ROCK Street

The Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

We finally made our annual trip to a local pumpkin patch. We were late this year, but the kiddos had a great time, the weather was great, and we brought home a couple cute pumpkins (and I am not referring to Kate and Cole this time.) Mommy and the kiddos on the way to the patch
Kate, Cole and Daddy on the way...

Running to find the BEST pumpkins in the patch!

My cute pumpkins amongst the pumpkins!

Cowgirl Kate and Cowboy Cole riding the cow and ropin' some sheep. Cole almost took off Oliver's head...

They loved the playground.

The corn maze was just the right size for them. We skipped the big one this year...

And of course a photo with the Pumpkin Princess.

Here they are sittin' on a big tire, posing with their pumpkins. Cole chose the big one, and Kate chose the tiny one.

This is by far my favorite time of the year. I love the colors, the clothes, the food, the crispness in the air, and I really love all of the fun family activities there are available to do. I think, since we will be here for Christmas, we might even go out and cut down our own Christmas tree this year... We'll see. We love and miss you all! Happy Fall y'all!!

Kates 1st day of 1st Grade!

2011-09-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Well, here is the long time coming back to school blog post....
I can not believe our little girl is in the 1st grade! I am sure I will say this at the beginning of every grade, on every birthday, and before every big event, but it is true. I can NOT believe it. She is so proud to be in the 1st grade, and feels like such a big girl.

The PROUD 1st grader!

The proud Mommy with her 1st grader.

Kate was so excited to have Grandma Mary here with us for her big first day!

Kate along with some of the other kiddos from the street waiting to head into school.

Kate and Daddy walking to school...

The wait to get in the doors...

Kate with her new teacher Miss Fanning. This was Miss Fanning's first day to teach EVER! Very exciting!

And Kate is ready to get to work.

Well, we are over a month into school now, and Kate loves her class, her friends and her teacher. She is learning SO much and I couldn't be more proud!

The rest of the summer....

2011-08-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I really slacked off at the end of the summer, and I have some great posts coming up now that school has started, so I decided to do a kind of wrap up of the summer...

Cole did a week long soccer camp and really liked it. I think it was the hottest week of the year, but thank goodness the littles were first thing in the morning and only for an hour. Doesn't he look like a pro in this pic? Well, he's got the soccer pose down at least...Kate continued her cheer. This pic is from her final summer performance. She absolutely LOVES doing her cheer and for some reason she really thrives when performing in front of an audience. She sure did not get this from me! I should do a whole blog on this one, because the video is pretty funny...

Kate and I had a few Mommy and Kate dates over the summer. Kate actually told me this was her favorite part of the summer, which obviously thrilled me. We went to the movies, got our nails done, went shopping, had lunch or visited museums. I think they were my favorite part of the summer too.

Here are a couple of our days... Lunch (followed by shopping), the Nelson-Atkins Museum and the last one is us getting ready to head out flower girl dress shopping to the American Girl Doll Store and lunch.

Grandma Mary and Grandpa Mike came for a visit. It was a GREAT time and Kate and Cole were really sad to see them leave. Here is the kiddos holding their signs waiting to pick them up at the airport. Fun times and silly Cole.

I love this special photo...Sweet smiles...The VERY best part of the end of the summer was Daddy coming home from his 6 week long trip. We all REALLY missed him and are so happy to have him home!Kate went to a back to school tea party at a neighbors home. What a great idea!We had meet the teacher day and Grandma Mary got a VIP tour of Kate's school. Here they are outside of the planetarium by the koi pond.Cole started school a couple weeks after Kate so we found what we could to keep busy... I thought this was a cool pic of Cole at open gym--getting some energy out on the trampoline.And Cole had his meet the teacher day. This is Cole with his wonderful teacher Mrs. Staples. She is the same teacher he had last year, and her LOVES her! Now that you all are caught up on the summer I can move forward. There are lots of great pics from the first days of school and other events that I would really like to share with you all.

I would love to hear from everyone and know that people are actually looking at this . :0) Enjoy!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July Everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday. We had a great day and kept really busy. We played in the water, ate watermelon and grilled bratwurst and went to the fireworks. All the things that should be done on Independence day, but it just felt like something was missing all day long. What was missing was Daddy!

Kate and Cole were all decked out in their patriotic finest...

There were lots of fancy show cars at the fest. This was Cole's favorite.

I'm not sure Kate could have been much more patriotic... Here she is waiting for the fireworks to start.

Self portrait! Only one person missing.

Cole being silly in his 3D fireworks glasses.

The ground fireworks over the lake. It was really pretty in person...

There is definitely something to be said for celebrating The 4th of July on a military post, the patriotism is amazing, the tears are flowing when the National Anthem is played, there was live artillery (one blast for each state in the USA) and I think this may have been the best fireworks display I have seen in a long time. Hey Oliver, let's watch the fireworks as a family next year!

St. Louis (part 1)

2011-06-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

We are not taking a big vacation this summer because we will be going to Florida this winter for my sister Ali's wedding, and Oliver is gone to Virginia for about 6 weeks for a class. We decided to take a short trip to check out a bit of the midwest. This time we took a train and went to St. Louis for a couple days. We had a great time, and there is so much to do in St. Louis that we were wishing we would have had at least one more day.

The train was the first part of our adventure, the kiddos were super excited to not be buckled in and to go on a "real" train.

Cole was so excited to have all his cars in his lap. He can't do this in his car seat. The kiddos were very excited about the pool at the hotel. They had just completed a round of swimming lessons and were feeling quite accomplished.

We, of course, had to have some Barbecue while in St. Louis. Kate really enjoyed her ribs.

On the first full day we went to the most amazing Children's museum. It is called the Magic House and it was highly recommended by many people. We can see why. I, in turn, highly recommend it to anyone traveling to the St. Louis area with children. We spent the whole day there, and I still don't think we saw the entire museum. So much fun!

Cole making music...

The Alice in Wonderland exhibit.

Kate and Cole climbing Jack's Beanstalk

Kate made it to the top!

These "floating" balls were pretty cool.

Cole's hair didn't make quite the affect that Kate's did.

Bubbles...

Kate inside a bubble

Cole LOVED "working" on the car!

I had too many photos to put them in one post. The next post will highlight the rest of the trip, which included the St. Louis Zoo and the Arch!

St. Louis (part 2)

2011-06-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

On day 2 of our mini vacation to St. Louis we headed to the zoo. It is actually a great zoo. We were there for about 7 hours and really enjoyed ourselves.

This big guy was by the parking lot. Getting ready to head in...
The hippo was snoozing in the water...
Kate was MOST excited to see the elephant. Here she is showing off the elephant on her dress. This elephant was actually (very) pregnant. We even saw the baby moving in her belly! This was quite amazing. What is more amazing, was finding out that elephants are pregnant for 22 months! This baby is due in December.

The sea lion show was cute. Kate was a bit bummed she wasn't chosen to assist.

We took a short break for a little lunch.

Cole on the train. A bit smaller than the train 2 days earlier...

A carousel ride. The animals depicted on the carousel are all endangered animals.

The penguins are always pretty funny.

Cole wanted to show off the alligator, since he had one on his shirt (like Kate did with the elephant.)

One final photo on the way out (the only family pic of the trip...)

Next, on the the ARCH!

Daddy would not go up, but Kate really wanted to so I went with her while he and Cole checked out the Marine Day's exibits on th ground... This is the little "pod" of an elevator we took to the top.

Kate and I on our way up!

At the top...

It's quite a ways down there... Oliver doesn't even like to look at this photo!

We saw this after leaving the arch, and had to get a pic of Cole Street on Cole Street...

One final Arch pic on our way back to the train station...

Kate and Cole ready to head out...

We had a great time, and will have to plan another trip to check out the City Museum, the Clydesdale's at the Anheuser/Busch tour, see the rest of the Magic House, and see that baby elephant when he comes!

Now we are just waiting for Oliver to come home from Virginia...

Kate's 2011 recital

2011-06-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

I can not believe I have not done a post about Kate's recital! It was actually in mid-May, and she loved it. That girl sure thrives on performing. The theme of the recital was "Shopping Spree" and all the dances were based on a different store. There was a flower shop, jewelry store, toy store, sporting goods and many more. Kate's ballet class was an antique shop and they were antique dolls. It was really cute!

Here is Kate before the recital starts. She is ready to go! (and looking so grown up!) My little ballerina! Great form Kate!Kate after the recital with her flowers. She was so excited to get them, and wanted them in her room after we put them in a vase.

Kate's friend Max (and his Mom Deb and sister Taylor) came and watched Kate perform and then came over to the house to bring Kate a little gift (an adorable flower ring that I can barely get her to take off now). This made her exceptionally happy! (Deb, thanks so much for doing this. It meant so much to Kate and me!)

Thanks Deb for getting a photo of the WHOLE family. It doesn't happen too often.

We get the video in the next month, and I can't wait to see it again. Kate really can't wait to see it. Kate has decided to not do ballet anymore. She is pretty good at it, and really seemed to enjoy it. Maybe she will come back to it after trying some other activities. She says she wants to to cheerleading, baseball, gymnastics and piano. I just can't keep up...

Trip to Atchison

2011-06-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we decided to get out and visit Atchison, Kansas. It is a small town with LOTS of History. We visited the Town museum, the train museum, took a ride on a mini train, went to Amelia Earhart's birthplace, and a really cool park. It was a lot of fun, and we actually learned some cool history. Did you know that David Atchison (the guy the town is named after) was the President of the United Stated for one day in 1849? Who knew...

Here are the kiddos at the town museum in front of all the Kansas license plates. There is a Judy Garland movie called "The Harvey Girls" in which she sings a song called "On The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe" The train system is a big part of Atchison's history.
Going for a ride...

This is the house Amelia Earhart was born in. It was has her grandmother's home and she lived here much of her childhood.

