakota admitted that he would miss Cypress Grove as he will be going to College Station Middle School next year.

The boys had great years! They both excelled in their studies. Kye is reading!! YAY!! And Dakota continued to thrive in his advanced classes. They had wonderful teachers and finished the year strong!

I can't believe how fast the year flew!

Now on to summer!!!!!!

Kye Singing

2009-05-27T13:18:00.003-05:00

Here is a video of the 2 songs from Kye's program a couple of weeks ago.

Dakota the Song and Dance Man

2009-05-27T09:09:00.009-05:00

Yesterday was the spring drama show.

Dakota had 2 lyp-syncs and a speaking role in 1 of the plays.

The whole thing lasted for 1 1/2 hours and over 90 kids were in it.

This video is from their 2nd performance of the day.

I will put some pictures up from the 1st performance a while later!

Thanks Darrin for putting the video up!

And way to go Dakota! You were GREAT!!!!

Lunch with Shamu

2009-05-26T12:39:00.004-05:00

better late than never.

Field Trip Day!!!

2009-05-24T10:45:00.003-05:00

School is almost over!

And of course, we try to fit in all activities in May!

Friday, Kye went on a field trip to Tanglewood Park

The splashpad was a ton o' fun!!!

Kye loves playing with kids!

The spot under the bucket was a favorite place to be!

Kye is the one with his head down ready for the waterfall!

He was exhausted and told me he fell asleep on the

bus ride back to school! Good Times!

Awana Celebration

2009-05-22T14:42:00.005-05:00

This past Sunday night was the Awana Awards Ceremony. Acknowledging all of the work that the kids did this past year with their memorizing scripture is important & special!!

Kru was a Cubbie this year!!!

They said their Cubbie motto and verse!

Kru did a great job and said all of his verses for the year!!!

Ms. Kaylene awards Kru!

What a big boy he is!!!

Kye has been in Sparks for 2 years now!

He loves to sing the Sparky Song!!!

He began a new book this year and did super!!!

So big!!! Nice Job, Kye-Kye!!!

This was Dakota's last year in Awana.

He tried really hard to get the last book completed!

Not doing Awana every year of elementary school

made it a little bit harder!

He was close to finishing!

But overall memorized over 200 Bile verses!

Way to go bub!!!!!

A Howdy Sing-a-Long with Kye

2009-05-18T14:18:00.006-05:00

Last Thursday at Forest Ridge,

they had their spring sing-a-long.

It was country themed!

Kye wore my beaten cowboy hat and jeans!

He wanted to wear boots, but we don't have any!

I guess we really aren't true Texans yet! =o)

The Kindergardeners sang a total of 3 songs.

The first was a country song that was great!

It was so cute, they ended in a bow!!

What a gentleman!!!!

Then they sang the Forest Ridge Falcons song!

And then ended the program with the song,

Americana!!! YAY! United States of America!!

Mrs. B and Kye!!!

Champions for the 2nd time!!!!!

2009-05-15T11:58:00.007-05:00

This past Saturday was the spring soccer tournament.

We were top seeded going in and after having an

undefeated season, we hoped to have great success.

We had a 9:00 game --- we won 9-0

And then a 4:00 game --- we won 4-1

So we're in the championship game!

The last huddle up!!!

Go Thunder!!!!

We played hard, but right away the other team scored.

Going into halftime it was 0-2 --- we were losing! (1st time all season)

The boys came out after halftime and played their tails off!

We tied the score at 2-2 and had to go into a 5 minute overtime.

It was the most stressful game of Dakota's I have watched!!

And we scored with 1 1/2 minutes left!

WE WON!!!!! 3-2

Undefeated since August of 2008!!

Way to go boys!!!

Can you tell they were excited?!?!?!

Dakota with Coach Sarah!

After watching this kid play soccer for over 7 years,

it's hard to believe that it is over!

We aren't sure if he is going to play rec soccer again!

That makes me sad, he is good and fast!!!

I hope he will change his mind, but if not,

it has been fun watching him grow in soccer!

