A day in the life of the Cates family

Rockin' Out

2012-01-13T21:52:00.000-06:00

Grace is rockin' her new jeans...Thomas is rockin' organization... Asa is rockin' the farm...

Mama's not looking

2012-01-10T21:44:00.000-06:00

Asa: "Hey, Thomas, Mama's not looking! Let's play on the computer! Thomas: Hey, Asa, Mama's not looking! Let's go empty out her drawers for her!
It's just about time for me to grow those "eyes in the back of my head" that everyone is always talking about....

Doggy door

2012-01-08T11:29:00.000-06:00

We've been doing our Spring Cleaning a little early. This has included many little projects, repairs, and updates. One such project is a doggy door in the laundry room. I'm pretty sure the boys are getting more use out of it than the animals, though!

My studly man

2012-01-03T22:05:00.000-06:00

I love this picture of Eric....I know that's weird because there is a dead animal in the photo, but nonetheless, I think he is super cute. So glad I'm his wife.

New Years Eve 2011

2012-01-01T09:50:00.000-06:00

We got to celebrate New Years Eve with the Shortino and Robert families! It was a fun time AND we played this fun game called Dictionary. I slaughtered my friends. It was SO fun!

Catching up with the Beardens

2011-12-30T21:18:00.002-06:00

We left Coppell SUPER early on December 26th for Albuquerque to see the Bearden family! I was so, so excited to see Daisy (and so were the boys apparently!!):Bobby, Eric, Noah, and Grace had a fun day of skiing during our stay, but we mostly just all hung out and caught up. They are always such gracious hosts and we always feel right at home. We decided to end our trip by heading to Carlsbad to Daisy's parents' house. (And we figured out that Daisy's hospitality is hereditary!) We took the kids to Carlsbad Caverns while the babies slept. It was amazing! The entire time we were down there, I kept thinking of Psalm 139:8: "If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there." Even way down deep, where absolutely no light can be seen, God was there...it was absolutely beautiful, and I found myself amazed at God's creation. Kim and Ron were so great and watched the kids while we had an adult dinner of cat...errr...chicken at Daisy's favorite dive. Meanwhile, the kids had their own room and had quite a fun time hanging out together:Our time always flies by with them, and I was sad to drive away. I'm so thankful for real friends...no matter how far they move away from me I will still stalk them and go for frequent visits. =)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T21:02:00.001-06:00

Christmas was wonderful. We were surrounded by people we love, celebrating the birth of our Savior!
Grace was excited to see that Santa came!! The boys checked out what Santa brought, but mainly wanted to know why there wasn't any milk in those cups!Our little family The annual Christmas morning cousin pic!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T23:41:00.000-06:00

What a wonderful day! First, I got to see two of my oldest and dearest friends (this is not flattering of any of us...trust me, we're hotties!) Then, I got to listen to my very best (and cutest) husband read the Christmas story to our 3 precious little babies.

I am so thankful for all my many blessings, but friendship and family outshine almost all the others. Thank you, God, for the wild abundance of love you lavish me with!

Oh, the possibilities!

2011-12-23T22:38:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-22T22:20:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas...from our family to yours!!

Alecom Christmas Party

2011-12-22T22:19:00.000-06:00

We left Thomas & Asa at the Shortinos for a nap and headed to Alecom for the Christmas party. We ate yummy Mexican food, visited, and watched the kids play. Uncle Jeff and his girls... Jeff, Christy, me, and Eric

No Words

2011-12-21T10:15:00.000-06:00

Last night we went to Eric's parents house to have an early Christmas dinner. Little did I know we'd be dining with these two studs:The manliness must run in the family. Check out this bearded lady:

Cates Family Christmas 2011

2011-12-19T10:08:00.000-06:00

Last night we went to Eric's parents for the annual Christmas party with all the extended family. It was lots of fun! I didn't get to visit too much because Thomas was a little overwhelmed with such a big group. We stayed a little late and Grace got to open some special birthday gifts...which she was thrilled with! The boys visiting with Pawpaw and Aunt Sandy

The Cates boysMy pretty little birthday girl!

SEVEN!

2011-12-18T13:33:00.001-06:00

My sweet angel baby, Grace, is seven years old today!!! I am overwhelmed sometimes by how much I love that little cutie. She has grown into such a beautiful young lady, inside and out, and I am so very proud to be her mama. Happy birthday, Grace! I love you oh so much!!!

Early celebration!