Amelia's dolls. Kate thought this was pretty neat.

Next we went to Warnock Park. The Amelia Earhart "earthwork" is there. I'm not sure if you can see it from this view, but the tan (rocks) is her face, and she has an aviator cap on. There were postcards of it with a photo taken from the air, and you could see it much better. Sadly we did not have any aircraft at our disposal...

Oliver and the kiddos in front of the "earthwork."

We played at the playground for a little while. I haven't seen these toys for years! Kate and Cole really enjoyed playing on them.

Last we went to the forest of friendship that was also at the Warnock park. The forest of friendship is a memorial to men and women involved in aviation and space exploration. There were plaques with names such as Bob Hope, Henry Ford, Chuck Yeager and Charles Lindbergh as well as this bronze statue of Amelia Earhart.

There was also a memorial to the men and women who lost their lives in space and a "moon tree" (which means it was grown from a seed that had been to the moon.)

Isn't it a beautiful tree?

We had a great time exploring our surroundings. I hope you all learned a little bit too... ;0)

Easter Day

2011-04-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! I hope everyone had a great day! We had a very busy week leading up to Easter Day, and we had a fabulous Easter! Kate and Cole were very excited about Easter Day this year. Here are a few photos from our day...

Kate left some carrots, spinach, a cookie and water for E.B, (Easter Bunny) She wrote him a letter and drew him a picture. Cole drew a picture also. Kate wanted curls for Easter, so curlers it is...

This is Kate after setting everything out for the E.B.

and the next morning this is what it looked like...

And there were LOTS of eggs around. Including a trail down the stairs...

I found one!

Gathering the eggs on the stairs...

Looking for more eggs...

Kate's eggs... Easter basket time...

After a yummy breakfast we put on our Easter finery and headed to church...

After church we had a yummy dinner with friends and played outside with the neighbors.

What a wonderful day!

Kate and the Zipline

2011-04-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we had another fun outing with Kate's Daisy troop (Thanks to those you you who purchased cookies, this one was paid for with those proceeds.) This time the girls went on the zipline! Kate was really excited for days about this trip. The morning of the zipline Kate was very quiet, and I finally got her to tell me she was nervous. Excited, but nervous. I just let her know that was perfectly normal.

Out of the troop 8 girls came along to participate in the zipline, and 2 other older siblings joined us. All of the girls who came got up the nerve to try the zipline, one of them at the last minute, but at least she got up the nerve! I am so proud of all of them, because it was a lot of work, and it was VERY high.

Here are the girls waiting for their instructors to arrive.

"Gator" has arrived, and they are getting to know each other.

A little stretching out...

Now it is time to get into the gear. Harness first.

Then the helmets...

Lined up in order and waiting for the group before us to finish up.

Now it's Kate's turn. They had a choice of climbing up a rope ladder or getting clipped on in the middle and pulled up. Climbing up this tube rope ladder was the hardest part in my opinion, I am really surprised how many of the girls chose to get up to the platform this way.

Kate is on her way... Look how high they had to climb. It was not easy either! Go Kate, Go!

Almost there...Kate is at the top!!

Some final instructions and a last minute pep talk...

And she off! Woo Hoo Kate!

Pulling the rope back for the next person.

They got to go one more time, but this time (to save time) they were hooked up in the middle, pulled to the end and released. This time she let go long enough to wave to her friends.

Afterwards they gathered together to talk about their favorite parts. Kate said "all of it!"

As excited as Kate was, she did get pretty nervous. As she was on top of the platform, she started to cry. As a mom it broke my heart a little bit, but she worked through it. When she was finished I asked her how she did that, and she just told me she thought about happy things and reminded herself how much fun it was going to be and she shopped crying and just fell back. My baby girl is becoming such a little lady! I am so incredibly proud of her! Now all she can talk about is wanting to do it again.

Kate's Birthday Extravaganza

2011-03-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

Well, last week was Kate's 6th Birthday! Can you believe it? I know I can't! This is the first year, I think, that Kate really "got it." She has always been excited about her birthday, but this year she was actually counting down and getting REALLY excited about turning another year older. A couple days before her birthday Kate said to me "I am so glad I am turning six, because I am getting tired of being 5" All I have to say about that is as much as I love seeing Kate grow and learn and mature, I just wish it wasn't all going by so quickly. The birthday celebrations started on Tuesday when Kate had her Daisy meeting. She was the assigned snack person, so we decided to make a special birthday snack for her troop. Kate chose to bring cake pops, and I decided to venture out of my baking comfort zone and make them. How hard could it be? Well, let me tell you, it is harder (and much more time consuming) than it looks. At least they turned out okay and tasted really yummy!

Pink and purple cake pops. Just what the 6 year old wanted.

The cake pops ready to be handed out to the Daisy's.

We got to the meeting and the leaders announced the meeting was canceled because of a tornado watch. Kate ran around handing out the pops to all her friends before they left, because a) she was so excited to share them, and b) I did NOT want them left in my house. The temptation of chocolate covered balls of cake and frosting is just too great to resist.

On Thursday (Kate's actual Birthday) she wanted to bring cupcakes to school for snack. She chose half vanilla and half chocolate cupcakes with brightly colored flowers on them. (No, I did not make these...)Kate had dance class that evening, then we went out to dinner at Mama Mia's (her choice because she really likes their bow tie pasta with cheese sauce.)

After dinner we went home for the customary 6 "spankings" and a pinch to grow an inch.

She didn't seem to mind.

The singing of Happy Birthday and a candle in a saved cupcake....and the opening of the family birthday gifts. This girl made out like a bandit!

She wanted a "real" camera. On Friday there was a half day at school, so I took Kate and a few of her friends from the neighborhood to paint some pottery. They had a great time, did a fabulous job and were very well behaved. (thank you Amy for coming along!)

Madelyne, Libby, Kate, Lillian and Max The Kindergarten pottery painters...

Then we went back to the house for some cake, ice cream, presents and play.

The kiddos singing Happy Birthday to Kate.

Kate LOVES her Rapunzel birthday cake (I definitely didn't make this one either) Mommy and Daddy got her tickets to see Toy Story on Ice for her birthday. Here is Kate and Cole ready to go... "Yee-Haw" and "to infinity and beyond..."

Kate's friend Libby came along with us. They all LOVED the show! I (as usual) loved the looks on their faces! Priceless.

All in all I think Kate had a fabulous, fun-filled, "non-party" Birthday extravaganza.

Believe it or not, Kate is already talking about when she turns 7! I am SO not ready for that!

The Daisy's invade the Great Wold Lodge

2011-01-25T12:58:00.000-08:00

Kate has done some really fun things with her Daisy troop, but I think this was the most fun by far. The Daisy troop and all girl scouts in the Kansas City area got together at The Great Wolf Lodge for a evening of FUN! We left right after school on Friday and headed to the lodge. After we got there we headed to our room and put on our swimsuits. Kate LOVED it! We spent a few hours in the water park then headed out to the lobby for story time, the dance party, and a hula hoop contest. After all that we got together with the troop for a pizza party. Then, FINALLY it was bed time! I can't believe she lasted as late as she did. My little party animal! We got up bright and early the next morning, had breakfast with the girls then spent a little while longer in the water park. And believe it or not we were home by noon. Here are some photos of the highlights of the GREAT trip!

Kate must have gone on the water slides 50 times a piece and wanted me to stand at the bottom of the slide and take a photo EVERY time. I pretended to take the picture after about the 25th time. She was VERY proud to be in the pool without a vest. She was very cautious though (which I was happy about)

I do believe the BIG BUCKET was her favorite part... She liked to lay down as it dumped it's 1,000 gallons of water on her.

Kate with most of her Daisy troop.

Kate and Lillian at the dance party. You can see Violet Wolf in the background. Kate really thought Violet as super cool. Kate danced her little heart out and went crazy when the Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus songs she was familiar with came on. You can only imagine the screaming that came from the older girls. WOW and OUCH!

The Hula hoop contest. Kate didn't win, but I was proud of her for giving it a whirl...Kate chose a Violet Wolf as her memento and a Wylie Wolf for Cole's present (He and Daddy had a boys night in--pizza, games and a movie). Here is Kate all snuggled in the bed. She was SOOO ready to go to bed. It was QUITE the evening!Getting ready to leave the next morning Kate wanted one last photo on the balcony to show the building. She kept saying "It looks like REAL Lincoln Logs" Actually that was the first thing she told Daddy and Cole when we got home too.

A great time was had by both of us. I had a sad realization that my baby girl is growing up! And fast! It is great to see her having and enjoying new experiences. I just need to figure out a way to slow the growing up down just a little bit. It that possible?

Christmas Day

2011-01-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

Well, I posted Christmas Eve, so I guess I need to post a little from Christmas Day. We had a very nice Christmas Day, Kate woke up around 5:30 (even after not getting to sleep until after 11:30 on Christmas Eve) and Cole was soon to follow. They came out yelling "It's snowing! It's snowing!" Kate ran around saying "It's a Christmas miracle!" I was really excited to have a white Christmas as well, as it has been many many years since that has happened.

Since we had a house full of family who needed to wake up, the kiddos passed some time by opening their stockings. This took quite a while and kept them occupied, so that was good. After everyone else awoke from their long winters naps we headed in to see the tree. Kate's and Cole's eyes got big as saucers seeing how much the gifts had multiplied since they went to bed. The first thing they ran to was Santa's sack which he had left. Kate said "You were right! Santa did find us in Alabama!" We then spent the rest of the morning opening presents and playing with toys. (I was having a heck of a time keeping everything straight as I was keeping a list for the thank you notes...) Later that afternoon Uncle Jason and Aunt Randi got there along with baby cousin Leah. We were all so excited to see them and finally meet Leah. That evening we went to Grandmama's Family's annual Christmas get together. Which, despite the snow, had a great turn out. It is always fun getting together with them.

