Easter Day

This Easter we had a great time celebrating what Jesus has done for us with family and even a special friend. Ryan's friend Sam and his grandmother came over to enjoy lunch and an egg hunt. The three kids had a great time running around the yard and searching for their eggs. The boys were so great about leaving the obvious ones for Kenzie. Each year Mimi and Papa give the kids their Easter Baskets which is WONDERFUL!! Scott and I gave Ryan and Kenz just a little something that morning along with a big breakfast to start off the day right.

Kenzie loves Elmo so she was so excited to see her favorite friend at breakfast

Ryan is obsessed with Superheros and was excited to see his new spiderman lamp. Yes his hair is out of control. We did fix it before church. :)

Emme and Pop with the kids

Ohh he looks so grown up

Mimi and Papa with the kids

Kenzie digging into her basket

Ryan and Sam

Kenzie had fun jumping while all the eggs were spilling out of her basket.

Easter lunch

I often wonder

I often wonder if I will miss hearing my children screaming at each other over a toy or stepping on a car that was left in the middle of the floor. I often wonder if I will miss doing loads after loads of laundry and folding the tinniest pink sock and the smallest superhero underwear. I often wonder if I will miss getting on my hands and knees cleaning hour after hour all of the food that was spilled onto the floor after breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and then dinner. Will I miss the crying and pouting or the hour that it takes my son to get dressed just because he won't do it the first time I ask. Will I miss cleaning up the water that Kenzie has splashed out of the tub night after night or the snotty nose that gets wiped on my clothes each day.

These very things that seem so frustrating at the time might just actually be missed. When my children are all grown up and out of the house the toys will be all picked up and gone, the mess from the bath is one that only I will make and the dinner that is spilled will be from either Scott or I. There will be no more wishing I had a quiet moment because there will be plenty of those.

Simon Cowell says on American Idol "you didn't have a moment". Well, I thank Jesus that I have a moment every second of my day. They may be frustrating moments, but they are mine and they are with two of the most precious people in my life. So when I want to read the book to Ryan a little faster at night because I am tired or I turn on a mindless show so I can do something for myself I have to remember that these are the moments I was given and to enjoy them. The kisses and hugs that I receive and the sweetest smiles that I see and the laughter that I hear are the moments that I often know I will remember and I will miss.

I am blessed to have the life that I live and the people that live in it with me. I often pray as I am walking around because frankly I don't sit down much and I find myself saying thank you, thank you, thank you over and over again. I can't tell Him enough and I often wonder if He truly knows how grateful I truly am for the moments that I have.

The Bagel Shop

Once or sometimes twice a week since Ryan was a baby my parents and I have met at "the bagel shop" for breakfast. Ryan was brought in his carrier as a baby and so was McKenzie. They think this is just what we do on Wednesday mornings and we all look so forward to it. The kids would start out just getting small bites of our bagel when they were little to now splitting a whole bagel and a blueberry muffin. McKenzie fights me for my cream cheese and begs for more. Sometimes we wonder if she would even care if she had a bagel with her cream cheese as she sticks all her fingers in it and stuffs them in her mouth. Kenzie normally ends up out of the high chair and walking around the table or in poppy's arms and Ryan ends up making some kind of super hero with the leftovers and some coffee sticks and plays with Emme. 

When I was a kid I always remember going to a place called Mavrick Market on the way home from daycare/school and as the story was told I would cry to whole way there due to being exhausted from the long day. I remember going in and looking at every piece of candy thinking how hard it was just to pick one thing. I loved that place and looked forward to it each day.  Now I feel as though this is my kids Mavrick Market. It is such a fun little tradition that I hope we will enjoy a for long time. 

Beautiful Snow

It was like nothing I have ever seen in Texas. It was so thick and pretty.  You just couldn't help but make a snowman or throw a snowball at someone. The flakes we were so big as they fell it was like I was in a Christmas show and the snow machine was doing a great job at making all of the snow. We loved every moment of it even if our hands were ice cubes at the end of the fun. What a beautiful sight it was to see!!!