2011-12-17T23:30:00.000-06:00

Grace got to celebrate her birthday a little early tonight at Ole's with the Shortino girls. We feasted on yummy Mexican food and then had cupcakes to finish off the night!

First Haircut

2011-12-16T23:09:00.000-06:00

Today was exciting...and traumatic! My handsome men got their very first haircut today! And they did great!

THOMAS:Pretty funny...he kept looking down, wondering where all that stuff was coming from!
ASA:Asa clapped for Thomas...little did he know that his turn was up next!
Now they both look like little men...big boys...time flies by way too fast!

Rain

2011-12-14T21:03:00.002-06:00

My sweet Asa is crawling all over the place. Today it rained all day long. Asa crawled to the back door repeatedly to watch the rain fall. It was so sweet and he had such wonder on his face...I had to capture the moment.

It's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas...

2011-12-10T23:41:00.000-06:00

Tonight was our annual Christmas party and ornament exchange with our Sunday School class. It is always a good time with fabulous friends! (And look at these studs in their super classy ensembles! wow!) AND I'm pretty sure I got THE very cutest ornament...

Naughty

2011-12-09T13:10:00.000-06:00

Look who was caught trying to sneak a peek at his Christmas presents!!! He even managed to pull the tape back! Isn't he too young for present shaking??!

(This photo was taken in great haste and isn't the best quality--which is why it is so small! But I still had to share it!)

Blue Eyes

2011-12-09T10:23:00.000-06:00

This sweet little baby boy isn't feeling so great. He has been wheezing and now we are doing breathing treatments around the clock. Poor guy. I'm ready for him to feel better!

Dear Santa

2011-12-08T21:17:00.000-06:00

Grace's class got to go the high school to write letters to Santa Claus with the help of some high school students. She had so much fun! She was one of a few of the children that got interviewed!

Her high school "buddy"The letter she wrote! So cute!

Dinosaur Pajamas

2011-12-06T14:05:00.000-06:00

Nani & Grandpa got us new pajamas for our birthday and look how cute we are in them:

Green shirt

2011-12-05T12:58:00.000-06:00

I just looked back at my past few posts and realized the green shirt make appearances in all of them! If People magazine had its sights on these guys it would be in the "I really love my...." section! They both look so handsome in this color, and it IS December, after all!

Excitement!

2011-12-03T09:41:00.000-06:00

Two exciting things happened yesterday: Aunt Blane came for a quick visit...

and Abby the guinea pig (Grace's class pet) got to come home with us for the weekend!

Cowlick Cutiepie

2011-12-01T17:38:00.000-06:00

ONEderful birthday!

2011-11-27T12:48:00.001-06:00

My special little men are one and we needed to celebrate!! There is only so much you can do for a birthday celebration in which those being celebrated are oblivious to the fact that there's a party! So in efforts to be a good mommy, I made them a special cake: And I made them special birthday hats:

They love them...can't you tell?! Ha! (I kept seeing these adorable hats on Pinterest and Etsy, but just refused to pay $30 each for them! So I busted out the cereal boxes and revved up my glue gun. I added each of their names with my monogram machine and VOILA! So easy!)

Once the tears subsided, we lit two little candles for two very special little guys:They poked and prodded their cakes...and even stared it down... but no one really wanted to eat it! So I busted out the Cheerios and got this party started!! We did eventually cut the cake into pieces and both boys tried some!

We took a family picture and then it was time to open presents!!

Asa was into it! And Thomas even came around once he saw that he could get into everything and not get into trouble! Thanks to big sister, Grace, for helping blow out the candles and open the gifts!!We loved celebrating these beautiful boys with family and friends! Happy birthday, Thomas & Asa! We love you to the moon and back!

Post Thanksgiving Visitors!

2011-11-25T23:28:00.002-06:00

I was so, so excited for Kristen to drop by with her super cute kiddies! We got in a quick visit and the kids got to play for a bit. It's always too short!

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T08:32:00.000-06:00

We were delighted to host Thanksgiving for our parents and our friends, the Robert family. We ate lots of good food, played with the kids, visited, ate more food, and hung out. Oh, and Eric and Shane planned a Black Friday trip! My husband got us a new dishwasher for half price!! Woohoo for deals!

Thanksgiving Sleepover!

2011-11-22T23:14:00.000-06:00

Grace was thrilled to have her friend, Juliana, over for a sleepover during Thanksgiving break! Aren't they cute?!!

Thanksgiving Break

2011-11-22T22:10:00.000-06:00

I love having all three of my babies home for a whole week!! These beautiful children make my heart so happy!!

