From My Front Porch Looking In

Catchup...

2011-06-06T16:22:00.000-07:00

Ok.. in an effort to get caught up and share some of the goings on with us in the last few months, here are several of my favorite pictures for you to enjoy!

More Corpus and Marine Center

2011-06-06T16:10:00.001-07:00

Holding a sea urchin!!

The sea turtle rescue facility was my favorite at the aquarium.

Don't just cover me in sand, make me a mermaid tail!! SHe has always been crazy about mermaids.

Super cool hunormous sand castle store on the way to South Padre. Looked so real.

March Madness

2011-06-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

Corpus Cristi for the girls STATE powerlifting meet.

LOTS of seaweed, but Remi didn't mind one bit. The water was freeezing! I am so glad Clint is the Dad he is and was willing to get in with her.

San Antonio Zoo on the way to Corpus. The butterfly house was really cool. Hundreds
of butterflies were flying around and wound land on you. Some really beautiful ones we had never seen before.Hadlee over for a sleepover, roasting and trip to the Abilene Zoo.

Country Girls Can Survive!

2011-06-06T15:56:00.001-07:00

Remington and Emma went rabbit hunting with Clint, Uncle Jason and Tennison. I can't believe they wanted to hold it but they were so proud! This is something I have never done, rabbit hunting. I just LOVE bunnies, I can't do it! Nope I can't!

Baby Angel

2011-06-06T15:52:00.001-07:00

we welcomed Baby Ana-Ysobel Contreras on February 11, 2011. My sister, Adie, did great. I am so proud to be this baby angel's God Mommy.

Remi was proud of her and couldn't wait to hold her. She shouldn't be old enough to hold that baby by herself, her Daddy said.

Beauty and the Beast

2011-06-06T15:39:00.001-07:00

This was an absolutely magical production!! The costumes, sets and voices were just like what I imagine "real broadway" to be.

All the songs sounded just like they did on the movie all those years ago!

It was a school night but I didn't want her to miss this special event. It was gorgeous and I'm so glad we went. If it comes again next year you should most def check it out or whatever other production is offered. I'm sure they are fantastic and we will be there again to experience the magic.

Snowy February

2011-06-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

Fun snow day breakfast. Remi wanted to know why I made such a cute breakfast? Was it a special day? No. Just life. Life with you and this family in this moment. That's pretty special.

Princess snowma.... errrr... uh... snowlady. Complete with bag, tiara and princess wand.

MAking snow ice cream. One of her Daddy's favorites.

Clint pulled her around on this table like it was a sled for it seemed like hours. SHe loved it and he loved hearing her giggle!

January Happenings

2011-06-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

This girl and her faces! Really. 100th day of school at East Ridge

Remington and her friend were chosen by her teacher to present the "8 Keys of Character" to the School Board in January. They recited rules of life their class was working on like: Do your best, Failure is gonna happen keep trying, be balanced in your life , etc.. Obviously these were said with better words and with hand motions when they did it but.... It was really cute and I was so proud she was asked to do it.

Great Wolf Lodge

2011-06-06T15:17:00.001-07:00

ok so seriously.. in an effort to try and catchup from the last few months here are a few pictures of what we have been doing. This is Greta Wolf Lodge in January.

Wating for the show to start.

This girl is and always has been a water bug!

Christmas 2010

2011-03-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

What a face! Dramatic?... yeah maybe a little :)

Easy bake oven??!!! OMGoodness! Do you remember these? The stuff we've made so far is actually pretty yummy.

Remi got an Animal Encyclopedia from National Geographic. Beautiful pictures and lots if animal facts.

Ziggy was so glad when all the gifts were cleared out so he had a space to lay! Both ktties were really good about the tree. Neither one of them climbed up it, they just batted gently at the ornaments close to the bottom.

Love, love the house all decorated at Christmas. A tree in every corner, red, gold and sparkles everywhere!

Yay Santa! ZhuZhus!

Cookies made and decorated by Remi mostly by herself. I'm SURE Santa enjoyed all the sugar sprinkles, chocolate chips and marshmallow buttons she used to decorate!

This was a Sea World Barbie Trace and Makayla got her. Did she like it? I'm not sure..... What do you think?

Whoa Sam! Lookin Good!

2011-03-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Remi's great-grandma got her a pink saddle pad for Christmas. Sam is such a good boy. He didn't complain at all. And Remi sure does love it.

BLOW!

2011-03-26T15:12:00.001-07:00

One, two, three.... BLOW!! Now she is a real glass blower! Remington got to choose her color and if she wanted her ornament to be swirled or polka dot.

Have you ever seen glass blowing? It is really interesting to watch.