All in all it was a wonderful Christmas Day, it was busy and chaotic at points but we were so blessed to be surrounded by loved ones. Christmas is so much fun with little ones around too. I think Cole and Kate's eyes were lit up ALL day long.

I guess Santa couldn't finish that final bite. But he left a little note...The tree in the morning. I think it exploded. Good think the tree is so big.

The stockings were filled...Cole digging into his stocking.Kate with all her stocking loot.

Cole with Stinky the Garbage Truck. This is the only thing he consistantly asked for for Christmas. Good thing Santa brought it to him...

Kate got her DS. I think she is glad about that.

In their great Christmas outfits from Grandmom Deb.

Kate and Cole with their Baby cousin Leah. I know being with Leah was one of Kate's favorite parts of the whole Christmas trip to Alabama.

It was a beautiful, fun, magical day. Both Kate and Cole are still talking about it (and the whole trip for that matter) This will be a hard one to top. I believe we are up for the challange next year though. We all hope everyone had a Very Merry Christrmas, and are having a wonderful 2011!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve is now and has always been one of my favorite days. This year it was as well. Anytime we get to spend with family is always special. We started the evening with a short visit to church with Grandma Mary, Grandpa Mike and Uncle Matt. It was a candlelight service, and Kate held the candle for us. Cole slept the whole time in Daddy's arms. We then headed on over to Grandma Wagner's house. Uncle Gary and Cory were there too.

After warming our belly's with the yummy soup and deserts the kiddo's put puzzles together with Daddy and Uncle Matt.
Kate and Cole opened some great Christmas gifts.

Then we played some fun games, that Grandma Mary had organized, and visited. It's always a great time with family!

Next, we headed back to Grandmama and Granddaddy's house to get ready for Santa.

First Kate and Cole opened their new Christmas Pajamas.

Then they put them on. How cute do they look? Having a girl and a boy I don't have much opportunity to coordinate their outfits, so I take advantage of the situation when I can.

Next Kate and Cole sprinkled reindeer food in the yard, put a "Santa Stop Here" sign outside, set out a plate with carrots for the deer and cookies and milk for Santa. Kate also wrote a little note for Santa.Next the kiddo's climbed in bed for a couple books. First we read "The Christmas Story" about the first Christmas, then we read "The Night Before Christmas" After reading our books Cole fell asleep really fast, but Kate climbed into her bed and tossed and turned for a while before finally falling asleep after a couple hours and MANY visits from Mommy and Daddy to assure her that Santa would still come. This is the first year she was too excited to sleep, and I was hoping that since she was up so late she would sleep in a little bit. No such luck, but I'll get to that next time...

Pre-Christmas activities

2011-01-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

Well, we kept ourselves so busy the days and weeks leading up to Christmas that I never got to tell everyone about all the cool things we did over the season. So, I decided to do one special blog post highlighting all of the activities we participated in. I hope you enjoy...

Decorating the Christmas Tree. Decorating the house...What a wonderful hubby Oliver is. Even with his fear of heights he climbed up on the roof to make the house pretty and festive for us.
Kate went with her Daisy troop to see a musical/play version of the Nutcracker. She was VERY excited to get to meet the actual Nutcracker. She also earned a special patch to put on her Daisy tunic.

Another activity Kate did with her Daisy troop was to lay wreaths at the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery. It happend to be the coldest day of the year, but it was a very special ceremony to be a part of. Kate got a patch for this one too.Kate attended a class on post called Santa's Workshop. In the class she got to pick out, make and wrap two gifts for anyone she wanted.We went to visit Santa. Santa was very good with Cole even though Cole wasn't too sure. Santa talked to him and was so sweet. The line was really backing up since it was taking so long, but Cole finally sat on Santa's lap and asked him for Stinky the Garbage Truck. Kate asked for a DS and a scooter. Kate and I had a Mommy/Kate date to see the Nutcracker Ballet. It was fun to get dressed up and go to something special together. Kate liked parts of it, but was wondering when they were going to start talking (like in the play she had seen earlier in the month.)We got lots of packages in the mail from many generous loved ones. Kate and Cole enjoyed stomping on bubble wrap and playing in the packing peanuts.Kate and I make LOTS of yummy goodies (Cole helped a bit too)!

Kate made an awesome Gingerbread Christmas Tree.Cole was an Ox in his schools Christmas program. He practiced his line for a week. He said "I stand in the door and see the little child" I'm not sure that was supposed to be the actual line, but he sounded so cute saying it.The Christmas Party in Kate's class room. They made bird feeders, ate some yummy food, read some stories and got goodie bags. Kate's ballet class had an observation day. It was great to see how much she has improved. She is really growing up! (she's the one in the middle with out ballet shoes on--she has outgrown hers...)

The day before we headed to Alabama for Christmas, Kate went out to deliver the goodies we made to the neighbors. I hope they enjoyed them...

With all thes great activities it's a wonder we got our shopping, wrapping and packing finished. Not to mention getting ready for out trip to Alabama. This was a fun Holiday season and I really hope that along with everything else we made some great memories and started/continued some fun traditions. Next to come will be highlights from Christmas in Alabama...

Snow Day!

2011-01-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

Well today was our first official snow day since being here in Kansas. It started snowing last night and by the time the phone rang this morning at 4:30 to tell Oliver he was to show up at work 2 hours late we had several inches. We got the call a while later telling us school was canceled for the day. As soon as Kate and Cole woke up and saw the winter wonderland outside they were ready to head out. Since Oliver still had to go to work, we all got bundled up and headed out (even though it was only 7am) Oliver was really excited to get the opportunity to play in the snow with them, since he missed it last year. The show is really dry, so we had a hard time making a snow man, or even proper snowballs, but it is perfect for snow angels and sledding. So, that is what we did...

Out in the fresh snow... Making snow angels...

Kate's snow angel.

Headed to the backyard hill to do a little sledding.

Woo Hoo!! Let's sled!

I see the skeleton in Kate's future... (no, not really)

Cole is ready to sled down the hill... This run didn't end so well...

After the big spill we decided to head in for a while to warm up, eat some breakfast, and Oliver had to get ready for work. It was only about an hour and we were bundling up for some more snow play.

Round Two... Cole filling the bucket with snow.

Kate in her "Snow Blanket"

All the snow clothes drying out for round three, which I am sure will be after lunch...

Now it is time for some hot chocolate... Yum!

I think they like it...

Well, we just got the call that Daddy will be out of work at 3pm because the snow is not supposed to let up until tomorrow morning. They have also already told them they will come in 2 hours late again tomorrow. So... I think we may have another snow day! Hopefully by tomorrow the snow will be a better consistency to make that elusive snowman! Good thing we are all stocked up on hot cocoa!

Santa's Mall

2010-12-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

We have found so many fun things to do around town, and that is especially true this Holiday season. One REALLY neat thing we found was Santa's Mall. This was at the old historic carousel down town Leavenworth. It is all set up by the staff and LOTS of volunteers for children to shop for their loved ones. They have their list, are assigned an "elf" to help them out, and they wrap their gifts so they are ready to go under the tree. There are also many other activities going on, craftes, snacks. and best of all (according to Cole) the children get a free carousel ride after they finish their shopping. This was a great morning for all of us!

Kate and Cole holding their list waiting to start shopping.

Finished shopping! Here are all their purchases ready to go under the tree.

Kate shopped for Daddy, Mommy and Cole, and Cole shopped for Daddy, Mommy and Kate!

Now it is time for the carousel ride!

Cole prefers the seats...Not sure why.

Kate chose a white horse.

Now it is craft time...

Kate made a beautiful wreath.

Cole in his cool hat.

Now it is time for some yummy hot chocolate and cupcakes!

After we got home the presents went under the Christmas tree.

This was such a fun event, we are already looking forward to participating again next year! I really can't wait to see what Kate and Cole chose for all of us. Kate keeps telling me I am going to LOVE it.

Ice Skating

2010-12-08T12:59:00.000-08:00

For months Kate has been talking about wanting to go ice skating. So, a couple weekends ago we decided to check out the outdoor rink set up in Kansas City for the season. Oliver had been skating a handful of times, I had been one time when in middle school, and Kate and Cole had never been before. But we were ready for an adventure. All in all it was a great time. Cole stepped out onto the ice and stepped right off. I guess he's not ready. Kate on the other hand stepped onto the ice and didn't want to come off. She stayed near the wall most of the time, but was determined to get better. We stayed for almost 2 hours and I am sure she would have kept going. The only break she took was the mandatory break for the Zamboni. Oliver did well, only one fall, and I actually surprised myself by keeping off the wall most of the time. We had a nice lunch with friends after the skating, checked out the Crown Center's decorations and had a great day.

Kate and Cole after getting their skates on. "Let's GO!" Kate looks like a natural.
It appears Cole is ready to go...

She is off the wall! Yay!I think this was Cole's favorite part. The Zamboni!Kate and Mommy. I really love this photo of us.The giant Crown Center countdown clock.A yummy lunch at Fritz'sHere comes our food. Dropped off by a train then lowered down to us.

Checking out the huge gingerbread village.

I really love all the great activities we have had the opportunity to enjoy since being in Kansas. We really are creating some wonderful memories. And, hopefully starting some wonderful traditions.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T12:15:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had! We stayed home, just the 4 of us, it was very relaxing and the FOOD was YUMMY!

Cole with his place mat from is school Thanksgiving feast.Daddy, Cole and I had a special Thanksgiving lunch with Kate at her school. It was a pre-Turkey Day lunch with all the traditional fixin's Thanksgiving morning we started the day by doing some crafts and thinking about what we are thankful for. Cole was thankful for race cars, his friends, Mommy, Daddy, Kate and food.
Kate was thankful for her family, friends, her teacher, Mimi, Arnie the Elf, and Jesus.