Bear Fans!

2011-11-22T11:12:00.001-06:00

Cutest little Baylor Bear fan I know!

Faux Thanksgiving

2011-11-21T10:49:00.001-06:00

Faux Thanksgiving was on Saturday, and it was a super fun time as always. We didn't stay and play quite as long because our little men had to nap, but we did have a great time and ate a ton of great food! I am so thankful for my fun family!! Nicole, Kennedy and Lauren in the front....Cash, Thomas, Michaela, and Asa in the background Kate and ThomasMe and my big sister, Nicole, holding my sweet little baby boys! I'm pretty sure all 4 of us were ready for a nap at this point! Cash, Thomas, Paige, Grace, Michaela, and Asa

Eric and I took the boys back to my parents' for a nap, but Grace stayed at Aunt Blane's and schooled all the boys at frisbee!

And while we all had a super busy weekend of fun, none of us was quite as busy as Thomas...he was into everything:

Happy Faux Thanksgiving!

Ice Cream Social

2011-11-18T23:02:00.001-06:00

Today we went to the Shortino house to celebrate Ella's birthday! I hung out in the garage with these 3 cuties: We ate Ritz crackers and watched all the big kids hop in the bounce house and run around all over the place!

I did get Brooke and Grace to slow down long enough for a quick photo: Happy 6th birthday, Ella! We love you!

Fun Run!!

2011-11-18T08:54:00.001-06:00

Yesterday wasn't only a special birthday for the boys, it was a special day for Grace too! She had her fun run to raise money for her school! She ran and ran and looked cute doing it! As you can see, she and her precious friend, Brooke, found each other! They ran hand in hand and it was so adorably sweet! Love those sweet girls!

My guys at one

2011-11-17T23:41:00.000-06:00

Thomas at one year old: This adorable boy is so happy. He almost always has a smile on that sweet little face...showing his four front teeth. His hair is a beautiful strawberry blonde and it has little curls popping up all over. He is speed crawling all over the place and loves to get into things. We are currently working on the word "no" and what is means! His favorite places are the laundry room and the master bath. The dog's water bowl is a constant temptation! He is saying these words: Mama, Daddy, hi, and night-night. He loves to play "catch" with the ball, and giggles the whole time. His cutest trick is making the kissing sound after I do it. His joy is contagious and we are in love!

Asa at one year old: This precious boy is so content! He reminds us in many ways of his big sister! He is not too interested in moving, but is very happy to examine all his toys very thoroughly. He is starting to crawl and is quite pleased with himself! He has beautiful blonde hair with precious little waves in the back. His daddy can't wait to cut it, but it just breaks my heart because I know he will look like a big boy! He likes singing more than any baby I have ever seen, and is instantly soothed by it. He is saying these words: Mama, Daddy, bite, night-night. He likes our pets and loves on them a lot! We are working on petting them gently! His beautiful, almost 6 tooth smile, lights up the room and lights up our lives! We are in love.

ONE

2011-11-17T13:10:00.001-06:00

Eric, Grace, and I went upstairs and woke up our fabulous birthday boys with kisses...we put them both in bed together and sang Happy Birthday. They were all smiles! We continued the celebration with a Cheerio feast! (and more kisses, of course!!) I can't believe a whole year has passed since these little men came into our lives and stretched our hearts with love. They are a blessing and a joy, and I love being their mama! "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26) I just feel like God showed His power and greatness in giving us these precious boys after it seemed impossible...He is awesome! Thank you, Lord, for these beautiful gifts!!

Happy birthday, Thomas & Asa!!!

We love you so much!

3/4

2011-11-16T22:06:00.000-06:00

Three of my four loves:

A special little visit!

2011-11-16T11:59:00.000-06:00

Look who came to visit us!!!! We had a great time loving on Kennedi!! She is so stinkin' cute! I still think my little men are tiny babies...then I see Kennedi and remember that time passes WAY too fast! They are getting so big! And so is my big girl...she's almost seven! Here are a couple of pics Lauren took:

Baylor Homecoming 2011

2011-11-06T21:09:00.000-06:00

For my birthday, I asked Eric to take me and the crew to Waco for Baylor Homecoming. We headed out on Friday afternoon and we were super excited to meet Liza and Daniel for dinner at Mama Baris. Mmmm...I had forgotten how yummy their salad was...and their bread! Yum!

