Spring Has Sprung?

When did this happen? I was driving down town last week and the tulips were in full bloom...everywhere. Tulips are beautiful, but it got me thinking - after spring is summer (logically), I'M NOT READY FOR HOUSTON SUMMERS! I went straight home to devise my plan for remaining clam and comfortable in the heat. I drew out the floor plan of our home, labeling the air vents and then indicating where the fans need to go. If I have calculated correctly, 37 oscillating fans, give or take, running on med-high (high is just annoying) 24/7 should adequately cool at least the top floor of the home.

On a more serious note, Grand Forks is already taking the necessary precautious in the event that The Flood of '97 repeats itself. Record snow falls with more on the way. Please pray for a s-l-o-w thaw for these folks! (Remember showing up at school for the day just to be checked in and then to be bussed to homes or warehouses to sandbag all day? How's that for a story to tell the Grandkids?)

Let the Games Begin

Rather let the road trip I hope is all fun and games begin. :) The three of us left Wednesday afternoon for Omaha. Joe would be flying in on Friday morning.

To make it easy on everyone, my mom graciously gave us her hotel points so we could break up the drive a bit. We are in no position to be buying hotel rooms. Thanks Mom!

-- A call to say goodnight to Papa after we went for a swim in the outdoor pool at the Hilton in Oklahoma City. Still called "Welcome Home City" by my little lady. I think it is so cute that when she doesn't know a word, she just uses the next closest thing she does know. Yesterday we were reading about a kangaroo (new to her); he quickly became a jumping giraffe. Raymond's dog Scout was renamed Scallop, and then of course there is still my all time favorite, the Princess 'Sin-umbrella.'
The drive up was wonderful / flawless. The kids were better than one could ask. We had dinner and good conversation Thursday night with Grandma Chris.

Friday we sent the morning at Bounce U in Omaha. Boston can hardly wait to get up and chase after Cambry.





We picked up Papa Joe at the airport around noon and then stopped at his old Flemings for a surprise visit. To the left is a photo for the kids with Aunt Pat. They adore her; she was very sad to see us leave Omaha.



This is a group photo of the gang from the Flem. I decided I was best to cut me out; I was too close to the camera and looked funny.













Boston was thrilled to have Mommy in the back seat while Papa and Grandmas rode up front.





Grandma Chris took us to the favorite place (OCB) on Friday night. It is really not our favorite place, but it is Cambry's, and she eats well there too - for free. We have yet to find a replacement in Houston.









Friday night I went to see Satchel Grande with Matt; Joe met friends out.


Saturday was a 2+ hour drive for Michael's funeral. Here is a link to his obituary if you are interested. http://www.dorrandclark.com/obituaryDetails.asp?obitID=483
He was a great man and a wonderful friend. We considered him a member of our family; he will be deeply missed.

After a quick visit, the three of us packed up to start heading home on Sunday. Here is Cam taking a ride to the car in Grandma's cart.

Thanks for taking such good care of us Grandma! Hope to see you again soon!







**Turns out I don't care for this new photo / text format and won't be using it again.

A Few of Our Favorite Things

We went to the park in Katy again this week. We love it there! It can be a half hour stop or an all day adventure. This particular trip we had saved the crust from Cambry's toast and sandwiches for an entire week, and had stocked up what we thought was a significant amount of duck feed. We were mistaken; the big birds were on the hunt and they brought with 30 or so of their closest friends. After one nearly took Cambry's finger, I put her up on this rock to feed them. (She gets so excited, even when they are aggressive. She's brave.)After getting Cambry safely up to higher ground, I looked over at Boston who was laughing hysterically. This duck (pictured below), closely resembling a mammoth turkey was pecking at Boston's lap for food. At least my kids are entertained right?

The best big sister ever...and he eats is right up. :)

We went to gymnastics Wednesday just before heading out of town. Here is our little dare devil 'bear walking' on the parallel bars. Oh, and again, she and Raymond were too cute. He was helping her at the water fountain, and she was waiting in line at the rings for them and then calling all the way across the gym for him to go ahead of her. How precious!

Reflections of a Cowgirl in the Making

Cowgirl in the making? You thought because she is her mother's daughter that she was born a cowgirl. :) Well it turns out; Cambry currently believes cowgirl is something you put on, not something you are. So here she is, with her cowgirl on. lol. This is Buckshot, Bucky. The second horse is Daisy.

This is a shot of the trail riders on the second to last day of their 281 mile ride into Houston. This is the day we made our own parade, over and over again. It was thrilling!

The second time we watched the Salt Grass Trail Ride pass, the riders had to stop for traffic. We ran down the line to find Daisy and Bucky. The ride had to stop long enough from Cambry to take another ride on Bucky, this time with Grandma Sissy. We saw her and Bucky ride the next day in the Houston Rodeo Parade. I think she was thrilled to have cheerleaders yelling her name from the curb as she rode by. She lit up. She is such a warm and wonderful woman; we will look for her every year from now on.

These are the mules that pulled their wagon. Grandmas Sissy boasted about how incredible they were. She said they even know how to parallel park - amazing.

Here is my beauty waiting for the trail ride to come by.