Rolling the ball of hot glass in the blue bits of glass to give it the color and desired efftets. They shipped it to us in a few days and it went on our tree proudly.

All Aboard!

2011-03-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Alll abboard the Polar Express!! We had the best time riding the train and seeing all the Christmas decorations. The conductor even came by to punch our tickets.

Remi telling Santa what she wanted for Christmas: 2 Zhu Zhu pets and the Princess Castle.

SAnta even made an appearence on the train before we got off.

Our first train ride... and we loved it!

Remi of course wore her jammies, Clint and I oppted not to.

They had a singa long show while we were waiting on the train's departure. All the kids got to go on stage if they wanted to help them sing. Remi did but was in the back so you can't see her in the picure we took.

Kindergarten Christmas party

2011-03-26T14:51:00.001-07:00

They all made a candle holder out of a water bottle, a little piece of tinsel and a ribbon.

These are all dipped apples a Mom made. Yes they're all different and she made 24 of them! She used licorice, choc chips, coconut, M&Ms, orange slices and lots more to create these cute little frostys!

Remi and Maylee Murff.

I got to go to her party for 15 minutes before my own class party started. LOVE being at the same school as her or I wouldn't even get to go for a minute.

Hadlee Hardin and Remington. Hadlee has been over lots of times to play and has even spent the night.

Introducing..... Mrs. Claus

2011-03-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Claus made a special trip to see the kiddos at Remi's Granny's work during their Christmas party. She took down what each child wanted for Christmas to take back to Santa, just in case they weren't going to get to see him before the big night.

Twinkle Toes

2011-03-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

Practicing at Ballet for a performance for the Goodfellows Christmas concert.

This girl sure loves to dance and be silly!

This was also the Christmas party for her ballet class.

This was the real performance. They all had matching scarves from Mrs. Maggie.

They danced to Frosty the Snowman

Here We Go a Caroling

2011-03-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Remington caroling with her choir group at church.

They were all a little leary of the "old people," but they did a great job and definately brought some much needed joy to the hearts of those people that night.

Daddy's Girl

2010-11-17T20:56:00.000-08:00

She always has been. She was when she was little and now maybe even more. She wants to be where he is doing what he's doing. Mostly... unless it's HOT and there's SWEAT involved, then sometimes she will pass. Or ask him to come inside! Love that girl :)

On my parent's lease they have the best little fishing pond. It is almost dry so the fish are so hungry! We can catch perch after perch most of the time with the occasional bass thrown in. Catch and release. Clint baits the hooks. Remi has a ball. My kind of fishing.

The Dallas Aboretum

2010-11-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

I think I could have taken LOTS of pictures. Remington was so lovey this day. PLease LORD, never let her stop doing that!

You like my hand in the top left corner? Yeah well we will just crop that right on out! hehe. This was the cutest little cottage. The whole place was amazing. I have never seen so many pumpkins in my life. Of every shape, size, color everything. It is an autumn lovers paradise!

Thank you Father for this wonderful man we get to call husband and Daddy. So glad he got to go with us on our trip. Clint even got to see live horse racing while we were at the concert. We stayed at the Gaylord Texan and WOW was it something. It is like a Vegas hotel. So beautiful.

The Mustangs of Las Colinas

2010-11-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

This sculpture is the largest equestrian sculpture in the world. It's pretty cool to see all the detail of each horse up close.

We were trying to save this one from the cold water... but to no avail.

Clint and I had gone here right after we got married for some reason and Remi has always wanted to go after seeing them in the scrapbook.

It took over eight years from the time the sculptor was commissioned to the time they were finished. They are running through a stream set in downtown Dallas on an enormous Texas pink granite slab. Really cool if you are ever in the area.

Lady A!!

2010-11-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

Remi's first concert!! We went to Dallas to see Lady Antabellum. Man was it good! We could sing at the top of our lungs and couldn't even hear ourselves, it was great. The pictures of them are pretty blurry because we weren't very close. The walls and jumbo screens were shaking they were so loud! It had been a very long time since I had been to a concert. I remembered I sure do LOVE IT!

This was before they went on right after David Nail opened up for them. He was good, too. After Lady A finished their set the lights all went off and the crowd was goin nuts. We were all chanting "Lady A" and Remi said;" What are they doing?" I told her that sometimes if the audience yells really loud they might come back out and play another song. Then they came back out and sang their new song, "Hello World." Remi turned to me and said;"Mommy! It really worked!" She had a good time and so did I. :)

2010-10-30T21:15:00.001-07:00

This free photo slideshow generated with Smilebox

more carnival pics

2010-09-07T17:48:00.001-07:00

We had "pony" rides. Only it was Sam, our horse, but he kids certainly didn't care. :) This is my nephew, Tennison.

Remi and Maddee Gene enjoying their balloon animals.