We loved hanging out with Liza and went over to her house for a bit afterwards. We got to visit with Jay when he came home, and he made an instant friend in Grace when he made her a milkshake! Liza also passed down a TON of Daniel's things for the boys. I was so excited! Thanks, Liza Lou!!

We got back to the hotel and got the boys down then I headed to Starbucks and met Jennifer and Leeann for a quick visit! We talked and laughed and had a great time, but it went by way too fast!

The next morning we got up and got ready for the parade. Grace loved watching it, and the boys loved it...for a bit! They got pretty bored after a while! Kennedy & Grace The Bertrand & Cates babies...so stinkin' cute!

We ran around, had lunch, shopped and then we met Courtney, Leeann, and their families for a tasty dinner at Ninfa's! The company was delightful, as was the Ninfarita!

faves

2011-11-04T09:04:00.000-05:00

Favorite photos from the past couple of days:

A Super Spooky Halloween

2011-10-31T22:42:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, on a spooky Halloween night, there was a mean, old witch preparing to make her flight in the night sky in search of candy... Ok, so she wasn't mean:

...And she wasn't old:In fact, she was a good witch:BUT she did have 2 spooky spiders following her around:...But they eventually got tired, and then they weren't so scary anymore:

And so the lovely good witch and the 2 tame & adorable spiders lived happily ever after after...in the suburbs...with their mommy & daddy...

THE END

Who wouldn't want to wake up to this?!

2011-10-30T20:40:00.000-05:00

Add a cup of coffee and my handsome hubby and I have the makings of a perfect day!

45 yard line

2011-10-30T20:35:00.000-05:00

See that girl on the 45 yard line?! I love her like crazy!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-29T14:35:00.000-05:00

We had a glorious Saturday morning. We all bundled up and headed to breakfast. The kids were perfect. We got complimented by multiple people and it was so nice. Next we headed to the pumpkin patch to take some photos. Check out our pumpkins:

Pumpkin 1 Pumpkin 2

Pumpkin 3

And now for an attempt at a group shot:

Pumpkin Carving Party

2011-10-29T14:23:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again! We invited some friends over for pumpkin carving and had another fun night!All the kids playing before we got started!

Brooke, Ella, Chris, Eric, and Grace Working hard... Pumpkin seeds! Mama's little pumpkins!

All the kids with their finished products!Happy Fall, Y'all!

Always

2011-10-27T14:19:00.000-05:00

I've always loved blue-eyed boys...

Scarecrow Parade

2011-10-26T14:15:00.000-05:00

Grace got all dudded up for the Scarecrow Parade at school today! Eric and I loaded up the boys and headed to school to watch our favorite little scarecrow.

RED HOT, indeed!

2011-10-26T14:12:00.000-05:00

When we got back from our trip, Grace couldn't wait to show this bad boy off: She was so proud...and so are we! Love that little baby girl!

Blowing Rock, North Carolina

2011-10-25T22:50:00.000-05:00

I was able to get away with my love this past weekend....and our dear friends, the Shortinos, went with us as well. We dropped the kids off with their grandmothers (THANKS, NANI & MERE!!) and took off! It was a great little getaway except for the fact that I felt awful pretty much the whole time! ugh! I popped allergy meds and decongestants the whole time. I did love hanging out with this guy:At the Biltmore estate...it is HUGE!

This little tapestry was hanging at the cabin we rented. No other pics from the inside, but here's a shot from the backporch:We didn't take too many photos because I felt so icky, but we did take a few before we left. I love my man.

Chris and Eric on the porch... We stopped on the side of the road to look at the river and we ended up taking a few photos, too.

Thanks for the trip, love.

Kennedi Rose

2011-10-19T22:47:00.000-05:00

She's finally here! Miss Kennedi Rose made her debut! She is precious and we love her already! I can't believe my sister is a grandmother!!!

And I can't believe Blane and I are Great Aunts!!!Kennedi gets a big thumbs up! We are so proud of Lauren! She was such a champ!I'm pretty sure Grace is in love! I might be a little bit smitten myself! Me and my girl and Lauren and her girl!!

A Tale of Two Cohorts

2011-10-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

"I have a great idea," Asa says, rubbing his hands together. "Now that you can crawl, you can totally get into all that fun looking stuff on the coffee table!"

"Asa! That's a fabulous idea! I'll crawl over right now!" "Dude! Dude! Wait!!! Mama can see what's going on!""Maybe if I avoid eye contact I won't get in trouble..."

"Ok. I'll try that too...""Dude, you are so busted. And you better not take me down with you!"

