Christmas Card Photo Attempt

As was attempted last year, we attempted to get a shot of Meme and Poppy with the grandkids for their Christmas card.  While Meme and Poppy were getting ready, I had the chance to get a few pictures of Luke and Megan. 

I love this picture of Luke.  I was able to snap it at just the right time and think it turned out great. 

Megan was being a goof ball.  She wouldn’t sit in front of the pond, so I snapped a few pictures while she was acting like a monkey and swinging around on Meme and Poppy’s swing by the washer pit. 

I wasn’t able to get a picture of Megan and Luke both looking at me.  Luke is looking at Ruth who was jumping around behind me trying to force a smile from Luke. 

This isn’t the best picture, but it’s my favorite!  I love the way Luke is looking at Megan. 

Merry Thanks-mas!

While we were in San Antonio for the Thanksgiving week, we celebrated Christmas with my parents, brothers, sisters-in-law and nephew.  The year that Jarrad and I got married, we started spending every other Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family – alternating the years from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  It has worked out perfectly! 

Thursday morning, we opened gifts after Kyle got to the house from working around 11:30am.  We usually take turns opening gifts, but this year was more of a free for all.  I don’t think I even saw Meg open all her gifts. 

Everyone was completely spoiled (again) and had a great Christmas. 

***Luke snuggling up to Jarrad***

***Meg got a Looney Tunes collection from Meme and Poppy***

***Megan playing with her v-Tech reader from Meme and Poppy***

***Meg got her very own bow & arrow from Kyle and Sheryl this year***

We had an amazing week!  I was sad when it was time to pack the car up and head back to Mansfield.  But, I start a new job on Monday and Meg starts a new before and after school program.  We needed to get home so we could get settled back in for the changes we are about to face. 

She loves her roller blades!

Meme and Poppy bought Meg a pair of roller blades for her birthday this year at her request.  Back in February, Meg tried on a pair at Sports Authority and instantly wanted them.  Jarrad and I told her that we would not buy them for her until she learned to ride her bike.  It worked out because she started riding her bike in May, which gave her a few months to get good at that. 

While Meme and Poppy were visiting, we took Megan up to Academy to pick out her birthday present.  Meme wanted to make sure that we got her the ones that she wanted.  Meme let her open them at her birthday party on Saturday. 

Sunday afternoon, I took Megan and Rebekah around the neighborhood on their roller blades.  Meg’s first outing on her roller blades went well, but she held my hand the whole time.  Monday after school, Meg was super excited to get her roller blades back on and didn’t want my help this time.  She rolled back and forth across the driveway a few times and then she went out to the street.  I was shocked at how much confidence she had gained in just one day. 

  

Of course, she fell a few times, but it’s all part of the process.  I’m sure she’ll fall a lot more over her years.  Thankfully her fall was broken by her protective gear that Meme and Poppy also gave her. 

She’s still super excited about roller blading!  This smile says it all.  

Stay tuned for a post about skating lessons :)

Labor Day - Party

Meme & Poppy had a party Labor Day weekend at the house.  It was a GREAT party.  Everyone visited, we ate AMAZING bar-b-q, swam, laid out and pitched washers.  Meg was so excited that some of the guys swam with her – they let her climb all over them. 

***Meg & Poppy***
 

Tuffy is one of mom and dad’s oldest friends.  Dad and Tuffy went to High School together.  I have so many childhood memories with Tuffy in them.  Watching Meg and him play in the pool brought back so many of those memories.  Tuffy was always willing to get in the lake with us when we were little kids to let us stand on his shoulders or to throw us.  I’m so thankful that Meg will have memories with him too. 

***Tuffy & Megan***
 

***Meg & Uncle Kyle***    

***Meg, Parker & Meme watching the washer games*** 

The weekend in San Antonio was perfect.  We all had a GREAT time. 

Family Vacation 2010 {Part Seven}

Jarrad had to leave out on Monday, so before his flight, we went to the Texas State Aquarium.  Jarrad, Megan, Kyle, Sheryl, and I headed into Corpus after breakfast. 

Meg was very excited about going to the aquarium.  Kyle and Sheryl had been to the aquarium before, I was so excited to experience it thru Megan’s eyes. 

***Meg at the entrance***

***Meg with a turtle***
 

***Kyle, Sheryl & Meg***
 

***Isn’t this guy cute***
 

***Meg, looking at the alligator***
 

***Meg and Daddy touching stingrays***
 

***Meg loved, loved, loved this dolphin***
  

***Kyle, Meg, Mommy & Daddy***

***The Family***

***Meg and the otter that Uncle Kyle bought her***

We had a wonderful time at the aquarium.  After the aquarium, we had to take Jarrad to the airport.  We were sad to see him go home a day early, but it was important for him to get back home to see one of his oldest friends that was in town for the day on Tuesday. 

After dropping Jarrad off, we headed back to the house in Port A for our last afternoon of vacation.  The wind was so bad that we decided to head to one of the pools instead of fighting the “breeze” at the beach.  We had a wonderful afternoon.