Tuesday night we took Papa Joe to Bounce U for a little fun. This slide had to have been 20 ft. high - really. Check out the faces on both of them. (Click to enlarge if you like) Papa went twice and then it was all me. After multiple deep breaths, I was able to put my extreme fear of heights to the side for the sake of childhood memories.

My little bear is getting so big. He is nearly 5 months now. I love watching him explore - force huge objects all the way into his mouth. He is still as happy as ever. He has gained 2 whole lbs. since his four month well check. Yes, we are adding cereal to his diet this week, for sure. Formula is terribly fattening. (Seriously, there are studies linking it's consumption to childhood obesity.) He did grow an inch and a half too so I am sure he is fine. Mother's worry so, as I am sure you know. He is rolling! Go Boston! And he has a new found love for the volumes he can reach with his voice. There still is nothing better than getting down and super silly with Mommy - having a good laugh. Unless of course there is an option to sit snuggled in Papa's arms and watch Sports Center.

We had Joe's new partner's family over for dinner the other night. We all had great food and great company. It was a relaxing evening for the new place opens up. More pictures of the new restaurant to come soon. It is almost finished. Joe is done hiring on his end - heart of the house, and he is already arranging his kitchen.

Our Princess and Her Hair - Part 2

Another take on the Lattice Ponies

Power Piggies

The Coveted Curls

Friday Fun

It was 89 degrees in Houston today! We spent the day chasing horses. The Rodeo trail rides have been heading into town the last couple of days. We followed the paths, parked, and stood on the side of the road to wave. In particular we were looking for Daisy, Buckshot, and Grandma Sissy, two horses and their owner. Cam got to ride Daisy and Bucky yesterday when we accidentally bumped into the riders having a lunch break. Lots of the riders recognized us today; Cam was so proud. The kept calling out "Hey pretty cowgirl!" and commenting how they liked her boots. She is fascinated by the horses. I didn't think to take a video until the very end. None-the-less, here is a short clip of her dancing and waving. The next clip is of my Bubble Boy. He is quite the talker, and singer, lately. He has also found his feet. Thank goodness it is almost warm enough not to need those little sockies anymore. :)

It's Been a Long Time

I can not believe I have not posted in over two weeks. I have several posts below to make up for my absence. I meant to post Friday. After I started editing my photos, I got caught up playing around with virtual photographer, and …well, it’s Saturday night and I am just now getting around to it. I think I procrastinate posting because I try to have something entertaining to say each time. The following posts are just updates and photos; I will try to be more entertaining next time. Here are of a couple of cool photo edits I came up with.

Thanks for checking in with us! Talk to you all soon.

Always Lovin' Life

"Check out my first hairdo guys."

February Brings Normalcy

Papa Joe is back from his long trip to Austin, the new restaurant is coming along great, and he has already hired half his staff. This is a photo from the night he came home.

Boston rode in the stroller for the first time a the zoo a couple of weeks ago. The view is great from down there he says.

We play outside everyday, even if just for a bit. Most days we drive 20 or more minutes to the park. Two months ago there is not very much I would have driven that far for. It's all prespective I guess. If you are willing to drive a bit there are some really awesome parks in our area of Houston.

We started going to Mommy and Me gymnastics too. Cambry loves this! She tells me everyday how great school is. (She just goes Tues and Thur mornings for now.) I am not completely crazy about the place, but then again, my standards are way higher than most. I haven't found a job yet that either brings home more than what full-time childcare costs or has hours when Joe is not working. (He works morning till night most days.) And no, no offers on the house yet. We are still hopeful in all areas, knowing everything will work out somehow. We are all making lots of new friends; we feel at home here.

Grandma Cindy visits for Valentine's Day

Boston had his 4 month well check the week before Valentine's Day. He is now 25 1/2 inches and 14lbs. 8oz. Cambry was 15lbs. 4oz. and 26 inches. He is completely formula fed now; I lost my milk during the move. He has made it all winter without a cold or ear infection - knock on wood. Cambry had had two by this point, if I remember right. He is still a really laid back baby, loves to laugh and be a part of every conversation. He is working on rolling, and is really good with his hands - passing toys back and forth.

Grandma Cindy flew here to visit over Valentine's weekend. We had a very memorable time at the Build a Bear Workshop on Valentine's night. Cambry built herself a turtle and a darling little bear for Boston. We had to wait in line for about a hour - but it was well worth it.

I don't know why some of my photos are stuck this way - sorry.

Our Princess and Her Hair

I have really been into styling (if you can call it that) Cambry’s hair now that we have grown it out a bit. She loves to play in a sink full of water and chat with me while I work on a style. She even has special requests now and then. I imagine this will be something we will bond over for a long time to come. The other day as we got out of the car to visit Papa at work, she said, “How do I look? … Do you think Papa will think my hair is pretty?” Yes, she is quite the lady. :) Her hair is still rather short and very fine, so we are a bit limited for now. Here are a couple of do’s from the last couple weeks.

A Day at the Roller Rink

We went roller skating for the first time on Friday morning. We had such a great time together. The smallest skate they make is a toddler 8 - a perfect fit for my little lady. I spent the first hour trying to teach her how it was done. Boston was in the umbrella stroller, and Cambry and I pushed him around together. This was the best technique in helping her feel comfortable. She managed to do pretty well on her own towards the end of our outing. I was sooo proud of her! We will definately go again soon.