"Fine, then. Watch and learn, little brother."

"I'm pulling out the big guns..."

"Hahaha. No woman can resist this smile, not even Mama!"

Expressions

2011-10-14T22:44:00.000-05:00

I love the expressions on their faces in these photos!
They are definitely a couple of characters...

Long weekend

2011-10-09T22:17:00.000-05:00

Grace had a long weekend, so we decided to take a trip to East Texas. We got to have lunch with my sisters and their lovely offspring: There was some playtime:

And Grace even got to pull out some of my old dance costumes: We were hoping Lauren would go into to labor, but no such luck! It was a great visit though!

Just some pics

2011-10-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

Just a few pics of my sweet little men:

Precious AsaDoing a little reading...he loves this electronic "book" because it sings too!Happy, playful ThomasHe is in constant motion! Am I right to be a little nervous when these two put their heads together?! I always feel like they are conspiring to do something naughty!

National Night Out 2011

2011-10-05T11:14:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a fabulous NNO Block Party last night! Uncle Julio's, bounce houses, and lots of nice neighbors! Leo, Grace, and Brooks

Our new hats

2011-10-01T16:40:00.000-05:00

Don't they look like little men?!!

Special Friends Day 2011

2011-09-30T16:44:00.000-05:00

Today was Special Friends Day and Grace was thrilled for Grandpa, Mere, and Papa to come see her for lunch! She also had a surprise guest!! Uncle Jeff!Grandpa and Uncle Jeff picked up Chick-fil-a for us and we all picnicked together. Asa MAY have stolen some fries...And Thomas MAY have stolen some straws...Papa and Grace

Grandpa with sons & grandkids

Fun girls...Grace & MereMy new favorite picture of Eric and Grace. LOVE IT! Uncle Jeff and the boys

Still swingin'

2011-09-29T22:34:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited! We had a few rotten boards and a LOT of wear and tear on the swingset. Not to mention the fact that it stayed muddy under the swings from the kids playing. We replaced the boards and had it restained and Eric came up with this great idea to enclose it. I love it! That's rubber mulch!

Daddy's Homecoming Date

2011-09-25T20:30:00.000-05:00

Sadly, I got sick and was unable to go the homecoming game. Daddy did manage to get another pretty cute date, though:

Booknerds, Unite!

2011-09-20T21:24:00.000-05:00

My guys love to look at books. Sometimes we read them, sometimes we look at the pictures, sometimes we eat them. This is a typical afternoon at our house:And what of the toothless wonder?? Well, that pretty little princess is here, too! Speaking of books, she has graduated from the classroom library and now gets to choose her own homework books from the school library. This is a BIG deal and she is SUPER excited! We are very proud of our girl!

Homecoming Parade

2011-09-19T23:45:00.001-05:00

Today we went to the Homecoming Parade! Grace's cheerleading squad met at our house and we walked down to the parade route. And Angie surprised all the girls with little mums!

Aren't they precious little cheerleaders??The boys liked the parade...for a little while.

The girls had a ton of fun and collected a ton of candy! Happy Homecoming!

10 Months Old!

2011-09-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

Today Thomas and Asa are TEN months old!!! I am coming to the realization that they will be one sooner than I would like. They are so fantastic...we are just amazed every single day at their developing personalities and skills. Here's how we spent their big day:

First, we went to Grace's football game! The boys LOVE watching all the people and listening to the girls cheer. Next, we went home and took a nap. Awesome! Daddy out to go hunting, so I took the kids to J. Macklin and we ate al fresco. The weather was perfect and so were the kids! =)

We got home and played a bit:And then it was time for a bath:Then it was time to go night night...and they will wake up tomorrow another day older...

Summer

2011-09-12T22:23:00.001-05:00

Summer

Childhood

Hope

Barefoot

Innocence

Love

First game/First baby

2011-09-11T17:12:00.001-05:00

Today was this adorable cheerleader's first real game!! Sadly, I missed it! Daddy took lots and lots of pictures for me. He was such a trooper...he took all three kids to the football game...ALONE! Well done, sweet husband!!

I couldn't go to the game because I was at a baby shower for this little cutie:Isn't she a cute little prego?! I can't wait to meet baby Kennedi!! Lauren had a beautiful shower and I had lots of fun. I drove home afterward because I just couldn't wait to get back to this:I mean, honestly, how could I stay away?!!

Playing with you is so much fun!