Two of my silly brothers posing at the party! Not sure how Jon got talked into being the girl...

Hot dogs, popcorn, chips, cotton candy and caramel apples. That's right, carnival food. Well, yes, JUNK, but man was it tasty!!

Remington sack racing Laramy. Many a kid bit the dust trying to win this! Little did they know, everyone was a winner at this party! Prizes for everybody!

Remington's Carnival

2010-09-07T17:31:00.001-07:00

Remington's 6th birthday was a carnival. I have wanted to try this for a couple years and she finally thought it was a good idea! She said after the party it was her " best one yet!" It was a lot of work to plan and took some time, but I had the summer to space things out so it was worth it for sure. She had so nuch fun and so did everyone else. This is the "Andy the Balloon Guy," who drove in from San Angelo. He said he had been looking for a new hat to buy and found one just for this party! Thanks Andy!! You were great!
And to all the friends and family who helped run a booth, THANKS SO MUCH! Remi had a fabulous time. This will be one she remembers a long time.

Jaci playing "Water Gun Blast." Dad was the announcer on this game. He ALWAYS had a line at his booth, Mom said it was due to his "presentation." He sounded like a real "carnie," making the kids all want to play. Too Funny. :)

As always August birthdays are HOT. And today, thank you so much, the wind was blowing AT LEAST 60 MPH! But at least we had shade and popcicles to tide us over until cake time. Remi in her "6" shirt. I wanted her to wear a rainbow tutu, but I settled for this instead. It turned out pretty cute.

Remi with her cake I made. Thank you Aunt Sandra for giving me the "cake making bug!"

More pictures above. I always put them in the wrong order and then it messes up my whole post, so I am just going to do another entry. :0)

Birthday candles

2010-08-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl turned SIX! Man. You know what they say... where has six years gone? It has been so fantastic so far I can't wait to see what God has planned for her in years to come. But if it's possible God, could time slow down just a little? :) This is Remi with her celebration cupcake on her actual birthday, Tuesday.

Enjoying a cupcake at school with her classmates.

Remi "blowing out the candles" at school. The candles were the six friends right around her, everyone else was the "cake." Don't you just LOVE Kindergarten teachers? I SSSOOOO could not do their job!

Some of her classmates, Hadlee and Kembra are the only ones I know so far.

1st Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-25T19:29:00.001-07:00

Remi's first day... She had this dress picked out for weeks! And her new Sketchers Twinkle Toes for PE that she got for her birthday. Mrs. Dowden was so busy that morning I took our own picture! Sweet girl had a great day!

Mrs. Dowden's Class-Kindergarten

2010-08-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

Remington and Mrs. Dowden at Meet the Teacher last week. She was so very excited to see her room and take all her new school supplies to put in her very own locker!

Friends of Summer

2010-08-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Caleb has been over a few times this summer and yesterday he went swimming with us. We had to top the evening off with a little face paint! Remington was a butterfly the day before so today she was a Disco Diva. I don't know why they called it that. They just did. "Sweet"water has at least brought Remi "sweet" friends.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2010-08-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ther'll be pencils for sharpning and scissors for cutting,
and erasers to erase those mistakes.
Backpacks are for packing and books for a stacking
and teachers who'll have to stay late.
It's the hap happiest time, as I wipe a tear from my eye, it's the Most Wonderful Time of The YEARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! sniff sniff :~{
Remington is so very excited about school! Kindergarten promises to be a wonderful time indeed. Now I have to get to my room and get it ready!

I said P.E.

2010-07-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

Remi and I have been doing a little school shopping the past few days and one of her favorites is a pink zebra striped dress. Upon seeing her in it the conversation with her father goes like this....
Clint: that dress is gonna be kinda hard for you to go to p.e.
Well Remington pulled it right up and yanked down her panties and said
"nuh uh! See!!" while squanting to give the full effect!! O. Kindergarten... here she comes!! :)

Happy Birthday America!

2010-07-26T19:50:00.001-07:00

Thank you Lord for all those who serve so we can have the freedoms we do.

I pray you watch over them and their families while they are way.

God Bless this country and all that this flag stands for: Freedom, courage, honor, liberty and purity. I hope we can all someday get back to these things and why they are important.

This was a celebration in Trickham, Texas on the 4th. They had hot dogs, watermelon, homemade desserts, music and inspirational entertainment and a fireworks show that was as good as the last one I saw in Abilene! We went with my Grammy and my sisters. God Bless the USA!

Family Reunion

2010-07-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

Remi catching minnows, with a Barbie butterfly net!

Clint and Remi trying to set up a minnow pond.