The Kiddo's sitting down for our fabulous meal! Kate made the napkin rings the day before. Very cute!

Here they are saying TURKEEEEEEEY!

And a bit later...Pie.

We chose to have a chocolate cream pie this year, but Kate insisted she wanted Pumpkin Pie. Neither Oliver nor I are big fans, so I found a teeney tiny pumpkin pie so Kate could have the traditional pie of Thanksgiving.

Cole ended up eating his little slice of the pumpkin pie, and Kate had one bite (sure glad I didn't make a big one). They both enjoyed a FULL slice of the chocolate pie though...

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well. Hopefully sometime in the future we will be closer to family so we can be together--it would have been nice to have you all here to share with us. There are LOTS of leftovers in this house now!

Happy Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

"Good morning Daddy! Thank you for serving our country!" This is how our day started. These words came from Kate, A wonderful way to start the day I think!

Today is Veteran's Day. In a town Like Leavenworth this is a VERY big deal. Leavenworth is the oldest town in Kansas, and the Veteran's Day Parade is the biggest and oldest in Kansas. This year Kate joined the girl scouts, and she is a Daisy. (If anyone wants cookies let me know;-))Along with this comes the privilege of walking in the parade. Kate was so excited about this. Actually, she had been looking forward to this since before Halloween.

In preparation for the parade Kate's Daisy troop has been learning patriotic songs, practicing their formation, and they have been talking about what it means to be a Veteran. All of the girls made a sign with photos of their family members who have served in the armed forces, to carry in the parade. Kate was VERY proud to have so many Veteran's in her family. (I thank all of you who sent photos!! We couldn't have done it without you!)

Kate showing off all of HER Veteran's before leaving to the parade.

Cole and Daddy waiting for the parade to start. Burrrr it's COLD!Daddy went to the little store to get us some gloves and hats. Now Cole is enjoying the parade!He LOVED the emergency vehicles and told us what all of them were called.This was interesting....Here is Kate's troop!!Another view of Kate and her Daisy's One last pose before heading home...

My PROUD Daisy!

I have never seen so many JROTC cadets, Patriot Guard Motorcycles, VFW representatives and boy and girl scouts in my life, but it was a wonderful parade. A very heart warming tribute to our past and present folks in uniform.

I want to wish a very Happy Veteran's Day to all Veteran's, especially my FAVORITE Veteran, who I am so very proud to call my husband and the father of my children!

Oliver, in the words of your beautiful daughter, "thank you for serving our country!"

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

Kate and Cole had a great time this year trick or treating! The post actually had trick or treating on Saturday instead of Sunday. Kate was Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She was the "town Belle not the castle Belle" as she would tell everyone. Many people didn't know what she was, we heard Little House on the Prairie, a pilgrim and an Amish girl... They must have been parents of boys. Haha. I thought she was the perfect Belle, and looked beautiful! Cole was a pirate. He actually wore the same costume as last year. I was super excited it still fit, because it is really cute and my great friend made it for him. He looked like quite a scoundrel, but he made sure to tell everyone he was a nice pirate.

Kate and Cole are ready to go!My Beautiful Belle!My little scoundrel! And they are off!!After trick or treating they wanted to hand out candy...

Well, another fun Halloween has past. Kate is already trying to figure out what she will be next year. I wonder if the pirate will last yet another year... I doubt it.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

2010-10-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

This week was Red Ribbon Week at Kate's school. Everyday had a different theme, and Kate had a BLAST with all of it!

Monday-Wear red. Tuesday- Shades
Wednesday- Camouflage Day

Thursday Pajama Day!

Friday- Book Character day.

Kate will be Belle (from Beauty and the Beast) for Halloween, but the school was encouraging them to not do cartoon characters, but Book characters. We looked through all of Kate's books, and came up with Cowgirl Kate. She already had the name, the clothes were easy to wear throughout the day at school, and she looks so stinkin' cute as a little cowgirl.

All of the students paraded around the school for us to see them-- there are some creative people out there.

We are all super excited about about trick or treating coming up. Check back soon to see Kate as Provincial Belle, and Cole as a Pirate...

Cole's Fieldtrip to the Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

On Friday Cole and I went with his pre-school class to a little local pumpkin patch. It is a VERY little pumpkin patch, but perfect for kiddo's his age. There were sheep, donkeys, turkeys, pigs and cows. They rode a tractor drawn barrel train to the pumpkins and chose their very own little pumpkin. They had a little snack, played on a big hay pile and in a giant sand box. They tried out saddles and swings and did a fun craft. It was a busy 2 hours and we all had a great time. It was nice to be able to attend this event with my sweet boy!

Cole standing by the BIG pumpkins The piggies and turkeys...
More pumpkins...

Cole and Mommy being silly. Cowboy Cole

Cole found his way through the hay maze. He is VERY proud!

Cole and his class

on the barrel train.

He chose a pumpkin.

swinging...

showing off his craft.

What a fun time this was! I am so blessed to be able to have these moments with my kiddos!

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today was a perfect crisp and cool fall day, so we make out annual trip to a local pumpkin patch. There are actually quite a few around the area, but we chose the Red Barn Farm. There was a lot to do and we all had a great time!

The Red Barn Farm

Sitting by the pre-cut pumpkins There were cute baby piggies in this pen. Some white geese.

Cole VERY happy to be on his pony ride.

Kate loving her pony ride.

Standing by a scarecrow on a tractor.

Showing of a couple of the MANY varieties of pumpkins.

on the Hay Ride.

Heading to the Pumpkin Patch to pick our pumpkin.

There were LOTS of pumpkins to choose from.

Kate chose her favorite.

Cole chose one he could lift.

These are the 4 we chose...

Perfect weather, the perfect place and perfect pumpkins made for a PERFECT family outing!

Cole's Birthday

2010-09-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was Cole's 3rd Birthday and he had a great day. I can't believe my BABY boy is 3 already, it seems like just yesterday we were announcing his birth and now he is a BIG boy!

We asked him what he wanted for his birthday and he said "A big, BIG Buzz Lightyear" and cake. I can only hope he continues to be so easy to please... When we asked him what he wanted for dinner, he said a "polka dot Pizza" (that means pepperoni) and a purple Toy Story cake.

Cole and his "polka dot" pizza.

I did the best I could with a purple Toy Story cake... He seems pretty happy with it at least!

And he got his "big, BIG Buzz Lightyear"

And a Buzz Lightyear scooter which he hadn't asked for, but was so thrilled when he saw it he giggled with excitement!

Before he went to bed he insisted on putting his name on Buzz's foot (just like in the movie)

All in all we had a wonderful day and a VERY happy little boy! I do believe he is still floating from all of the excitement.

Cole's Birthday part I

2010-09-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. All Cole wanted to do for his birthday was go to Chuck E. Cheese's. So I bit the bullet and we took him. No big party, just us, one friend and the mouse! Cole had the greatest time though, so I guess the suffering of the adults for a couple hours was worth it.

A VERY happy birthday boy!

LOOK at this!!! Usually he hides from the mouse, and he is HUGGING him! Wow! I actually have hope we may get Santa pics this year!

Blowing out his candles.

If you ask Cole what is favorite part was, he will say the cake. That's my boy...

Kate, Cole and Anthony with Chuck after grabbing a bunch of free tickets...

Cole wouldn't go in the ticket booth by himself, but they let big sister go in with him. They had a great time and got over 400 tickets! Wow!

I guess it wasn't a horrible time, but hopefully it is out of his system for a while... Tomorrow is Cole's actual Birthday, so we will have cake and open presents then. He keeps asking when he is getting his BIG Buzz Lightyear... Hmmm, I wonder if he will get it...

I can't believe my baby boy is 3! The years are sure flying by!

Lunch

2010-09-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

Since Kate started school she has been asking me to meet her for lunch. So, I packed a lunch for Cole and we went over there last week.

Cole was so proud walking over to the school carrying his lunch box. He wouldn't let me help him and practically ran the whole way. I hadn't told Kate I was going to be there, so she was really excited when she saw us waiting for her.

Kate decided to have the school lunch (a turkey dog), so we went through the line with her and Cole picked out a milk to drink (they have a choice between chocolate, white and strawberry), he chose chocolate.

Cole is so proud to be eating with the big kids.

Kate with her friend Nicholas

Nicholas and Kate being silly

It was a fun time for all of us, and I think we will join her again soon!

The Circus

2010-09-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the kiddos to the Ringling brother's Circus for the first time. We had great seats, and they both had a great time. Kate's favorite was the clowns and the animals. Cole's favorite was the "man flying high in the sky" (the human cannonball).

Heading in to the show.

During the preshow Kate tried out a little tightrope walking

Kate with their loot

Clapping for the clowns

I have had several people ask me what I thought of the event, and my answer is "I LOVED watching the expressions on Kate and Cole's faces". While the aerialists were impressive and the animals were well trained, those oohs and ahhs and wows are what I am going to remember the most.

Happy Grandparent's Day!!

2010-09-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

A greeting card by Smilebox

The zoo

2010-09-10T12:26:00.001-07:00

In June we made our first trip to the Kansas City Zoo. It is a good zoo, but June was too hot! We did however purchase season passes, so we could come back as often as we wanted.

Things have finally started to cool down a bit, so last weekend we decided to venture out to the zoo again. During our last visit we did not make it to "Africa", so that was our first stop. The most exciting part of the trip for Kate was the polar bear exhibit. It is a new exhibit and was not open when we were at the zoo in June. I think the kiddo's would have stayed there all day, but being a new exhibit there was quite a long line of folks who wanted to see the bear swim and play.

Kate and Cole deciding where to go next

Daddy, Kate and Cole on the tram.

Kate volunteering at one of the shows. Yes, that IS a snake!

Cole's favorite part... The monkey's. Figures...

We all had a great time, and hope to make MANY more visits to the zoo!