2011-09-08T21:05:00.000-05:00

These boys just love each other! I love to watch them talk to one another and laugh. My prayer is that they will always be best friends...

Real live students!

2011-09-07T20:57:00.001-05:00

Grace loves playing school. So imagine her delight at coming to the realization that her brothers can sit up and be a captive audience to her imagination! Here is a picture of Miss Cates with her students, Asa, Thomas, Katie, and Julie.

First Day of School!

2011-09-06T12:43:00.000-05:00

These sweet boys went to "school" for the first time today!!! I know it will be good for them...and me...but it's still hard to leave them! I mean, seriously, look at those faces...look at those thighs!! It's hard to walk away!

Perfect Day

2011-09-05T23:28:00.000-05:00

So today may have just been the perfect day. The weather was cooler than it has been in FOREVER! My sweet husband was off work. And I got to spend my morning drinking coffee and playing in the backyard with Eric and these beautiful kids God blessed us with:And just when I thought it couldn't get better, we headed out for a picnic with our precious friends, the Shortino family! Love these sweet friends!

Pretty maids all in a row...we had our picnic and then took the girls on a nature walk. The weather was absolutely wonderful!

Oh, I just can't tell you how much I love my little family! We all headed home after our picnic for naptime...but first we had to catch a couple of pics of the kids:After a relaxing afternoon, we headed over to celebrate Christi's birthday with her! Happy birthday, friend! I hope your wish comes true!

Meet the Teacher

2011-09-03T23:22:00.000-05:00

Thomas and Asa will be going to Mother's Day Out at our church this year! Thursday was Meet the Teacher!

2011-09-03T17:40:00.000-05:00

My beautiful boy, Asa.

2 books!!

2011-09-01T17:44:00.002-05:00

Grace is stoked! Now that she's a big first grader, she gets to check out not one, but two, books!! She might as well have won the lottery! I just love that little bookworm!

Scooching

2011-08-29T16:33:00.000-05:00

In Thomas' efforts to crawl, he has started doing a little backwards "scooching" (yes, that's a made up word)...this is where his last "scooching" landed him:
"Hey, mom!! Come save me! I can only go backward and I've hit a roadblock!!"

Church morning

2011-08-28T15:08:00.003-05:00

Top 10 reasons the target time to leave for church is 30 minutes prior to the beginning of church:

1) My husband has to work and I have to get 3 beautiful children ready on my own.
2) Oldest child has mental breakdown when she can't find the Bible she wants to take.
3) Second child and Third child conspire against me and I have to change not one but two poopy diapers when I should be loading children into the car.
4) It takes approximatesly 7 minutes to load the car with all 3 children.
5) Second child spits up the moment he is all snapped into his carseat.
6) It takes approximately 7 minutes to unload the car of all 3 children.
7) All children must be checked in and taken to the appropriate classrooms.
8) Two words: coffee bar.
9) Must smile and not scare visitors to the church.
10) Getting there is not just half the battle...it's a good 98% of the battle.

Go, Cowboys, Go!

2011-08-28T13:44:00.000-05:00

Grace's cheerleading squad got to perform at Dallas Cowboy stadium and they were super excited about it!! Eric's parents came with us to watch our cute little cheerleader. Jessie & Grace

Mama, Daddy, & GraceGo, Cowboys! All huddled up...

Where is John Travolta?!

2011-08-26T10:37:00.000-05:00

Cause this girl's got boogie fever!!! Grace is loving first grade and loving all of her new school clothes...she is SUCH a girlie girl! She is enjoying meeting new friends and playing with some old ones too. The boys and I are having some good quality time together and getting used to 3 of us during the day instead of 4...Grace really livens things up around here during the day! She has also started her after school activities. She has cheerleading practice twice a week right now and this mama is starting to feel like a taxi service. I can only imagine that the feeling will increase as the years go by! I am really feeling like I have a big girl on my hands!

We've got a good one...

2011-08-23T20:31:00.000-05:00

Oh, I just love this sweet first grader! She is a good sister, a good student, and the best daughter a mama could ask for!

It was the first day of the first grade...

2011-08-22T21:22:00.002-05:00

This beautiful little baby girl started FIRST GRADE today! I can't believe she is such a big girl!! She is such a sassy girl!These little guys are sure gonna miss their sister during the day!! Walking into school... Sitting at her table...Juliana & Grace are thrilled to be in the same class again this year! Grace and her daddyWhen Grace got home from school, we discovered that in the excitement of going to school she had forgotten to take off her pajama top! Ha! We are so glad that she is so excited to be a big first grader and loves school so much!