He learned the most in these past 4 seasons

with Sarah than ever before!!!

Thanks Sarah!

Way to go Thunder!

Love you Dakota!!!

Now, It Makes Me Look Like a Girl!!!!

2009-05-11T20:34:00.001-05:00

Last night, we had AWANA store night.

Kru was so sweet and bought me a wiggly,

squishy bug looking thing, and gave it to me and said,

"Happy Mother's Day!"

Kru also bought a bunch of other toys and things...

One was this blue colored necklace that he really loved.

He put it on when we got home and asked me,

"Mom, do you like my beautiful necklace?"

Of course I told him I did.

"I like my necklace!"

and then...

all of a sudden it started blinking lights.

"Mom, now it makes me look like a girl!"

Hands on hips, tone in voice,

he was unimpressed!!!!

It was too cute and I had to tell ya about my sweet boy!

Well about 1 of my sweet boys!!!

Mommy Make Over

2009-05-08T17:35:00.003-05:00

Today at school was Mommy Make Over!

I arrived this afternoon and was welcomed into a transformed cafeteria by dimmed lights, soft music and a special chair just for me. After waiting just a little while, my stylist, Kye, handed me a "menu" to choose what procedure I would undergo.

Hair

Makeup

Massage

Manicure

Pedicure

I had it all!!!

He was so excited and super proud!

Wanting me to look my best, I received several rounds of blush, lipstick and eye shadow.

My toenails have never felt so wet before! ;)

Me and My Stylist

My Manicure in lovely purple

My Pedicure

My Makeup! Had some great eyes, goin' on!!! =)

When we were through, he presented me with a card with his toothless picture on the front of it and inside were a few things that he thought of about me. That is what follows:

My mother is the most wonderful Mom in the whole world!

She's as pretty as "a diamond."

She weighs "14" pounds.

She is "6 feet" tall.

Her favorite food is "soup."

Her favorite T.V. show is "Dancing with the Stars."

When my mom was little, she used to "pick flowers."

I think my mom looks funny when she "jumps on the trampoline."

I know my mom is angry when "I hurt Kru."

I wish my Mom and I could "go to the zoo" together everyday.

I wouldn't trade my mom for "my DS."

How sweet! And humorous!!!!!

My Two Front Teeth

2009-05-03T20:22:00.004-05:00

Kye had an eventful week last week!

On his birthday, the 29th, he lost 1 front tooth.

And then the next day at school, Mrs. B pulled the

other one, that was SUPER loose!!

It's crazy how different they look and sound!!!!

Fishing with Papa!!!

2009-04-30T07:49:00.005-05:00

Papa took Kye fishing on his birthday!

We let him miss school and he had a great day!

Using his new fishing pole (Papa's gift to Kye),

they had a successful time fishing!!

In less than an hour, they caught over 20

fish! Kye thought it was fabulous!

We have enjoyed having Papa visit!

And Kye is a definite fisherman!!!

Way to go buddy!!!

Happy Birthday Kye-Kye!!!!!

2009-04-29T07:40:00.009-05:00

7 years ago today

we had our second baby

and we named him Kye.

We had no idea how much

our lives would change and

be affected by this little man.

I love your individuality and your

enthusiasm for life!

I love to watch you sing to Jesus!

I love how you can remember animal facts better than anyone I know!

You make me laugh and smile!

You are a friend to anyone and love to make new friends wherever you go!!!

Being the tallest in your class doesn't bother you and you don't mind it when people think you are older than you are!

You are deeply loved and I'm proud of all the accomplishments you have made this year in Kindergarten!!!

Just yesterday, you lost your 2 front teeth! Another evidence of getting older!

I love you Kye-Kye!!!

I look forward to seeing what your 7th year of life brings and that I get to experience it along with you.

My prayer is that you will know how much Jesus loves you and that you will grow closer to Him each and everyday. That you won't lose your spunkiness and quarkiness that makes you, you!!! That you continue to know how much we love you!!!

Happy Birthday Kye!!!

I love you,

Mom =)

Pool Season 2009 Begins!!!