Freedom Walk

2010-09-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

"Freedom Walks were started in 2005 by Pentagon employees wishing to commemorate the attacks on the Pentagon and the towers and honor the lives of those lost on September 11th, 2001. They now have become a way to renew our commitment to freedom and to honor all who help us maintain our freedom especially our veterans, past and present."

Kate along with her class, the school and all 4 schools on Fort Leavenworth participated in a Freedom Walk today. They walked from their school to a central location for a short ceremony. They recited the Pledge of Allegiance, sang the National Anthem and other patriotic songs then walked back to school.

Walking with the school.

Waiting for everyone to get in their place

Singing...I think she is moving her arms like a bird.

My patriotic girl.

I think they all had a great time. I am so glad I was able to join Kate and her class and participate in the walk.

Kate goes to Kindergarten

2010-08-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

Well my baby is really growing up! Today is her first day of Kindergarten! She was so excited and could not wait to walk out the door! Cole was not happy at all that Kate was going to school. Kate followed her teacher into the school and didn't look back. I then proceeded to cry a little bit...

Cole starts his school next Wednesday, I'm not sure I will we teary for that one. It is only for 6 hours a week though...

It's almost time to pick up Kate, I can't wait to hear about her first day!

T-rex

2010-06-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

We went to the "coolest restaurant ever" (according to Kate) in Kansas City the other day. It was called T-Rex and was full of dinosaurs and sea creatures. The kids loved posing with the dino's , so I figured I would post a few...

Kate pretending to be scared. She really wanted to touch the teeth.

There really are so many neat things to do around the Leavenworth area. I hope to have lots of great things to share with you all.

It would be great if we had lots of visitors while we are here. Hint Hint.

Miss you all and hope to hear from you!

Good-bye Texas!

2010-06-04T17:52:00.000-07:00

Well, we had to say good-bye to our house, friends, school and life as we know it in Texas.

and Hello to our new house and life in Kansas...

Here are the kids in the back yard. Kate's new school is in the background.

Now that we are here and getting settled I hope to keep up with the blog a little better. There are some GREAT photos from the past month or so that I never posted and hope to get to.

Let me know if anyone needs our new address or phone number. Our cell phones have stayed the same. Miss you all and would love to hear from you!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Aside from missing Oliver immensely we had a wonderful time.

Visiting the Easter bunny. Kate LOVED him! This is as close as Cole would get to him!

Coloring the Easter eggsKate drew a picture for the Easter bunny and prepared him a little snack of carrots and lettuce. Chocolate bunnies! Surrounded by the Easter loot! Kate and Cole in their Easter outfits. Getting ready to head to a wonderful church service!Mommy and KateMy little man! Looks like his Daddy! Kate with the daffodils from our flower bed. Getting ready to "flower the cross." Kate and Cole putting flowers on the cross. I am so thankful for a wonderful church family and for great friends. They have made Oliver being away bearable. That being said, I REALLY can't wait for him to come home in less than 2 weeks!

Wish you had been here for all the Easter festivities. Love and miss you very much! Drive safe!

Kate is 5!

2010-03-31T15:05:00.000-07:00

Kate had an eventful "Birthday Week." Tuesday her Grandpa Randy came for a visit (he hasn't missed one of her birthday's yet!) Wednesday was her actual birthday, Kate woke up in the morning, came into my room and said "I can't believe I am 5, I feel smarter already!"

She was so excited to go to school to be sung to, share cookies with her class, and get a crown and sticker to wear all day. Unfortunately when we got there I noticed she wasn't acting right--turns out she wasn't feeling well so we got back in the car and headed home. I called the doctor and got her an appointment that day. It was strep! For the 3rd time this winter! Fun! Well, she started her antibiotics, rested the rest of the day and insisted she still wanted to go out for her birthday dinner. We went out to the Texas Roadhouse so she could "ride the saddle" like she had done last year.

Kate not feeling well. I let her open a present when we got home from NOT going to school so she could go lay in bed and rest and play with it...Dinner with Grandpa Randy, Barbara, the Perry Family and usKate on the saddle. She had waited a year to do this again...

(you can tell she is not feeling 100%--poor sweet girl)We went home and finished opening presents.

She LOVED her new jewelry box with dancing ballerinas from Grandmom.and was VERY proud of her pearl necklace from India.A new American Girl Doll. She Named her Chelsea.Our American...boy!And her sky cake.Check out the rainbow on the inside! (This took me a while, so I had to include a picture! :)

On Saturday before her party Daddy and I gave her a "special" gift because she was turning 5. A pretty charm bracelet with 2 charms to start her out. A tiara and an I love you.

On Saturday Kate had her birthday party at a gymnastics facility called Texas Tumblers.

Here she is in the foam pit.She had a great time with all of her friends.Here she is on her way out. You can tell by her hair that she had a good time... Grandpa Randy was here until Friday then Daddy came into town that night. He was only in town until Sunday afternoon, but it was really nice for Oliver to be at Kate's party since he missed her birthday last year. And...only TWO more weeks until the class is over and he gets to come home! YAY!!

Kate is so proud to be 5. My little girl is really growing up!

Visiting First Cavalry Division's Horse's

2010-03-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

This morning we visited the First Cavalry Division's Horse Cavalry Detachment. It was a lot of fun and the kiddo's had a GREAT time! A life size "pretend" horse. Cole kept asking to ride it, but then kicked and screamed when I tried to put him on it...Kate LOVES the horses.It was the first time Cole had seen a horse up close.and the mules...sitting in the cart. Cole feeding the horse named CoalPretty Kate Cole just chillin'
There is so much history behind the First Cav. and their horses. This is something I have been wanting to do since moving here, so I am so glad we had the chance before leaving.

Lutheran Schools Week

2010-03-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Last week was spirit week at the kids school, so each day they had a special activity.

Monday they decorated hard hats and built a cross with a block they had painted.
Tuesday they had a teddy bear picnic
Wednesday was "zany" day.
Thursday was pajama day
Friday was ice cream sundae day.

Kate posing by her block (her right hand is on it)

Kate and Cole with their hard hats and giant tools.

Eating their lunch at the teddy bear picnicKate on zany day.At school on Zany day.Kate and Cole in their pajamas on pajama day. This really confused Cole. He wasn't sure why he took of his pajamas to put on new pajamas then put his shoes on with them. He was okay when he saw that Kate was wearing pajamas to school too.Kate at school in her "j.j.'s" It was a fun week. Kate especially had a great time.

Race car

2010-03-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

For the month of February Kate's class did a unit on transportation. One of Kate's classmates Dad races cars, so he brought his and his sons car in for the class to see. Kate thought they were cool and all, but I have NEVER seen Cole so excited in his life! He looked at, looked in, walked around and sat in them for at least 20 minutes before I pryed him away from them. He would have stayed there all day if I had let him.

Checking out the tires
and the inside"look at me with MY racecar"

This one is little, just my size.so cool... Every day since, when we pull into the school parking lot, he has asked if the race car was there.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

2010-03-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

Today Dr. Seuss would have been 96 years old. We celebrated by having Green Eggs and Ham for dinner. This was actually Kate's suggestion, but I thought it was a great one.

They are preparing the eggs... Looks yummy, huh?

Both kiddo's LOVED their dinner, cleaned their plates and asked for more. Who knew...

We ended the night by reading, what else, Dr. Seuss. Cole chose "Dr. Seuss's ABC's" Kate chose "One fish two fish red fish blue fish"

I think I might see a tradition coming on... Not too sure what Oliver will think about it next year. He may have to plan to work late or I may have to make 2 dinners that night.

Central Texas Snow Day

2010-02-24T12:19:00.000-08:00

Well, yesterday we had a VERY rare event. A SNOW day! This was Cole's first time to play in the snow and Kate's first time that she can remember. School got out at 10:30, we went home and played, had hot chocolate, rested, and played some more. It was an absolutely great day! The only thing missing was Oliver. If Daddy had been home it would have been the perfect day. Fort Hood closed early too, so he would have been home.

Oh well, next year in Kansas we will have more snow than we know what to do with, so there will be plenty of opportunities to play then.

My snow angel, Kate.My little snow man, ColeCole after Kate threw a snowball at him. So sad.They LOVED it!Kate catching a snowflake on her tongue.Cole trying...Kate standing next to her snow angel. So proud.Cole making a snow angel.Round 2

Look how deep the snow got!

Kate and Cole with their little snow buddy.

This is the most snow they have had here in over 20 years, so I am sure it is the last snowfall of the season. We mill have many snowy memories to capture next year and then we will have our 4th family member back with us! We love you and miss you so much Oliver/Daddy!

Cole and his Cars

2010-02-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

Like all little boys I'm sure, Cole LOVES playing with his cars! The other day he got especially creative lining his cars up along the edge of the couch. I decided to snap a few photos. This went on for over an hour, and he had a great time...Cole is sooooo PROUD!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a very Happy Valentine's Day. We had a GREAT weekend, because Oliver was home. Yay!!!

Here are some photos of the Valentine activities...

Kate writing her Valentine's to her friendsCole and his class enjoying their Valentine snacksand a Valentine book.Kate at her Valentine's Day Partyand with all of her Valentine's.Cole picked out a pig who poops candy for Daddy (figures).Kate made Daddy this pretty mosaic to hang up. The kiddo's opening their Valentine's surprises

But the best part was having my Valentine home with us!

Cheer Camp

2010-02-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday Kate participated in a Cheer camp put on by the Harker Heights High School Cheerleaders. Saturday was learning the cheers and dances, and Tuesday evening the girls performed what they had learned at a basketball game. She had an absolutely wonderful time!

Kate at the camp. She got Most Improved Camper. This is the same award she got when she did the camp in the fall. I'm not sure what that means.Cole after the camp. Dream BIG little guy... I left him at home with a babysitter on Tuesday evening when Kate had her performance. I didn't want to chase after him the whole time.Kate getting ready to perform...This is Kate doing one of the cheers. She did 2 cheers and a dance.