Daddy hugs

2011-08-21T22:55:00.000-05:00

This picture just makes my heart happy!

NINE MONTHS OLD!

2011-08-18T10:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the boys turned 9 months old! I think they get smarter and more handsome with each passing day!

THOMAS: This little man is a bundle of energy...always playing, always laughing, always moving. He gets on his tummy and scoots, but still no crawling...and still no teeth! He loves to sleep on his tummy and his favorite food is squash.

ASA

This handsome little man lives up to his name "peaceful ruler." He is so content and happy. He is a people-watcher and loves to investigate things. He is sitting up and has TWO teeth! He sleeps with his fuzzy blanket pulled up close and his favorite food is bananas.

Happy 9 months, precious boys! You are loved more than you know!

Destin-part 2

2011-08-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

The Shortino Family headed out to Gulf Shores, and the rest of us headed out to the beach. The boys got all dudded up and looked so cute for the first beach adventure! My sweet Asa

Daddy and Thomas

Brittany, my sweet little niece, stayed just one street over and was able to pop over and join us! It was fabulous! She also snapped this cute pic for us:

My precious boys...they were completely intrigued by the sand!

Thomas

AsaMe and my babies

Brittany and me

Look who got buried in the sand!!

Friday:

We chartered a boat and headed out for a little fishing. Grace was a champ! She caught several fish-3 were keepers! Here are a few of my favorite pics: Later in the day, Brittany called to see if we wanted to head out and search for crabs. Of course we said yes, but one little cutie didn't make it out that night:I guess getting up at 5:30 took it's toll on her! Eric, M'Lynn, and I went with Brittany and Dustin and here's what we found:Saturday:

Our little fish swam and swam......and we all just mellowed out a bit.We're pretty sure the boys were allergic to something in the house. They were so congested and miserable. They didn't sleep through the night the whole time we were gone. I felt so sorry for them. A picture of five kids!

Sunday:

The boys still weren't feeling great, so I stayed at the house with them and M'Lynn. We decided a little sunshine and swimming might just do them good!These cars were so fun! NOT made for 3 people, though we tried!! =) We did manage to go to Sonic for lunch in it though! Grace had so much fun in it that I hopped out and let her enjoy a fun time with her Daddy.

We had a great time, but we were sure glad to head home, too!

Destin-part 1

2011-08-17T08:45:00.000-05:00

Monday:

Well, we caravanned to Florida with the Robert and Shortino families...and after approximately 4523 stops, we made it! We went to GattiTown and let the kids run off some energy. I think the dads may have actually had more fun than the kids! We stayed in a hotel the first night and planned on driving to Destin the next morning

Tuesday:This is the Podee, which allows the boys to eat independently. Asa loves it, but Thomas is not a fan! When we arrived in Destin, our house wasn't ready, so we took the kids to run around on the beach. We dug Grace's bathing suit out, but ours were buried in the luggage. The boys relaxed in the car with M'Lynn, who went with us to help us out.
Avery and Grace Grace and Brooke Charlie's Angels: Brooke, Ella, and GraceGrace with April and Abi Eric, Grace, and me Brooke and Grace making sand angels

We finally got into the house and set up camp. We ordered take-out, let the kids play, and tried to relax!

Wednesday:

Grace and Asa catching up on a little snuggle time
My beautiful girl
Dinner at the Crab Trap with the whole crewChristi reading the kids a bedtime story

Thursday:Grace and Thomas spending some quality timeAsa did NOT take a vacation from hopping! =)The birthday girl!! Reese is 1 year old!!!The whole crew!!

Sunday with my guys

2011-08-07T14:36:00.000-05:00

I love when my little men are all dressed for church. They are just too handsome! I LOVE the rolls on Asa's legs! And I love that he cheeses it up for pictures:

Meanwhile, Thomas is really just too busy to be bothered:

Picnik

2011-08-05T13:14:00.000-05:00

My sweet friend filled me in on Picnik.com and so I've been playing with it!

Early morning love

2011-08-03T14:29:00.000-05:00

I get to wake up to these four little jokers every day. Sometimes I just can't believe that God has blessed me with so much love and laughter...my cup runneth over!

Always laughing

2011-08-01T08:25:00.000-05:00

Our little Thomas is a mover and a shaker...in fact, it's pretty hard to even get a non-blurry picture of this little man! Here are a few pics from the last few days of my ever laughing little red-head:

Happy children

2011-07-29T08:20:00.000-05:00

My 3 happy little babies

Happy birthday, Eric!!!