2009-04-21T22:10:00.002-05:00

Today, we went to the pool for the first time for the 2009 season!!!!

It was so great!!!

WE ARE SOOOO WHITE!!!!

I'm ready for a tan!!!!

Some friends were there to play with and it

made me so happy to know that summer

is just right around the corner!

But for now, we can spend our afternoons after school,

AT THE POOL!!!!

Dakota was there too, but had to leave for soccer

practice before I pulled out the camera!

The boys were exhausted and went to bed

so easily tonight!!!!

I LOVE THE POOL,

IT IS MY FRIEND!!! =)

A friend that I have missed and am thrilled

the pool is back into our everyday life!!!

YAY!!!!!!!

Come swim with us!!!!

Easter 2009

2009-04-15T08:37:00.012-05:00

We had a nice Easter this year.

The boys had Friday and Monday off, so it was a nice long weekend!

We began by coloring eggs on Friday night with Miss Mary.

We had a TON of eggs!!!!

Kru was a lot more focused this year and took his time. No more just tossing eggs into the cup!

By the end of the 6 dozen or so eggs, he was ready for bed!

Way to be using the spoon and not your hands Kru-man!

Miss Mary taking her time!

Cute eggs!

Such crazy kids!!!! =)

Saturday we just relaxed. Darrin took the boys to the park and I caught up on my scrapbooking that I haven't done in forever!!!

Easter morning the boys were up early to find their baskets! And then we went to church. The boys all heard the Resurrection Story and what Easter is really all about. I had the joy of serving in children's worship on Sunday and we sang, danced and retold the Easter story as well!!

In the afternoon, we went over to the house of a gillion girls and had an egg hunt with Diamond, Deisia, and Little Man! Miss DaVondria, Miss Heather, Miss Brittany, Shay, Darrin and I hid the eggs! The yard is HUGE! and the boys had fun searching for all of the eggs! Too much candy was eaten, for sure!

And then.....not sure how it began....a waterfight began! What started out with tiny waterguns turned into almost every trashcan in the house, a hose on the roof, pans and pitchers - full blown waterfight!!! The college age kids had no mercy on the littler kids! Almost everyone was soaked by the end. Darrin and I sat safely in the house, laughing and dry!!! I only have these 2 pictures because I knew if I ventured out to take even 1 outside, I would have been fair game! Just know that my 3 boys were soaked, dirty and rode home almost buck-naked!!!!

Darrin sneaking up from behind to surprise Dakota!

Kye and Mary filling up their pitchers!

(Yes, Mary's foot is broken!!!)

No snakes this Easter, but we had a wonderful day remembering what Jesus did for us and having fun with friends!!!

The Circus Came to College Station

2009-04-10T11:21:00.005-05:00

Yep! It's here this weekend!

And we went last night!!!

The plan was to make it a fun, family night!

We were going to meet a ton of friends from church!

We all bought tickets at the same time, so we

would all be in the same section!

FUN!

Well, only 3 out of the 5 Stephens ended up attending!

But Dakota, Kye and I had a good time!

(Kru threw a HUGE!!!! fit at supper and refused to eat.

We told him he had to eat if he wanted to go to the circus.

Obviously, that didn't happen!!!!)

Here a just a few shots from last night!

2 Clowns!

1 of my favorites, the elephants!

too bad my camera didn't take better pictures!!

Just a few of the peeps we sat with!

A Quick Trip to Corpus Cristi!!!

2009-04-09T10:58:00.008-05:00

Darrin had to go to Corpus Cristi to be a presenter at a convention. And we got to go with him!

Having never been down to Corpus, we were excited! The hotel was very nice and had a cool indoor/outdoor pool. Even though the wind was blowing and it was chilly that first day, the boys of course wanted to go in the pool!!!

The water was heated, but the air temp was chilly and the wind made it worse. Kru kept going from the baby pool to the hot tub! His whole body was shivering!
But, he wouldn't get in the hot tub the whole way cause it was super hot!!!!

While we waited for Darrin to finish his presentation, we went to the beach right there in Corpus. It was a much warmer day the 2nd day there and don't you know, the boys got wet!!!
Before we left, we headed to Mustang Island to check out the beach there.