Kate and our friend Haley. After the performance.

Afterwards Kate and I went and got some Yoyo's. Yum-O!

The camp is for Kindergartners and up, so considering she is only 4 and was the youngest by over a year, she did GREAT! She will not tell you she likes cheerleading, she will tell you she IS a cheerleader. Wish her parents luck for the future.

A Break From the Winter Cold

2010-01-28T19:16:00.000-08:00

The last week has been unseasonably (even for central Texas) warm. The highs have been in the high 60's and 70's. Beautiful! Tomorrow the high will be 39. Not quite as beautiful. So I thought I would post a few cute pictures of the kiddo's playing outside. Without jackets.

Cole and Kate jumping on the little trampoline Santa brought Cole for ChristmasKate driving Cole's car and talking to Grandma Mary.Not sure what Cole is looking at...Once again... I'm not sure... It's a funny picture though.

Miss you all a lot. Would love to hear from everyone. Take care and enjoy.

Good-bye Gottshall Family

2010-01-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

We have made some good friends here in Texas. The closest friends have been the Gottshall family, and they left last week to move to Germany. I know, that is just how it is being in the military, but that doesn't make it any easier. On top of it, all 4 of us had to say so long to the best friends we had here.

Kate to her BFF Emily

Cole to "his girl" Megan.me to Julie.and even Oliver had finally made a "post college" friend in Jeremy.

Bon Voyage Gottshall family. Have safe travels, enjoy your new home and know you will most definitely be missed!

Dance

2010-01-24T06:34:00.000-08:00

This is late in posting, but I wanted to share a video of part of Kate's performance at a local Nursing home at Christmas time. She LOVES being in front of people and performing.

Kate before the performance. She was VERY excited. Cole...not so much.

Unfortunately we will be moving to Fort Leavenworth before the "big stage" so she will not be able to perform in the recital this year. She is disappointed about that, but ready to move on to bigger and better things...

Kate is the tall one in the middle...

The Day Daddy Left

2010-01-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, Oliver had to go to a class in Virginia for 3 1/2 months. He left on Saturday the 9th around 5am. I went back to sleep for a little while, then was awakened by Cole around 6:30. At this point I try to turn on the kitchen sink and no water comes out of the faucet. I look at the thermometer and it is 12 degrees outside. So... (to quote myself from facebook) "It's 12 degrees, pipes are frozen, no water and Oliver left this morning... Yay me!"

On top of it all my kiddos do not have winter hats that fit their 110 percentile heads.

We finally got water back on around 10:30am so we could wash our faces and brush our teeth and we were off to the mall in search of hats. It was after Christmas, so retailers think people only need spring clothes now, so hats were not easy to find. Finally we stumbled upon a clearance rack and these are the hats we got...They wouldn't have been my first choices. Cole is thrilled as you can see...

I'm not sure what kind of a model pose this is. I think all of my picture taking has created a monster.

This one is for daddy. Kate said "Take a picture of me by this bear for Daddy. He will LOVE it" All in all we are doing fine. We all REALLY miss Oliver a lot, but at least he is in the country and only 1 time zone away this time.

Roll Tide

2010-01-21T14:11:00.000-08:00

We have had a few Alabama folks try to give us a hard time about the National Championship game because Alabama beat Texas and we are living in Texas. Well.....We were NOT rooting for Texas. The kids wore Alabama t-shirts to school, and this was the game time attire. (Kate was a little excited...)

Christmas In a Nutshell

2010-01-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous Christmas this year! It was so wonderful to be all together. I took a ridiculous amount of pictures, but I will just share a few...

Kate and Cole in their Christmas outfits
Kate and Cole very excited in their Christmas pajamas.Cole on his new motorcycle.

Kate VERY excited to get her American Girl doll Kit.

All together. YAY!There are so many fun things we did throughout the holidays that made great pictures, so I may add more at a later date if things are slow. (I'm not sure if they ever are...)

I hope you enjoy and I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Major Street

2010-01-19T21:05:00.001-08:00

I am so proud, Oliver was promoted to Major this month. His pinning ceremony (velcroing in this case) was on the 4th and this was the first time I could be there for a promotion. It was a quick ceremony, the kiddos and I were there along with some friends and Oliver's co-workers. It was really nice.

Colonel Lukow saying some nice things about Captain Street

Me "pinning on" the new Major rank.

Colonel Lukow telling Oliver he is expected to know something now...

The Cake

Major and Mrs. Oliver Street and family

It was a GREAT day. We had to enjoy it, because it is a L...O...N...G time until he gets promoted again.

Cole's Birthday Party

2009-10-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

This post is about a month late, but I need to start somewhere and this was a FUN day!

We had a birthday party for Cole with 8 of his friends. It was a helicopter themed party, and everyone had a great time.

We decorated helicopter shaped cookies...
Played out side and had a helicopter shaped pinata.Had a landing pad cake with cupcakes...

Opened presents...

and everyone left with a light up helicopter party favor...Thank goodness my mom was here to help. We had landing pads on all of the tables and there were cardboard helicopters flying overhead.

A great time was had by all...

Love and miss you all. Hope to hear from you soon...

Rain (finally)

2009-09-07T04:26:00.000-07:00

We don't get much rain here in central Texas, so Kate jumped (literally) at the chance to finally wear her froggy rain boots and splash around. She has been waiting so long for it to rain enough to make puddles AND not be lightening. Here are some pictures from the fun.

Kate was running and squeeling with excitement!Trying to get daddy back...

Kate finally got Cole to go out with her. He wasn't too sure at first. (This is my favorite picture)

He's watching, learning, trying to figure this out...He's got it. Fun times...Now we just need it to rain again so we can go out and play some more.

Back Again?

2009-09-05T02:59:00.001-07:00

Well, I said I was back and I had all intention of being the good little blogger and sending updates at the VERY least weekly and alas I have failed. Life has once again gotten in the way of sharing our life with all of our friends and loved ones.

So....

Let's try again.

I have so many AWESOME pictures and events from the summer I want to share, but I am going to stat with the present. It's BACK TO SCHOOL time! Woo Hoo!

Kate has started Pre-K and Cole is in a Mother's Day Out program 2 days a week (that translates to 6 hours a week for me). They are both at the same school Kate attended last year.

Kate's first day of school. She was really excited! As we were walking into meet her teacher she looked up to me an said (with a HUGE smile and bright eyes) "I am so excited! It is a red letter day!" What an amazing phrase for a 4 year old to use. I love it!Cole started school the next day. He wasn't quite as excited as Kate to go to school, but he was really excited about the motorcycle on his new shirt!Kate's 2nd day and Cole's 1st day.Outside the school. Cole is looking a bit nervous...Such a big girl...

OK, so now that the kids are back in school I will promise to do my best at updating the blog and adding pictures. And, as I mentioned before, I have so many great moments from the summer that I want to share. Please add comments (or just email me if you don't want to log in)so I know someone out there is looking.

Love and miss you all!

Kate's new bike

2009-08-10T02:23:00.000-07:00

We finally upgraded Kate from her tiny tricycle to a "big girl bike". Unfortunately we do not have sidewalks in our neighborhood, so if she is to ride the bike outside of the garage we need to be right there to protect her from herself (and traffic). She LOVES the bike so much!

Here are a few pictures from a trip to the elementary school so she could ride around. Taking a break.I think we will make more trips once the weather cools down, but until then she might have to be content with the ("too small") garage...

I'm back...

2009-08-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

Well, we have certainly kept busy since Oliver got home from Iraq. Almost 3 weeks on vacation and TONS of activities. I think we will finally start to settle down. This means I can finally start updating everyone on all that is going on with the Street Fam.

I have so many GREAT pictures from over the summer I would like to share! I am going to start out slow while I am getting everything organized.

Here are just a few from the pool at Grandmama and Grandaddy's house. Both kids became little fish!

Kate doesn't need her water wings anymore!
Cole doesn't care if he has his on or not. He is Jumping into the water either way!I have so much to share! Check back often!!

Mahayla

2009-06-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had to say to our beloved pug dog Mahayla. It was very sad, but she had been in pain for a while. The kids and I went to the veterinarian to say good-bye then Oliver stayed and "helped Mahayla get to heaven" (Kate's words) Mahayla was 17 years old. She will be missed!

Up!

2009-06-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

Last week we took BOTH kiddo's to the movie theatre to see the movie "Up". It was a matinee in the middle of the week, so there were only 2 other families in there. Kate of course LOVED the whole experience. Cole was great until he had had enough popcorn and wanted to explore. Cole and I had to go in the hall for about 15 minutes in the middle to run off some energy, but saw the majority of the movie.

Kate and Daddy before the movie started.Watching the previews... Cole standing but still watching. We will have to go out in the hall soon.All in all it was a lot of fun and Cole did pretty well for a 1 year old. He was a bit active, but stayed pretty quiet except for the occasional exclamation of "BLOON!!" (balloon) as he pointed at the screen.

Kate's first recital

2009-06-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Kate had her first recital yesterday. She had to be there by 10:30 am and we left at 8pm. It was a LONG day, but Kate LOVED it! There were 2 shows, and Kate was in both of them. The first one she just had tumbling, and the second one she did all of her dances. Kate did a great job, and was so excited to be on the BIG stage and have "a lot of audience" watch her (she definitely did not get that from me!)

Kate and Emily getting ready for the tumbling show...The finale of the first show...

Jazz...My little ballerina..."You Are My Sunshine" for tap...Tap...The finale of the second show...

After the show. A tired Kate with Daddy and her pretty flowers. Today Kate told me that she wants to do it AGAIN!! Thank goodness there is a whole year before we do it again!

Welcome Home Daddy!