2011-07-28T10:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Eric's birthday! Grace planned a special party for him at Chick-fil-a! She is such a sweet girl! Here's a pic of ALL the kids at the party:

Abi, Shane, Calvin, Thomas, Eric, Asa, and Grace

Timber!

2011-07-26T17:39:00.000-05:00

Going!

Going! Gone!

My guys

2011-07-25T18:34:00.000-05:00

Nothin' you can say to take me away from my guys... Nothin' you can do cause I'm stuck like glue to my guys...

High & Mighty

2011-07-22T14:11:00.001-05:00

Look what we got!!!

I saved Grace's high chair for another baby, but then we got 2 precious babies! I loved her chair, so I have been on the prowl for a matching one. Well, they don't make them anymore soooo I started scoping them out on Craigslist. And I FINALLY found one for a good price...umm, make that a great price! $20! My little frugal heart is so excited! And could my guys be any cuter sitting in them?!!

Thomas thinks his chair is fabulous...Asa thinks his chair will be perfect once his teeth come in...And, look, Mama!!! You can put toys up here too!!!!! "I finally have a place to relax and read..."

miss my girl

2011-07-18T20:03:00.001-05:00

Asa ThomasGrace

(I am missing her terribly. She is on "vacation" at Nani & Grandpa's having a super fun time)

8 months old!

2011-07-17T22:50:00.001-05:00

Thomas and Asa are 8 months old! It is so hard to believe! They are so fun and so loved and we are just taking great delight in watching them grow!

Asa is quiet and studious and reminds us so much of Grace. He has a smile that will just melt you like chocolate! His favorite thing to do is to hop in the Johnny-Jump-Up. He can say Mama and Daddy, and he just started waving bye-bye! Thomas is my little charmer. He is always smiling and happy and flirting! He is sitting up and though he can't crawl yet, he can get anywhere he wants to go! He never sits still. He can say Mama and Daddy, and waves bye-bye to Daddy all day long.

We love you, sweet boys!! Happy 8 months!

VBS week

2011-07-16T13:30:00.000-05:00

VBS was a little different this year...it was in the evening! It was tough getting my little men out every night, but Grace had an absolute blast!

The boys playing in the nursery:A cute pic I snapped of Grace and Asa when we were getting ready: The chariot races: Our team won, by the way! The kids visiting Paul while he was under house arrest:They got to witness his guard, Brutus, become a Christian! And here are Brooke and Grace in the marketplace making wreaths:What a fun week we had learning more about our loving Savior!!

Emily is a tease...

2011-07-15T15:40:00.001-05:00

My precious friend, Emily, and her sweet family came for a tour of Texas! I was so very sad not to be able to join them for an adult only anniversary celebration, but I did manage to have them over for a quick lunch/playdate before they headed back. Our fabulous friend, Lindsay, and her little man, Grant, also got to come and visit! I was so happy to see them all! Every single time Emily leaves I can't help but think she is a tease...she lights up my life and then jets off... Our ADORABLE children!

Camille seems to instinctively know that boys have cooties...And here we are...the hot mamas of all those babies!

Melting

2011-07-11T14:22:00.000-05:00

They melt my heart with these smiles...

G-Money & Big Daddy E

2011-07-10T08:19:00.000-05:00

Neighbors & Friends

2011-07-06T16:13:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Asa played until he just couldn't play anymore!! Isn't he adorable?!!!

This morning is an exciting day! Our sweet neighbors from Lewisville, Keri & Elsa, are coming by for a visit!! Grace helped entertain the boys while she waited (impatiently!!) for Elsa to come and play.

We got to visit for a while and then headed to Fat Daddy's for lunch! Love these two pretty girls!!

Because sometimes...

2011-07-05T16:10:00.000-05:00

Mama needs a break!

Celebrating Independence!

2011-07-05T10:36:00.000-05:00

July 3rd we swam at the Cammack's all day long! We did manage to head to the park and catch the fireworks, though:Can you tell how tired we are?!! When we got back to Steve & Karen's, these two got comfy as quickly as possible:Such a fun night! We got home pretty soon after that...we had to get up early for the parade the next morning!

July 4th Parade Thomas & Asa

Abigail, Calvin, Reese, Thomas, and AsaAvery, Grace, Brooke, and Ella Watching the parade...

God Bless America!!!

The smiles that make my world light up!!

2011-06-28T22:29:00.000-05:00