Monday night, we cooked burgers and stayed in.  After dinner the Boones/Koppes came over and we sat out on the balcony telling more stories and laughing.  It was a perfect ending to the perfect family vacation!

Tuesday morning, we had to pack up and head back to the real world!  I was so sad to leave, but am glad we have such great memories.  I hope that family vacation is something we will do as the years go on! 

Family Vacation 2010 {Part Six}

Sunday evening, we headed over to the Boone/Koppes place for a shrimp fry.  The food was great, the company was even better. 

My parents have known Brenda since high school.  The Boone Boys (Landon, Ryan and Justin) are the same ages and my brothers and I.  Landon and I are the oldest (three weeks apart), Ryan and Taylor (five weeks apart) and Justin and Kyle (five months apart).  I don’t have many childhood memories that don’t include the Boones. 
That evening, we cooked, visited, laughed, ate, drank, laughed some more, and told stories.  Some stories were true, some were half truths, some were plain old lies. 

For instance, one of the lies that may have come up involved the accusation of me biting Landon when we were little kids.  It is believed that I bit Landon when we were little kids because he stole my plastic donut.  The story claims that I bit Landon on the forehead and left teeth marks.  Believe what you will, I claim my innocence. 

Megan fell completely in love with Ryan.  One point while dinner was being fried up, I went looking for Megan.  I found her, Ryan and Emmy dog swinging in the hammock on the balcony.  It was such a great photo opportunity.  They looked like they were solving all the world’s problems….knowing Meg and Ryan, they were. 

Sunday was a GREAT night.  Nothing is better than good food and GREAT friends. 

Last post to come soon :)

Family Vacation 2010 {Part Five}

Sunday was day three for family vacation.  After we got moving on Sunday morning, we headed back down to the beach.  Meg couldn’t wait to get back down to the beach for some more fun in the sun and surf. 

The wind was HORRIBLE that day, but we all still managed to have a great time.  Since it was Sunday, the beach was pretty vacant.  We had so much fun. 

 

***Meg, Poppy, Luke and Taylor***
 

 

***Luke and Megan***

 

***Making a sandcastle***
 

 

***Beautiful Meg***

One of the things that Megan loved doing was sitting on the boogie board while someone helped her up and over the waves.  We did this for hours and hours.  I think we all took turns before the day was over. 

***Meg and Kyle***
 

 

***Meg and Mommy***

 

***Beautiful Megan***

Sunday night, we did a shrimp fry with the whole group.  More to come :)

Family Vacation 2010 {Part Four}

Saturday night, after a fun filled day at the beach, the adults left our kids with the grandparents and decided to go out to dinner and then headed to a club.  Dinner was great, but the real fun began at Sharkey’s. 

Being the “grown ups” that we are, we got to the bar super early.  Which actually worked in our favor because we got a great table right at the dance floor.  We had great laughs!  There was poetry in the women’s bathrooms, very interesting people watching, a dancing couple that were really good… 

…but, nothing could compare to Wonder Woman’s retarded cousin :)  This woman was dressed to impress for a night out on the town!  She had on a black pleather mini skirt with a zipper all the way up the front, a red halter top that was interesting.  To top the outfit off, she was wearing bright read rain boots.  We referred to her as Wonder Woman’s Retarded Cousin (WWRC). 

 

Ruth and I managed to squeeze in a few dances before the night was over.  We kept laughing because we would get so tired dancing – we just can’t hang like we once could :) 

We didn’t shut down the bar, but had a great time still!  Still more to come on our vacation. 

Family Vacation 2010 {Part Three}

Here is a short video of Meg on her boogie board.  She had hours of fun riding the waves!

Family Vacation 2010 {Part Two}

Saturday morning, we were all up pretty early.  We made breakfast, loaded up the truck with all of our tents, chairs, coolers and beach toys and made our way down to the beach.  Kyle & Sheryl drove Kyle’s truck down so we wouldn’t have to lug all of our stuff down the boardwalk. 

***Meg, Poppy & Luke*** 

Meg, Poppy, Meme, Ruth, Taylor, Luke, Jarrad and I walked down to the beach.  We managed to get there before Kyle and Sheryl, so we took Meg out into the ocean for her first time.  She wasn’t sure at first because there was tons of seaweed, but she put on a brave face and let daddy carry her out there. 

***Meg and Jarrad walking into the ocean***    

Taylor and Ruth brought a small blow up pool for Luke.  It worked out perfectly, he loved playing in it while we were out there. 

***Luke and Meg playing in the pool***

***Adorable Luke***

After all the tents were set up and our “nest” was made, Jarrad and I took Megan out into the ocean to splash around.  She loved every minute of it. 

Poppy brought two boogie boards, so we got her out there on one.  She had an absolute blast riding the boogie board.  She’s so light that she could ride a good wave all the way in.  I was able to get a few videos and will post them soon. 

All-in-all, I would say that our first day at the beach was great.  Meg was one tired little girl by the time we headed in for the night.  Once we got back to the house from the beach, she showered and went straight to bed.  This was at 5:00pm.  She slept thru the night. 

Saturday night the adults went out to dinner and left the kiddos with their grandparents.  More to come about that wonderful night.