Running along the beach!!!!

I LOVE Pelicans!!!!

There was a clean sand dune close to where we went onto the beach. The boys had a ton of fun running and rolling down it! We had sand everywhere!!!!!
Sand in places that the boys didn't even know they had! =)

So that was our quick trip to Corpus Cristi and we definitely will be going back!!!!

Spring Fling!

2009-04-06T12:30:00.003-05:00

Dakota went to his first dance!

I was excited!

Dakota was excited,

but I think I was more excited!!!

This was put on for the 6th grade right after school on Friday.

It wasn't a boy ask girl thing,

well.... I think that did happen,

but Dakota knew that was not an option for him!!!

In fact, the one and only slow song that they played, no one danced to! =)

I picked him up a little early to go out to a church families ranch!

As I walk into the school, I hear ACDC's "She Shook Me..." and I thought

hmmmm..... blast from the past!

They were having a dance-off by the time I arrived and one of Dakota's buddies, Cole, won.

They looked like they had a good time and it was fun! The main point! Fun!!

So no pictures of it!

He didn't want me to be there!

But I can still blog about it!!!!

He's growin' up!!!

Spring Break Video - The San Antonio Zoo

2009-03-30T11:24:00.003-05:00

Spring Break Video - The Riverwalk boat ride

2009-03-30T10:53:00.005-05:00

Spring Break Video - The Riverwalk boat ride

2009-03-30T10:34:00.006-05:00

Spring Break Video - Snake Farm

2009-03-30T10:11:00.004-05:00

Spring Break Video - The Alamo

2009-03-30T09:55:00.005-05:00

Bluebonnet Time!!!!

2009-03-25T21:46:00.005-05:00

I know I need to finish posting about our Spring Break, but I haven't had time.

Before I do, though, last Sunday after church, we went to take the infamous Texas Bluebonnets pictures!

I'm still going to try to get a better one of the boys and me, but their individual shots came out ok! We took a ton and these were the best ones! Between the sun and squinting, hands over eyes or in mouth and not having all 3 look and smile at the same exact time! Oi!!!!

I promise, the rest of spring break is coming soon!!!

Spring Break Fun!!!

2009-03-17T13:02:00.011-05:00

The boys are on Spring Break this week.

Darrin had to work Monday and Tuesday, but he has the rest of the week off.

So tomorrow morning we are headed to San Antonio for some fun!!!

We have big plans which include visiting the:

Snake Farm featured in Dirty Jobs,

San Antonio Zoo

the Alamo

the Riverwalk

and of course Sea World! (we have a special surprise for the boys!)

I will post pictures when we return! So check back!

However, we have already been having a ton of fun with our friends here at home! Every night we have been going to different parks to do different things! So here are a few pics from Spring Break nights in College Station!

Sunday night we met at Jason's Deli and ate supper and then went to Tanglewood Park for s'mores. It was very chilly!!!!

Last night, we met at Gabbard park. Fishing was a great time! Kye caught one and Kru almost caught one, then we all, adults and kids, played a great game of kick ball!!! Good times!!!

And then tonight, we went to Austin Colony Park to look for critters in the creek and play dodge ball! All of these nights with friends makes me very anxious for summer time!!!!!!

Baby Cade and Hudson watch from "safety"?????

We've had fun with friends at the parks in town, but now off to San Antonio!!! YAY!

Bowling Fun!

2009-03-16T11:39:00.003-05:00

We went to Reese's birthday party on Saturday and had a great time!

This was Kru and Kye's 1st time to bowl!

They both did really well and lasted 2 whole games!

Here is a little video of the boys with some of their friends!

Enjoy!

Swagbucks, what!?!

2009-03-05T11:03:00.002-06:00

More people look at this blog than my

personal one, so just wanted to give a

shout out about this!

You can read more about it here, but you

should definitely do it!!!

You already search the web, now do it

and earn $$$!

One of My Actors

2009-02-12T14:33:00.003-06:00

Dakota is in drama.