My family always has the best reunion. We go for four days to Proctor Lake and take the camper. That's really the only kind of camping I like! We play in the water, tube, ski and just float around. At night lots of people sit up telling the same stories as the year before. All the little cousins run around with flash lights and ride bicycles, and blow bubbles, and cry when we finally put them in bed. Reunion comes but once a year....

Fathers

2010-07-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

Remi says:" I love Daddy and he's so great. I really love him and how he wants to do everything with me. And even though I'm about to be six I know he might cry but I will love him even when I get married. And Father's Day is so special for my Daddy because he is my favorite Daddy in the whole wide world. And he will love me forever and ever."

I love my Daddy, too! He is the best!

Happy Father's Day to the best fathers out there!

Rhinestone Cowgirl

2010-07-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Remington got to ride in the Coleman rodeo parade with her Daddy and man were they cute! Sam didn't ride in this one. (that's Remi's\Clint's horse) It was really hot and I think he has been in enough parades to know what was about to happen. Clint said he started limping and getting all stiff legged... We are pretty sure he faked it so he didn't have to do the parade. Because after it was over he was completely fine!! He is one smart cookie!

The parade was in the morning and we were parked under a shade tree on main street... it was perfect.

She is such a cutie! I love this little buckaroo!

Wheat?

2010-07-26T19:18:00.001-07:00

We were on the way to go fishing at the lease in Santa Anna when Clint pulled over and had a little farming lesson for Remington. He was telling her that this is wheat, what they use to make flour out of and then people make bread. Well, he thought she needed to taste it and see the wheat seeds.

She is listening so intently to all his knowledge. I pray she will always want to hear what he has to say. :)

We all tried a bite and it really didn't taste that much, but man was it hard! Animals who eat wheat must have the strongest teeth! Or they probably wear them down from the seeds being so hard. I think I will wait until it turns to bread and then spread butter on mine with a dash of garlic salt.... YumYum!

What have we been up to this summer?

2010-07-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

We made a trip to Six Flags. Remi loved meeting all the characters and riding EVRYTHING she was tall enough for!

Remi has been outside a lot this summer. One of her favorite things to do is catch bugs. These are some of her favorites. Millipedes. I have never seen them before we moved here to Sweetwater. They are long and pretty creepy looking but they have the coolest legs! There are so many of them everywhere, especially after it rains. Even when they poo on her hand, which happens a lot, she just wipes it off and never misses a beat.

Clint and I and several other coaches and their wives went to Las Vegas in early June. It was a lot of fun. This is us on the Gondola ride at the Venetian. It was really fantastic. Beautiful, beautiful hotel with lots of gold everywhere and paintings on the ceiling. He thought of this all on his own! We had a great time.

Remi swimming. She has done A LOT of that this summer as well.

Church program for the children's choir. She and Easton were so close to the mic they were pretty much all you could hear! But it was beautiful.

Hardin Simmons Grad

2010-07-26T18:38:00.001-07:00

Our sweet Kayla is now a graduate of HSU. She has been around for many years. First for Clint as a STATE powerlifter, Remi's baby sitter, and then she has just been part of our family. We will miss her so much as she goes off to be an adult in Corsicana, where she will be teaching History and coaching basketball and softball. Thank you Kayla for all the sweet memories with Remington so far.... we know there will be many more to come. Love you!

Western Heritage 2010

2010-06-02T11:13:00.001-07:00

These were her Daddy's chaps when he was little. Of course when he wore them them they didn't have pink tule on them! I had to girl them up a little!

At Western Heritage they have all kninds of evnts for the little ones on Saturday. This is the part of the Rodeo where they all had to take off one boot and put it out in the middle of the arena. Then they had to go find it and get it back on and across the finish line first.

Remi waiting in the shute for her turn on the Bunking Bronc portion of the rodeo.

The Grand Entry before the rodeo started.

Clint giving her some last minute advice.

"Dance the Night Away"

2010-06-02T11:05:00.001-07:00

Granny came to witness the grace of the program.

Remi's first ballet teacher. Ms. Mary Elizabeth.

Kayla came to see the little princess dance, too.

Going back out for the curtain call at the end.

The Little Princesses was her group this year for her ballet recital. Great dress. Hopefully we can wear it again for Halloween.

I kind of like this one even though it's blurry.

Working on getting that pose right and smiling at the same time.

Sweet friend Gentry at dress rehearsal.

DD, Mayra and Adie came to watch the rehearsal.

First Sleepover

2010-06-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Remington has been wanting to have a friend come over and stay the night for quite some time. SO before Summer started we finally did. Her name is Laramy. She is in Remi's class at school and she lives out of town. So it will be hard to see her again very often. On the day before she came over Remi says: Momma, can we sleep out on my trampolene?
Me: Sure if you want to.
Remi: Good, because I have big plans.
Me: Like what?
Remi: Like counting the stars and naming the planets and telling jokes.
Also on the list of to dos: Play the Wii. Check.

