Spring Break

We had a great Spring Break.  Kenny and I were able to take some time off late in the week with the kids and head to the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham.  We had a great time as some good freinds were able to join us.

After our visit to Brenham, we headed to College Station for a weekend of Aggie Baseball.  Jackson enjoyed running on the field with Brandon for every game that weekend.

On Saturday, we had lunch at the Dixie Chicken.  Kenny and I spent more than our fair share of time there as students, so we wanted to share it with the kids.  As he was eating his burger, Jackson proclaimed, "I LOVE this place!"  I was one proud Momma!  The kids also liked looking at the snake.  We also spent some time in Bottle Cap Alley.

Most weekends, we don't get to explore our old haunts, so this was a special day for us.  The kids still ask to go back to the Chicken.  We'll have to do that again this spring.

Spring Sports

Both kids were involved in sports during the spring.  Jackson played Flag Football while Jordan had fun playing soccer.  Kenny did a great job coaching both teams.

Got that flag!!!

Better Late than Never

So, I'm back... at least for now.  Life's been pretty busy, but everyone is busy, so I really don't have an excuse.  So hopefully I can catch up and make up for the last 8 months.  Yikes!  8 months!!!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is looking forward to a great New Year!  For selfish reasons, I'll be trying to add some 2012 posts so that I have a decent snapshot of our year.  So, here we go!

My lapse started in mid-April when I went to The Hague, The Netherlands for my work.  It was my first time in Europe, and it was great.  I'd be lying to say I wasn't nervous about the long flight and being away from my family for so long.  But, it was great for my career.  I was there for a full week, and really only saw the inside of the Shell offices and my hotel with a few restaraunts along the way. 

On our last full day, we were able to sneak away mid-afternoon and visit a famous tulip farm called Keukenhopf.  We were there at the peak of tulip season and it was just breathtaking.  These pictures don't do it justice, but I had to share my favorites.

This first pic was taken on our way to the farm.  These were tulip fields that I can only relate to rice/cotton/milo fields from home.

RodeoHouston!

We've been on Spring Break this week, so there's been lots of fun going on!  Monday, we went to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  Boy, did we have fun.  This was Jordan's first time to go.  We took Jackson to the Livestock show when he was 1, and then he went on a field trip last year.  Neither had been to a real-life rodeo, so this was all new to them.

We started the day by touring AgVenture.  They had a birthing center with lots of animals being born. Here are the baby chicks.  This was Jordan's favorite.

The kids also collected trading cards from each center to learn more about each display.  Here's Jackson petting a bunny.

They also liked milking the cow!

Then it was time for Fun on the Farm.  They harvested fruits and vegetables, eggs and milk and sold it at market.  With their money, they bought a snack.  I loved this one as much as they did.  It was so cute and fun.

Then, it was off to the carnival.  Where they rode and rode and rode.

The tea cups were voted the favorite!!!

In between rides, we watched Muttin Bustin' and the Pig Races.  Sadly, the A&M pig didn't win his race.  But we moved on and rode more rides.

The afternoon flew by and we headed to the rodeo.  Jordan just didn't understand why someone would want to rope a baby cow.  I had to explain to her several times that they weren't being hurt.  We had great seats and were 10 rows behind the bullriding chutes.  Jackson LOVED the bullriding.  And on Monday, not one cowboy rode the full 8 seconds.

Then it was time for the Zac Brown Band.  They were so, so, so good!!!  I loved the show.  Jordan informed me that she was bored, but quickly got over it when they sang a fast-paced song and everyone stood up to dance.  She loved that part!!!

The kids were already asking to come back to the rodeo before we even left.  We all had such a good time.

The Calm Before the Storm?

So there hasn't been a whole lot going on around our house these days.  Of course, we have the normal school/work/daycare craziness from day to day, but I've loved having our weekends at home with no commitments.  The kids play with the neighbors and we get some projects done around the house.  I feel like it's the calm before the storm because things are starting to get busy.  Jordan will start soccer soon and Jackson will start flag football again.  And we always enjoy watching our niece and nephews play baseball in the spring, from College Station to El Campo.

My Uncle Frank has been in the hospital, so my cousins Sharla and Shari have stayed with us a few nights.  The kids have loved that because they get to "camp out" in the game room.  After lots of prayers, he's starting to do a lot better!

Valentine's Day was a good day too.  I baked lots of cookies for a couple of orders in New Orleans and then I put them in my sister in law, Gayle's flower shop.  That was interesting because I wasn't sure if they would sell or not.  Well, all but 3 boxes sold.  Yay!  You can see them by clicking my Busy Bee link on the left side over there.  Kenny helped deliver flowers for Gayle also.  He always comes home with lots of pretties for us at the end of the day.

No pictures, unfortunately, but hopefully next time!

It's Been A While and Star Student!

So I haven't posted since Christmas.  I don't have a real reason other than the usual, work, kids, family, etc...  So I'm back.  Hopefully for good.

January started good as the Aggies won their bowl game.  We had a great time watching the game at Carla and Martin's that we didn't wanna leave.  We ended up staying there to ring in the new year.  It was tons of fun, and the kids had a  blast popping fireworks with their cousins.  Sorry, no pictures of that.  I guess I forgot my camera at home.

During January, Jackson was Star Student for a week at school.  On Monday, he took a decorated box to school, and his classmates left him notes and drew pictures for him.  One little girl said she loved him.  Hmmmm, gotta keep an eye on her. 

On Tuesday, he started the day by leading the pledge and prayers over the intercom.  Then he took a poster to school that had pictures all about him.  He then presented it to the class.  Then he got to answer 5 questions.  One question was why he liked the Aggies so much.  Haha!  He said that was his favorite team!  You all know he doesn't have a choice! ;-)  The morning ended with me reading a few of Jack's favorite books to his class.  He was so sweet and just loved having his dad, sister and me visit his class.

Christmas Day

We were all still a little overwhelmed with all the presents we got on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.  BUT, we were ready for more!  We headed to Aunt Gayle's and Uncle Mark's to celebrated Christmas Day with the Priesmeyer family.  After having a Mexican feast on Christmas Eve, we were ready for the Italian feast we would have for lunch that day.  It was absolutely fantastic!!!

As always, everyone is so generous.  Look at all those gifts!  And there were still two families that hadn't arrived yet!

Jackson and Nik were glued to Skylanders.  That is really a great game!

After lunch, it was time to open presents.  And the chaos ensued!!!

Trevor gave Melissa this giraffe for her baby's nursery.  She was lucky to get it out the door!

Then it was time for family photos.

When Mike got dressed in his uniform, Jackson got all starry-eyed and asked him for a picture.  It was too cute!

The little girls would be gone for hours at a time it seemed.  I went upstairs and found this...  Kristen and Meghan have a great Polly Pocket collection!!!

The rest of the evening was spent eating, drinking, visiting and playing games.  It was a great time!