He loves it!

They recently received their 1st lip-sync songs.

He was in a duet with another boy synching to

"When the Sun Goes Down"

by Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker.

He was to do Uncle Kracker's part.

On Monday, they performed for the school during

their lunches. So he performed 4 times.

Darrin, Kru and I went for 2 of them.

He did great!!!

I wish I could get the video on here, it would be so much

better, but Darrin is working on it! So hopefully it will be

here eventually, but wanted to share these pictures!

His next is a duet with a girl!

And he has a solo and a speaking part in the

spring performance!

Go Dakota!!!

So proud!!!

Really Already!?!

2009-02-03T20:58:00.005-06:00

I had a voice mail the other day from a wonderful lady, Ms. Davis.

She was Kye's preschool teacher 2 years ago at Covenant Day School.

She was calling to confirm that I still wanted Kru in the 2009-2010

4 year old preschool class!

What!?!?

Really???

Is he really almost the age that Kye was when we first arrived in College Station???

and

YES! he is!!!

Isn't that incredible!

He will be 4 in June and will be going to school for 3 hours a day 3 days a week!!!

I had put his name on the list 2 years ago! And lucky I did, that was the only way that he was getting in! It's a great school and Kru will have a blast! And I love that I know the teachers!!!

It just overwhelmed me at how quickly time passes!

He was just learning to walk when we moved to College Station!

And now look at him!

Almost a preschooler!!!!

Crazy!!!

A Trip to the Zoo!!

2009-01-22T16:39:00.009-06:00

Monday, Martin Luther King Jr Day, we decided to go to Houston for the day to do some shopping and to eat at Red Robin (we don't have one here in town.) We also found out that the Houston Zoo was free on MLKJ day, so we added that to the agenda! Having never been to the Houston Zoo, we thought this was the perfect day to try it! So we left a little earlier and headed to the zoo!

If you know my Kye at all, he was stoked!!! We haven't been to a zoo since leaving Lincoln! 3 years is a long time to not see some animals! Actually, all of us were pretty excited about the day ahead!

Asian Elephants

Crawlin' through piranhas!!!!

The Reflection Pool, NOT a swimming pool, Kye!!!

My 3 Prairie Dogs!

Sittin' in an eagle's nest!

It was a good day!!!

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-06T09:36:00.009-06:00

Yes, I know it's a few days late, but this is how we spent our New Year's Eve! Just like last year, we went to church to play games, fellowship with friends and then right before midnight, we stopped and "counted down" and ushered in the new year, praising and praying! This is one of our favorite things that Living Hope does!!! Earlier in the day, Dakota wasn't feeling too hot and I wasn't sure if we'd be able to go. Dakota was so upset because this night was so fun! Kye got to come this year! And we'll see if Kru will make it next year?!

Tyler, Kye, Dakota and Anson

This is what I do!! Play Mexican Train for 4 hours!!

Me, Michelle, Cindy, Nichole, Becca, Kendra, Ashley(can't see) and Kathryn!

Butch having some fun with the boys!!!

Connor, Dakota and Anson

Dakota and his pal, Ariana!

Midnight

Can you honestly think of a better way to bring the new year?!

I'm so thankful for my church!!!

May God bless your 2009!!!

Christmas Review

2008-12-31T09:37:00.007-06:00

I figured I had better post about Christmas before the new year begins! So the following is a few snapshots of how we spent Christmas break! Darrin has been able to be home with us since the Tuesday before Christmas! Although I think he is ready to go back to work, it has been nice to have him around!

We stayed in College Station for the majority of the break except for a quick trip up to Fort Worth area to visit Darrin's sister and brother-in-law, Shelly and Dean. We have really been quite lazy and it has been wonderful!!!!

We made cookies (tons of cookies) and took them to a few friends and then we went to Central Park to look at the lights! We laid under the big "tree" and the boys spun around underneath it too! Playing board games, working puzzles, going to a few movies and watching Christmas specials has occupied most of our time!