Do Kareoke. Check.

Read books together. Check.

Have a wienie roast. Check.

They had a great time. Just another milestone Remi has reached in the last few months alone. Her first sleepover.

Sweetwater Christian School Graduation

2010-06-02T10:45:00.001-07:00

Remi made lots of sweet friends at SCS this year. This is Easton.

Her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Clecker.

We are so proud of all she has learned! She is SOOOO ready for Kindergarten..... Me? Not so much. :{Sweet Laramy, who stayed the night a couple weeks ago.

The program was really cute. Lots of little voices singing praise to God. Thank you SCS for this wonderful year. Thank you Lord for putting Remi here. Thank you for all the friends she made. God Bless Mrs. Cleckler, who has taught for over 30 years, and still loves kids. Thank you for the wonderful, strong start to Remi's education.

Our TOT Superstar

2010-06-02T10:37:00.001-07:00

They all got trophy since this was the last event.

Braden, Remi, Mrs. "TOT" otherwise known as Mrs. Crystal, Jaden, Ryan, Easton, Shelby and Kendall. These were all the kids who were in the program from Sweetwater Christian School.

Showing off all the skills they have worked on this year. Bounce and roll, side to side, around the waist, dribble and catch, and lots of others.

Screaming 1,2,3 TOT kids!

Love that Superstar girl!!

Remi's Very FIRST TOOTH!

2010-06-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

Remington has lost her very first tooth! This was the first one she grew. One of only two she had to help her eat her very first birthday cake! It had been loose for a few weeks and we even took her to see Dr. Toogood last week because the other one was coming in right behind it! He said to keep wiggling, and so her DD helped it right on out on Sunday! Whohoo!! Notice what the tooth fairy brought her..... business must be booming up there! I don't recall my teeth bringing quite as much. :)

Springtime in Texas

2010-04-27T19:39:00.001-07:00

We are in need of a professional to take a family shot!

The wind was blowing at 40 knotts (?) this day!!

I made her this hat and she has loved it so much!

To the Man I love

2010-04-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!! The man I love is a little closer to 40 tomorrow! (4-23-10) He is everything I could have hoped for in a husband. And so much more than I deserve. He is the father I knew he would be and Remington adores him. Thanks you Father in Heaven for blessing our family with this man. I pray that we get many, many more years with him. Love you Clint!! :0)

The Easter parade

2010-04-13T20:51:00.001-07:00

My sweet Easter treat before going to praise that the Lord has risen!

Remington, Tatum, and Emma waiting on the prizes after the egg hunt. There were 140 (mostly) family members at this gathering. There are always so many people I don't know.

Pretty good basket of goddies there.

Remington and the Easter bunny at Sweetwater Christian School.

The Animals go Marching 2 by 2 Hurrah!

2010-03-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Fossil Rim in Glen Rose, Texas. If you haven't been and you or your kids love animals, it is a MUST DO. It took us about 4 hours to go through the whole park, driving. It is really huge and very pretty. The animals were all so friendly and gentle. Even though park officials still warn you not to feed out of your hands because they are still, "wild" animals. We had a great time.

They had a Children's Center where the kids could go and pet, feed, brush various animals up close. Remi was even excited about goats, which she has seen quite a lot of already in her life.

I don't know if you can tell here, but the baby is leaning on his mama from the back. So sweet.

There were three baby giraffes and at least six big giraffes. They are definately my favorite that we got to see.

Well we didn't exactly see any "marching" per say, but we did see lots of them eating, mostly out of our hands!

Spring Break with the Wolf

2010-03-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Remington waiting on the bedtime story. Someone from the "Pup Club" comes to the lobby to read all the kids who want to come a story and then they get to meet Wiley, the Wolf. This time the story was Is Your Mama a Llama? The lady who read it did lots of different voices and was fun to listen to.

"Wolf Walk" in the morning before breakfast. The guide leads the kids all around the lobby discussing various animals and their traits. The treehouse is really awesome in person. Also in the lobby.

They had some really cool Native dancers to greet guests this time. I don't remember their name and I doubt I could spell it if I did... but they were cool.

Wolf Lodge was a lot of fun again this year. Remington was tall enough to ride all the slides. (48 in). Although I think Clint enjoyed them more than she did. She was content to play in the water and all the fun toys they had.

Oh... Sweet Muffin....