2009-06-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

We got the phone call on Sunday that Oliver would be home at 3:30 (or should I say 1530) on Monday. So we showed up at Cameron Field in front of the 4th ID headquarters at 3:30 to wait for the buses to bring our loved one back to us.

Oliver is Home! Here are a bunch of pictures from the homecoming.

Walking to the field...

Kate and Cole waiting... and waiting...and waiting...we are still waiting... Here come the buses!!! Fire trucks were spraying water. They drove the buses under it. They parked all of the buses in front of the field then all of the soldiers lined up behind the buses. In the last picture on this group you can see all the boots under the bus...

"When are they going to MOVE the buses?"
The buses finally moved... Then all the soldiers marched forward. There was a little talking then they were told to "Find Your Families!"

The kids greeting Daddy.We are all together again! The banner at home...
I plan on continuing to do this blog, but it would be GREAT if some of you could sign up so you could leave comments. I would LOVE to hear every one's thoughts...

Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers over the past year. It's OVER! Yay!

Texas Tumblers

2009-06-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

Texas Tumblers is a big gym that offers classes, camps, cheerleading and a preschool, but a couple times a week they have an open gym and we like to go a couple times a month. Here are some pictures of one of our visits.

Cole on the trampoline runway.Kate on the trampoline runway.Cole "hanging around." So proud!Kate's first time hanging upside down. She is not very happy that I made her do this...

Her third time... So happy and VERY proud.

UPDATE: Oliver leaves Kuwait SOON! He should be home sometime Monday!!! Yay!!

Memorial Day Parade

2009-06-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

The City of Harker Heights had a Memorial Day Parade on the Saturday before Memorial Day. There wasn't much of a turn out either with parade participants or spectators along the route but, the kids had a GREAT time. Kate keeps asking when she can see another parade. I wonder how she would react to a big parade. Here are a few pictures... Kate watching down the street waiting for the parade to start."Horse-neigh!"Kate stood and waved at everyone.afterward we went to the park and Kate chased the ducks...Just to update everyone...

Oliver is in Kuwait now and should be home EARLY next week! Yeah!!!!

Pentecost Sunday

2009-05-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today we spent the whole wonderful day with our church family. We started the day with church. Went to the Pentecost picnic. After a short recess for naps we went back to church for the deployment dinner. It was a great day, and you know you enjoy being with people when you start and end the day with them. We are blessed.

Kate showing off her "Pentecost red"

Kate and her good friend Emily at the picnic.Cole at the picnic.This "bike" belonged to one of the other kids at the picnic. Cole is showing a little bit of attitude as he sits on the Harley.Kate LOVES it. I figured Daddy would really enjoy this one!We really wish Oliver could have been there! But...only ONE week to go!!! WOW, long time coming! Yea!!!

Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

We had a good Memorial Day weekend. Saturday we went to the parade and festival in the morning and a birthday party in the afternoon. Monday we had a GREAT day at HOME! We played outside most of the day and had a yummy dinner of grilled cheeseburgers, corn on the cob and watermelon. Yum-O! Only thing missing was Daddy! He is a MUCH better griller.

The kids outside... I will post the parade pics next time.

Cole couldn't decide whether to eat the burger or the corn. He is 2-fistin' it!"Yummy corn!"
We hope everyone had a great weekend too!

Random

2009-05-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

Just a few random pictures from days gone by...

Cole's hair had been doing this... I am not sure how to stop it. It will be gone for a few days then it is back again. I will either have to cut it super short or put hair product in it and make it ALL stick up.I just had to include this... Kate is looking SO grown up! Sitting in her chair with her legs crossed doing her nails. Frightening!Not to mention a bit of a ham. I don't know how that happened!
Oliver, I miss you, the kids miss you! We all love you sooooooooo much! Thank you for my flowers! The card made my day. I love you very much.
See you SOON!

Another Birthday Party

2009-05-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from last Saturday's birthday party. It was Kate's friend Andrew's party and he turned 4. It was supposed to be a water party outside but it rained and the party was moved inside. Thank goodness there were only 5 kids invited.

Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog...Cole eating his hot dog like a big boy!

Kate and her Mickey Mouse ears.
We went to a Memorial Day parade and festival today. It was a lot of fun. Will post pictures soon. We sure wish you were there Daddy!!!

Chuck E. Cheese's Last Weekend

2009-05-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we went to a birthday party party at Chuck E. Cheese's. It was Kate's friend Colin's 4th birthday. Kate and Cole had a GREAT time. The place isn't too bad on a weekday, so this was tolerable. The pictures are a bit fuzzy because the lens was dirty. I didn't realize it until I got home and was looking at the pictures. I guess I shouldn't let Kate and Cole "look at the pictures".

This is Cole telling me he wants to play. Cole sitting at the table like a big boy eating his pizza and drinking out of a cup!

Yum, ice cream!The red "Cars" cake was great! Took 2 days to get the red off her face. Thank goodness I took the icing off Cole's cake before giving it to him. It would have been EVERYWHERE! Cole driving a car!

We have another Chuck E Cheese party tomorrow (on a Saturday! Uggh!). Yeah!

18 Days and Counting...

The Firetruck

2009-05-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

The other day we were at the community center and there were some firetrucks in the parking lot. We asked the firefighters if we could look at their trucks. They said yes...

Cole LOVED looking at the trucks when I was holding him, but he was NOT thrilled about this... When I took him down he was mad then too. I can't win.

Kate loved it!
Less than 3 weeks! We miss you Daddy!

Daddy's Hat

2009-05-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

We have been really busy lately. Kate's recital is coming up soon, and be have been at the studio 3 times a week (this is on top of school, playdates, church activities and a few mommy outings). I am super excited for the show, but I sure will be glad when it is over! Anyway, just a QUICK post...

The other day Kate and Cole got into the box with Daddy's dress blue's hat. They had a great time trying it on.This was Cole's reaction to Kate taking away the hat...

Only about 20 days to go!!!! Yea!!

Kate and the Ladybug

2009-05-18T05:47:00.000-07:00

Kate has informed me that she only likes ladybugs, butterflies, dragonflies, and rollypollies (is that how you spell it???). Because they are nice. Kate was so excited the other day when she found a ladybug on the deck. Here are some pictures of her hanging out with her new friend.

This is the "house" Kate made for her ladybug.

"She is so beautiful!"

A Happy Twirl...
22 (or so) days to go. Yeah!

The Kiddos on Mother's Day

2009-05-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some pictures from Mother's Day. They just looked to cute (and coordinated) We went to church then out to lunch.

Kate was ready to pose. Cole had other ideas...Cole: I will get you sister!

Kate: Mommy!

The restaurant gave all Moms a flower. Cole thought it was for him. The kids being sweet.And again, this time being silly.The only thing that would have made this day better...Daddy of course.

Less than 25 days to go!!!!

At the Zoo

2009-05-16T17:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco with some friends. It is a small zoo, but it is inexpensive, and the perfect size for little ones. Kate and Cole had a GREAT time.

Kate looking at the map and telling us where we need to go.This slide goes through the beaver's water. Unfortunately the beaver's were sleeping and not swimming around.I don't think Kate realized what had walked right behind her. He was lying down in the back when I had her get up there for the picture.Kate and Cole in front of the fish. Cole would have stayed there forever!

"Fish?"Cole pointing to his mouth as he is attempting to make a fish face.

Butterfly Kate.Kate really liked these monkeys (in the tree). She is still imitating their sound. The whole gang.

This was our first time to this zoo. We will have to go again when Daddy gets home. Then poor Cole will not have to spend to much time in the stroller.

Just

2009-05-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to go to Colin's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. Super exciting for Kate. Not so much for mommy. Tomorrow we have Andrew's birthday party--at his home. I will post those pictures soon. For now I just wanted to share some cute pictures of The kiddos hanging out in the back yard.

Kate striking a pose (as usual)Cole and the big green ball.

The kids love playing with this little lantern. They put leaves in it and pretend it is a little house.A Big Kiss for Daddy!
Less than I month to go (hopefully)!!!!!!

Kate and the Ice Cream

2009-05-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

The three of us went to the mall the other day and decided to have lunch at Chick-fil-a. Kate traded her toy in (knowing that Cole was too young for his and she would get it) for a bowl of ice cream. She had a great time eating the ice cream and sharing it with her brother. She kept telling me that it was nice of her and she was sharing and she was a big girl. I agreed wit her, told her she was doing a great job. I am not sure what else she wanted--she already got ice cream. He didn't want to let go of the spoon.

Cole is looking for his next bite.
Cole's shirt was a little dirtier, and his hair was a bit sticky, but all in all she did a great job. The best part was how proud of herself she was!

Girls Day Out

2009-05-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

Thursday I put Cole in the Child Development Center and Kate and I had a "girls day" It was a lot of fun.

First was the Mother's Day Tea at School. The kids sang for us then we had brownies and lemonade. (I don't know where the "tea" was). We got a Mother's Day card and a little gift that the kids made. The teacher also had a cute little slide show of pictures taken throughout the year.

This is Kate's BFF Gracie. Next we went to lunch at the Olive Garden (Kate's choice). She had Mac n' Cheese as usual.Then we went and got manicures and pedicures. This picture shows us under the drier.
Kate had some flowers painted on her fingernails. (and leaves on her toenails.)After this we did a little shopping before picking up the boy.

What more could 2 girls ask for in a day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mommy's out there!

Observation Day

2009-05-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

Last week we had an observation day at Kate's dance. Here are a few pictures. Kate takes a tumbling class and 1 dance class which had tap, jazz and ballet. She LOVES them all.

Doing a "roll." On the balance beam.First position. Ballet class. A little boogie woogie in Tap class.
Tap class.

This one is from Jazz class. I think she is being a butterfly...

Cole wanted to dance too.