Kenzie could not stop eating it all up. It was one big slushy to her. 

The big blob at the top of the picture was the snowball Scott threw right at my face. It ended up right at camera. 

old camera/new camera

Well we finally did it....we invested in a camera that might actually work more than two years. It seems like once the two year mark hits our cameras go bad. Our first one 4 years ago started taking blurry pictures so then we got our "day after Christmas Sale" camera two years ago. As I was taking pictures of the kids icing Scott's b-day cake it did captured the moment but all of the moments are now in red. So another bites the dust.  My favorite thing about an expensive camera is that the zoom actually works. Heee On our other cameras the more I would zoom the blurrier the picture would get.  We are excited to play with our new purchase. :)

Here is the last of the pictures with the old camera

Icing daddy's cake

The new camera

Action shot

Excuse the trash can in the back ground. I just love her little face in this picture. 

Happy Birthday Scott!!

Ever since I met Scott I have been told many times by he and his family  that he was born during half time of the Super Bowl. It is like one of those stories your grandmother tells you every time she sees you thinking you have never heard it before. Well,  this story is different because it is one I do love hearing over and over again. After knowing Scott for 8 years more or less I have decided that it is one of my favorite stories and that that was the best darn super bowl ever played because that was the day my husband and father of my children was born into this world. He is a leader, encourager, a romantic at times, thoughtful, caring, family man, Christian, supporter, builder, handy man, successful business man, smart, intelligent, creative, determined, energetic, protector,and of course so handsome. Who wouldn't want to celebrate this wonderful man and I am so lucky that I get to. 

Scott I love you so much and I am thankful to God that 35 years ago today he blessed this world with you. Thank you for all that you do and being that husband and father that you are. Happy Birthday Hubby!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Today is my moms birthday and there are no words that really explain how wonderful she is not only as a mom, but in every area of her life. On Monday I told her I wanted to take her to lunch to celebrate while just having McKenzie. ( Ryan was at SS Noah.) Kenzie has a horrible cold and was ready for a nap, but I was determined to take my mom out and celebrate her. Once the food got there kenzie lasted about 2 more minutes and she suggested we get it to go and we finished the rest of the meal at home. It was a disaster but my mom didn't care. All she wanted was to do what was best for Kenzie. She is an amazing grandmother. My kids ADORE her and she drops anything ( except playing bridge days. Heee) to be with them. She runs around with Ryan helping him "fight the bad guys", hides old toys around her house just because the kids get so excited to find them, buys books she thinks they will learn from and toys she thinks they will enjoy and food that she knows will be their favorite. Ever since Ryan could sit on a bike she has pushed him up this hill  in her back yard and holds on to him and the bike as she runs down the hill. Then again, she pushes him up the hill and runs down, pushes him up and runs down. This Christmas she pushed him up once again and he finally could go down the hill all buy himself without falling over. Then she turns around and plays music, sings, entertains and loves on Kenzie. She truly, truly enjoys being around them even when they are acting like crazy kids. She just smiles and looks at me as I am about to self destruct and says it is going to be ok.....they are going to turn out ok. Because to be honest there are times I truly wonder. :) 

My mom has such a gift that she doesn't even realize she has. She has an amazing, loving and unselfish spirit about her that makes people feel comfortable when she is around. When there is a task that has to be done or a mission that needs to be taken care of my mom is the first one in line to help. Whether it be shopping the world for a coat for Kenzie when they don't sell them anymore, or planting flowers in my yard, or helping me get my house ready for a party she is THERE!!! Since Scott is not home much at night she invites us over many nights to eat with them and then ALWAYS sends me with leftovers for us the next night. At times my mom and I go run errands together, but half the time we never get hers done because my kids start to melt down and she still seems to always want to go with me the next time. 

I aspire to be the mom that she was and is to me and I pray I can be half the grandmother that she is to my kids. 

Mom, I love you with all my heart and I pray that God bless you for the heart you have towards all that are around you. Thank you for being you and thank you for being apart of our lives and loving us the way you do. Happy Birthday mom!!!