2010-03-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

So the last weekend of Spring Break brings this..... Ear infection, Darth Vader breathing, stuffy nose, no runny nose, no stuffy nose, no runny... no... well you get it.... "seal bark" cough, "Croop". Yeah what a way to end a wonderful time off. But can you imagine how it was when we didn't have the medicine we do now? Waking up with a child who can't breath... who doesn't feel good and there's really very little you can do about it? Praise God for modern science!! We love Doctor Wiley and his staff, even though we see them maybe once a year. That's a good thing, though. So when Remi gets sick, it's usually pretty sick. But even today she is breathing almost normal, still short of breath, but no fever and is feeling fine. Yeah and Praise the Lord for healthy (95% of the time) children!

It's Roundup Time!

2010-03-12T15:46:00.000-08:00

I never attended the Rattlesnake Roundup before moving here to Sweetwater and I am happy to say that this year we will be out of town for it! Just the thought of all those rattling snakes in one area gives me the willies! I mean I know they are "contained" and the people have been doing this for years. However, I do not feel the need to subject myself to the noise and smell of these creatures just to get a funnel cake and homemade lemonade. I shall wait for the West Texas Fair and Rodeo to come back to Abilene, Thank you very much. BUt.... in honor of the "Roundup" there was a parade. Remington's little friend, Caleb, asked her to ride in it and throw candy. She, without giving it a moment's thought, of course said "YES!" Caleb's grandpa is running to be re-elected to Nolan County judge. They had a great time. Also riding and pictured here are Easton and Ruger, more of Little Miss' friends from school and church.

Fuzzy Bunny

2010-03-03T19:25:00.001-08:00

Remi enjoyed going to the stockshow here in Sweetwater and visiting the bunnies. One of Daddy's powerlifters showed rabbits and let us love on one.
She loved it so much that they gave us one. She named him Felix or Cecil, or something... She can't decide. Thank you Nemirs!! We love our new fuzzy bunny!

Blog Binding?

2010-02-26T18:12:00.000-08:00

Does anyone know the website that will bind your blog for you?

Sweet Treat

2010-02-23T16:23:00.001-08:00

Clint always enjoyed snow ice cream as a child. I don't recall ever making it. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. But one thing is for sure, Remi loves it and so do I!! Sugar, vanilla, milk, and then add snow. I have no idea the amounts we just add till it tastes good!

We'll have lots of fun with Mr. Snowman!

2010-02-23T16:08:00.001-08:00

Our little snow family.

Snow today!!! It snowed at least 3 or 4 inches and we played outside all day!

Clint built Remi a great fort and she made good use of it trying to get him! She managed a few good shots.

Hello?

2010-02-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

Yes this is me, Julie. Remember me? I used to come to a very fun group called BUNCO in Abilene and I used to post pictures of our life right here on this very blog? Yeah... I don't have an excuse that is even remotely good for not being here more often. Sleep? Yes, I am big fan. And my husband would tell you I do quite a lot of it. Which is true. But I really am going to do a better job of sharing our life via our blog, because I love reading about all of you and your families, and I WILL NOT FORGET BUNCO again!! :) So... on that note, here are some pictures of some things that have not been posted for wayyyyyy too long.

This is a picture Remington drew of her family at school. The untrained eye probably would not notice that she drew Clint's new boots with the cross on the toe, or that she has her "new shoes" on, or that her cat, Ziggy has stripes. She even included Joe and Chloe and made them very fluffy because they had not been to the groomer in a very long time.

Yes, it was quite cold but we had a roasting outside anyway.
Remi is a part of a group called TOT here in Sweetwater. They come to her school once a week and teach ball handling skills, early learning concepts and character building. Here she is preforming at halftime at the varsity bball game the other night. She had a great time..... Can you tell?

Happy New Year 2010!! Like I said these have not been posted for wayyy too long! But we had fun anyway dancing the night away......

Remi and her cousins, Tatum and Emma at the deer lease over Christmas break. We just got back from my parents this weekend and they had a great time again. It is awesome they are all so close in age. Look at Tatum's face.... wonder who he's about to get with that snowball???

Countdown to BCS... Hook 'em HORNS!!

2010-01-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

Most points scored by a quarterback in the BCS, most defensive points scored, home-town boy made it big.... Come on LONGHORNS!! Stick it to the Tide!

Hubbard Museum

2009-12-29T07:51:00.000-08:00

Remi and I in our matching pink jogging suits.

While in Ruidoso we visited the Hubbard Museum of American History. No, for all of you that know me good enough, not my first choice. But.... being married to a History teacher and having a little girl who loves horses, we had to make the stop. Clint and I had been here once before and knew Remi would like the horse sculptures. They are pretty huge and somehow she managed to hold this one up. hehe

This one was her favorite because of the baby.

They were all pretty amazing how they were sculpted to look so real. Some running, hair flying out to the back like it was really blowing in the wind. A definate must do if you have a little horse lover and are in Ruidoso.