The recital is on June 14th. Kate is so excited, she keeps asking when she gets to go on the big stage and do her show. We brought home all of the costumes this week. I can't wait to share those pictures (and video) with everyone. I am so glad Daddy will be home to see this.

A(nother) Party at Wazoo's

2009-05-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our latest Wazoo's Birthday party.

Kate going down the slide...Kate, Cole and ME going down the slide together. Cole LOVES it!The pinata! Cole and the candy he collected from the pinata. Eating a sucker. I can't believe he is keeping that party hat on. I guess he is distracted by the sucker.

Kate and the candy she collected. Showing off HER party hat.Their favorite part. The cake!!The kids have 3 parties they are invited to in May. 2 are at Chuck E. Cheese's and 1 is at Wazoo's. I think this town needs more party places...

Visit to the Dentist

2009-05-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Both Kate and Cole had a visit to the dentist last month. It was the first visit for both of them. We had been meaning to take Kate since she was one and started being covered by our insurance, but we just now finally got around to it (mind you I made the appointment back in December and couldn't get them in until April--apparently pediatric dentistry is the way to go.) The kids LOVED the waiting room with all of the toys, video games, movies and fish, but then we had to go in.
Kate did a GREAT job "getting her picture taken" (x-ray's) but then decided she didn't want to be there any more. Cole cried the whole time. When the dentist looked at his teeth and cleaned them he screamed bloody murder! I didn't get any pictures of Cole because I was holding him down. Here is a picture of Kate getting her teeth cleaned. She was fine with this until they started with the fluoride. Now Kate is crying! She said it hurt...
All I can say is thank goodness there were no cavities! I can't imagine how they would react to getting shots in their mouths! Kate hasn't complained about having to brush her teeth since the appointment. I hope she doesn't think she won't have to go back if she brushes good... Kate was thrilled with her stickers and new toothbrush. Cole was thrilled with his balloon. I guess it wasn't all bad!

Now we get to do it all over in 6 months! Yea! I think I will let Daddy take them this time.

The rest of the visit

2009-04-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a sampling of the rest of the pictures from Oliver's visit home. These show pretty much how we spent our time (other than the things I already posted about--Easter, Topsey, haircuts).

We painted the dining room, living room and bathroom (Kate helped.) I guess Oliver was tired of hearing me talk about wanting to paint. I meant hire someone to do it for us, but I guess this is fine too. It was actually fun. (Except for the bathroom. I will pay for the bathroom in the future.)Kate had her 4 year doctor appointment and Cole had his 18 month appointment. The picture shows them with Dr. Street (yes, that's his name. When you are new somewhere and don't know anyone to ask, how do you choose? This guy had a good name.) BEFORE they got their shots.
Since Oliver has left we have been back to the doctor 2 times with an ear infection, pink eye, allergies, and strep throat. Hopefully that is over!! No more sick kids please.

We enjoyed eating out a lot. I think we both gained back a few of the pounds we had lost since the deployment began. Oh well. Back to eating right!We played a lot. It was so nice to be together! The weather was great! It just went too fast!(This one is of Kate and Oliver looking at a snake before it slithered and hid under the deck)We have less than 40 days!!! WOW!! Can you believe it?

First Hair Cuts

2009-04-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Both Kate and Cole got their first hair cuts this month. Kate loved it and felt like a "rock star". She just kept telling the stylist to not cut off too much. Cole had to be bribed with a lolly pop to sit in the chair and Daddy kept busy keeping Cole's attention away from the scissors. Cole still managed a smile....

Kate had to stand up because her hair was too long and got in the way of the chair.

"Don't cut off too much. Only a trim" Kate kept saying.

Kate did enjoy the special treatment though. She liked sitting in the chair to have her hair brushed.It took us 4 years to take Kate and only 18 months to take Cole. They both had about the same amount cut of though. I think we will be going a lot more often once Daddy gets home (at least Cole will).

Easter morning

2009-04-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

We left the bunny a plate of carrots and a beautiful letter that Kate drew. The bunny in turn filled the baskets to the brim with all sorts of goodies.

The Easter baskets the bunny filled...

Kate tearing into hers...

Cole checking his out (with help from daddy)

What a fun morning we had!

Easter Eggs

2009-04-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Kate decorated Easter Eggs with Mommy and Cole was kept out of the egg dye by hanging out with Daddy.

Kate is very proud of her creations...

Easter

2009-04-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT time together on Easter. Here are a couple pictures of us in our "Sunday best"...

Kate putting flowers on the cross at church. Looking into the sun. Looks like we are all squinting. Cole is eating--as usual.Kate and Cole in their coordinating Easter outfits--courtesy of Grandmom Deb. Sooooo cute.Cole and Daddy walking to the car. I don't know why, but I just LOVE this picture of my guys!Next I will post pictures of the Easter Baskets and eggs.

It was so nice for us to be together as a family. I hope everyone had as nice and as blessed an Easter as we did.

Another Welcome Home Picture

2009-04-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

I forgot to include this picture in the welcome home post a couple weeks ago. It is my favorite and makes me smile everytime I look at it. I just had to share it with you all. Not too much longer now....

Topsey Part 2 (the petting zoo)

2009-04-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

The second part of the zoo was a petting zoo. The kids both really enjoyed this!

At first Kate was scared to let the goats eat out of her hand. By the end she would let them. But only the babies...

Cole kept trying to pick up the baby goats. He succeeded one time, but I was too busy stopping him to take a picture. Where are my priorities??? Next time I will do better.

This is what a goat does... (and every other animal according to Cole)Kate's favorite was the lamb. She sang "Mary Had a Little Lamb to it".The loves of my life all together again...

Kate is still talking about the visit to Topsey. We will definately have to do it again.

Topsey Exotic Park

2009-04-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

We went to Topsey Exotic Ranch while Oliver was home on leave. Part of it you drive through safari style and feed the animals, and part of it is a petting zoo. We all had a GREAT time!

Check out Kate's expression as she sees something coming....

She said "WHAT is THAT?!"

I will post the petting zoo pictures in the next post.

Would love to hear from everyone. I hope you all are enjoying the blog and check it often.

Kate's Birthday

2009-04-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from Kate's Birthday day. She had a great day, and is SO proud to be 4 now!

We had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse, and she got to ride the saddle. SUPER excited!

Kate got beautiful flowers from Daddy!

The presents...

The proud 4 year old!

We have been soooooo blessed!!

Daddy's Here

2009-04-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

Well, now we are only a couple days from the day Oliver heads back to Iraq, but I wanted to share the pictures from the day we picked him up from the airport. Thankfully Grandma Mary was there to take the pictures.Cole wouldn't let Daddy put him down...They were both so excited to have him next to them in the car on the way home...Not to long and he will be home for good...

HAPPY EASTER!!

2009-04-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

We are having a great R&R, and are really enjoying being together. I have so many great pictures and stories I will be posting in the next couple of weeks or so. For now, I hope everyone is having a GREAT Easter.

Here is a picture from our visit with the Easter Bunny on Friday. Kate was more than happy to be there--Cole on the other hand...

I believe there is a picture with Oliver and the Easter Bunny that looks similar...

Kate's Birthday Party

2009-03-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well we had Kate's party at Wazoo's today. I think everyone had a good time. Here are a few pictures from the festivities...

The cupcakes. A Moms group friend made them. Didn't they turn out great?!

Right after she blew out her "4" candle. She was much happier than the picture shows...
The kids eating their cupcakes.

All the kids watching Kate open her presents. I have never seen so much "princess" in my life! Wow! Kate said/yelled "Oh my goodness!" after almost every gift. She was really excited!

Here are the cookie favors. They turned out great. Kate was dissapointed we didn't have goodie bags. I told her these were the goodie bags. She said "I want to give my friends goodie bags too" Oh well, I am sure the parents will appreciate not having to throw away the unwanted toys in a week.

I was in the party room most of the time, so I didn't get pictures of her playing. I will have to ask around to the other moms to see if they have any...

Here are a few other random pictures...

Wish you were there...

"Cinnamon Roll Toast"

2009-03-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

The kids had cinnamon roll toast (I always knew it as cinnamon toast, but Kate started calling it cinnamon roll toast, and it has stuck) for breakfast the other day. Cole REALLY enjoys it, so I thought I would capture his excitement...

See you soon. Be safe! Love you!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

Hope you have a very Happy St. Patty's Day! We are having a great day!

We went and made these GREAT hats...

We love you and miss you! May the luck o' the Irish be with you.

More outside pictures...

2009-03-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from last week. The weather has once again warmed up, so we can start going outside again. Thank Goodness! Although this will be a busy week getting ready for Kate's birthday party and Grandpa Randy's arrival--followed by Grandma Mary's visit, my Florida trip then....DADDY is home on R&R. Yay!!!! At least we will keep busy!

We LOVE you and MISS you and can't wait until you are home!! Be safe!

the crazy weather

2009-03-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well we had 3 days of 80 Degree plus weather, followed by the last 3 days of 40 degree and rainy weather. This has left me longing for those warm days and playing outside. So I decided to post some pictures from the warm days. (as we sit inside with our sweaters on listening to the rain fall)

It should be warm again by the time you get home. But you never know... I don't suppose you would mind staying home cuddled on the couch with the family for a couple days though...

Miss you!!

Two cute kids!

2009-03-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

The kids just looked so cute in their church clothes the other day I just had to get the camera out. I have turned them both into HUGE hams! "Cheese!"

Have a GREAT day! We love you and miss you!

Climbing Boy

2009-03-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

He can do it all by himself!!! Can you believe this!

And he will do it over and over and over and over...

At the bottom he puts his hands up in the air and spins around and yells and does a happy dance! and then climbs up again...

Big Boy Seat

2009-03-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Cole is out of the highchair now!
He is such a BIG BOY, and oh so proud!

I think Kate likes having him up there with her too.

We can't wait to see you! We can't wait to have you at the dinner table with us!