The boys opened their stockings on Christmas Eve after we had read the Christmas Story and reminded ourselves again what the real meaning of Christmas is. We lit our final Advent candle and it looked so pretty!

We told the boys that they couldn't wake up before 7:00 a.m. and don't ya know that Dakota set his alarm and made sure that he woke up his brothers right at 7!

The only present Kru had asked for was a trampoline! When I took him to the mall to sit on Santa's lap, that is all he asked for. Santa asked, "What else do you want?" and Kru said nothing, just a tampoleeen. I wish you could hear him say it! It's so cute! So when the boys got up, they went directly to the back door to look in the yard to see if Kru got a trampoline!

Thanks to the grandparents, I think all 3 of them were shocked to see a trampoline in the backyard for real!!! Kye kept saying, "Kru, you really did get a trampoline!" Actually, it is for everyone and we all love it! Darrin and I put it together in the dark on Christmas Eve! A memory that will be etched in my mind forever! Good times!! :)

The other fabulous and most excited about gift was the Wii, from Uncle and ShelShel!!!

Making their Miis

(YES! I know this is sideways, but I don't have Photoshop on

my computer anymore and blogger won't let you change your

pictures like facebook or other sites, so you will have to deal!)

We were all sore the next day from playing the Wii and jumping on the tramp! Seriously, Darrin and I took Advil that night!!! :>) We are so old!!!!

All in all it has been a great Christmas break! Very laid back and relaxing. Dakota had saved all of his birthday money from October and on Friday, we went shopping and he bought a bunch of stuff for the Wii! I was excited because he got Guitar Hero with 2 guitars! I LOVE THAT GAME!!! :) I have enjoyed watching all 3 of my boys play together on the tramp and on the Wii, although Kru will take a while to really get that! But it's great to see them all play together! It makes me smile!

We hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas and we look forward to reading about your going ons in 2009!!!

What to do when....

2008-12-17T09:42:00.002-06:00

Kye can not seem to bring home his jackets from school.

So far this year he has lost a total of 5!

Almost everyday, since it has been cold here, he "loses" his jacket.

Yesterday, I went to school to check the lost and found!

YUK!

Can not tell you how many items there were on the stage and

thankfully I found 2 out of the 5 there.

Kye also found another one there too, so we scored a total of

3 out of 5 yesterday!

But then we begin again today with another one going to school!

So we will see how many I will have by tonight! :)

I have to check by Friday or our coats and jackets will be gone forever!

Oh my Kye-Kye!!!!

What will I do with him!?!? :)

IT'S SNOWING!!!!!

2008-12-10T16:06:00.010-06:00

YES!!!! It's TRUE!!!!

This is what we woke up to this morning!

A roof of snow and a little bit of white in the grass!

Darrin's truck had the most snow!

Kye told me this morning, that if we scraped all

the snow off of the all the roofs, we would

have enough to build a snowman!

It melted fairly quickly, and stopped by mid-morning,

but then this afternoon around 3:00,

it began again and even now as I type, it is still snowing!

Kye was so excited when he arrived home from school, that

he went to work gathering snow!

He gleaned as much as he could from the side of the driveway,

and then a neighbor was nice and let him wipe it off of her car!

It's snow, Texas style, so it's not really going to

be like we are building a snowman anytime soon,

BUT....

we are so thankful that we are seeing the white stuff!!!

Right now the flakes are big and falling gently and slowly!

Bizarre to have snow and a cold day here in College Station!!

BUT...

I LOVE IT!!!!

It makes me really feel as though it is Christmas time!

The boys just enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate

and I'm about the sip my coffee!!!

This is better than the teeny-tiny bit of snow we had last year!

I feel as though it is a blessed kiss & gift from Jesus

to us folk here in Texas!!!

Who cares if it isn't Christmas yet,

we will take snow whenever!!!!

Dakota's math teacher today let them go

outside and play in the snow for a bit!

Who doesn't love to try to catch snowflakes in

their mouths, seriously!!!

YAY, SNOW!!!!

Pictures from later that night!

The boys were hopeful for no school the next day,

but no such luck!

The most snow we have seen in 3 years!!!