Winterpark

2009-12-29T07:34:00.000-08:00

Beofre we hit the slopes in Ruidoso we had to try out Winterpark. It is a tubing area with big hills and even a conveyor belt to take you back to the top!

She thought she was really big taking her own tube up the hill.

You are supposed to stop yourself at the bottom of the hill BEFORE you hit the fence. We did abide by the rules but many others did not. It was funny to see them zoom down the hill and into the pile of innertubes and into the fence!

Remington liked the snow as long as it wasn't actually snowing while we were in it. I am so glad we got to experience this trip together. Thank you Father for blessing us beyond measure.

Winter Wonderland

2009-12-29T07:17:00.000-08:00

We waited over an hour at Ski Apache for the "Torchlight Tree Parade" to start. It was freezing and we didn't really know what we were going to see. Finally they came down the mountain. Each skiier holding two torches and making a "tree" design. In the meantime they set off fireworks behind it. It was really amazing to see. Knowing how hard it is for ME to ski without falling, I think I appreciated it more.

Remington on her first day, ready to ski the tallest mountain. This before she actually put the skis on and tried to control them.

This is her teacher, Ms. Sandy. She said Remi did really great and even took her up on the lift to ride the Not So Bunny Slope with her. We were really scared to get Remi on and off the lift ourselves but managed just fine.

These smiles even though it is our last day and we are headed home. We had a great time and vow to go back before the next 11 years pass!!

Someone always decorates a tree on the way up to the ski lodge, and we like to take our picture with it. Only on the dangerous curves someone is watching for cars and I'm trying not to slip down the mountain so it is only Miss Remi this time.

You know Dasher and Dancer and.......

2009-12-29T07:12:00.001-08:00

On the way to Ruidoso to ski we went through Ackerly, just outside Lameesa. They had the cutest "Reindeer resting area." They were up close enough to the fence to see and they even had all their names on the fence.

Remi couldn't believe that they were away from the North Pole, but we said it was probably just to let them rest a bit before the big night.

Some things that have been going on...

2009-12-29T07:02:00.001-08:00

Remington was asked to lead the Lord's Prayer at her Christmas program for school. She did a great job and was so proud. We were pretty proud, too. ;)

Remi could hardly think of a thing to ask Santa for this year. She finally deciced it would be a Barbie Muskateer and Ballerina Bunny, (to keep her Ballerina Bear from last year company.)

Watching them light the tree at the Civic Center after the parade.

She was in the Parade of Lights in Abilene on the Nutcracker float. It was freezing rain and frigid temperatures so there were only a few and decorations were minimal. But they still had fun.

Remi loves to help docorate for Christmas. She has a tree in her room and a very good collection of Nutcrackers.(not shown)

God's Plan

2009-12-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

So Sunday we joined Trinity Baptist Church here in Sweetwater. We have been visiting for months. I don't know if I was waiting for Clint to say, "Let's join," or for us to make the journey back to Abilene every Sunday to be with our sweet friends at Pioneer Drive or... I don't know what. It is a very sweet church, everyone is very welcoming, Remington is attending choir...... But............. i don't know. It doesn't feel like "home" yet. But I know with time it will. We were at Pioneer for 10 years and made lots of good relationships so it will take longer than a few months to have that here. I know that. I know this is God's plan for us to be here. I know. On this day I am thankful for a great place to worship, and the prospect of new friends... but I am also extremely aware of the sting of moving and leaving what we had. Call me a creature of habit, someone who doesn't like change, sceptic, whatever you like. I just know that no matter how uncomfortable it may be at times and how much we want to let God in on "our plan ," it is important, and crucial, we listen to what he has for us.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Late Birthday gift

2009-11-24T20:03:00.001-08:00

Pappy and DD and all the kids came to bring Remi her long awaited birthday present! Yay! A Trampoline!

Taking Gymnastics last year taught her how to do a few little tricks and she was ready to show us how.

I haven't COMPLETELY read the owner's manual I will admit it, but..... I really don't think this is the purpose of the safety net! ;)

Nutcracker 2009

2009-11-24T19:40:00.001-08:00

Have you ever been to the Nutcracker at the Paramount? If you haven't you have been missing out, but don't worry! You can still see it, but you'll have to wait until next year. It will be well worth your wait!

This was Remington's first performance in the ballet. She was a Tiny Angel in the Land of Sweets.

Clint got to go backstage and be one of a few Dads who were "Angel Pilots," who got to help all the angels "fly." No... he didn't wear tights! ;)

I had so much fun fixing her hair and putting make-up on her. She loved all the glitter!

The Mouse King and The Nutcracker battling it out.

Dancing off stage. Her part only lasted about 2 minutes, litterally, but she had so much fun.

Getting ready to fly behind the "scrim." (a black screen in front to keep them just a tiny bit hidden, mostly so you can't see the Angel Pilots.)

The Little Mermaid

2009-11-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

Granny made her this outfit for her birthday party so we lucked out that she wanted to wear it again for Halloween.

Remi's first real trick or treating experience. After about 30 minutes she was ready to eat some of her loot and go to bed.

Who's a Pretty Bird?

2009-11-01T20:06:00.001-08:00

"Mommy I want to be a peacock for Halloween!" me: "A peacock?!@# Are you sure? " Thinking all the while how in the sam hill am I going to make a peacock costume?

I quickly decided that it would be a perfect idea! Those feathers are so gorgeous it would be hard to make them look bad. She was so proud every kept telling her they liked her costume. I think she made an excellent peacock. And so did the judges at the TSTC carnival, she won 1st place in the costume contest! But... after two nights of blue sparkle powder and glitter on her eyes, and feathers in her hair, and having to take a bath, of all things, she said she "was DONE being a peacock!" So for trick or treating she was Ariel.

Remi and her friend "Captain America." (aka Caleb from school)

We enjoyed going to the FBC carnival even though it was so windy it nearly blew Remi's tail off!

Spooky Parade

2009-11-01T19:56:00.000-08:00

Halloween at Sweetwater Christian School. You can't wear your costume, BUT... You can wear a Halloween shirt but only a shirt, not the matching skirt and tights, I found out later. Ooops. Sorry Mrs. Cleckler. The kids went on a "Spooky Parade" singing Halloween songs to three of the banks close by the school. They practiced for weeks to learn the words to 5 or 6 songs. Really, really cute. Who knew there were so many songs about little ghosts and pumpkins?

Remington has had so much fun already this year at her school. She is learning to read and can sing a few songs in Spanish. She has gotten to be the Line Leader several times which must be THE job to have. And she gets the biggest kick out of her PE coach calling her Remington Steel every day. We are so blessed to have found this place for her.

Three little Pumpkins Sitting on the Gate

2009-11-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

Love this family, love this time of year. Remi's smile looks a little like the one in the middle huh?

She ended up adding eye lashes and her name before it was all said and done.

I'm not sure why, but Clint always makes his look scary.

we love punkin carving around here. we always have at least three, but this year Remi wanted to just draw on hers.

Ride 'Em Cowgirl!

2009-11-01T19:38:00.000-08:00

Well, it wasn't your traditional kind of rodeo. It was a bicycle rodeo. That's right. A rodeo where you compete to see who can earn the most points in different areas of bicycle ridin' skills. This was Remi's 2nd time to participate. Last year we didn't know what to expect but this year she was ready! She won FIRST PLACE!! She ran down to the front when they called her name like she had won a gold medal in the Olympics! It was so fast I didn't even have time to get the camera turned on. But she as ready for a picture a few minutes later with all the first place winners.
Before one of the events. Practicing her best smile for the score keeper... just in case her skills were a little rusty.

Weaving in and out of the cones and trying not to look away from the course.

Mermaid Party

2009-09-07T20:47:00.001-07:00

We had so much fun at Remington's Mermaid party. Thanks to all of you for coming! She already planning what she wants for next year. Oh man..... only a year away!

Relaxing with Daddy after swimming and doing tricks.

Remi had been looking forward to her party for weeks. She was all smiles!

My Aunt Sandra lent me her cake pans to make Remi's Mermaid cake. It was fun and turned out really cute.

Remi's Granny made her this Mermaid outfit to wear at the party. we will probably be a Mermaid for Halloween, too.

Everyone swam and had a great time. Even Remi's sweet friend Payton came from Clyde. It was good to see her again.

Another 1st day picture

2009-09-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

I wanted a picture of her with this sign on the first day, but there wasn't time. So this is a few days later.... hehehe ;)

1st Day of School

2009-09-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

Remi's 1st day of school and man was she excited. Usually it takes her a while to wake up and get up. But not today. Usually it takes her a while to talk, and to be able to talk to her in the morning. But not today. Usually it takes her a while to decide what she wants to wear. But not today. Today is the 1st day of SCHOOL! She is up! She is HAPPY, she is dressed and smiling. Backpack is on, "Mommy I'm ready for you to fix my hair!" She gets to take a dollar and eat breakfast at SCHOOL. Wow... where has the time gone? Where is my baby? We are so blessed to have found this place for her here in Sweetwater, I know she is in good hands.
"For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways." Psalm 91:11

Meet the Teacher

2009-09-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

On the way to meet Remi's teacher at Sweetwater Christian School. She has been looking forward to this for weeks. Now the day has come and she still looks pretty excited!

Meeting Mrs. Cleckler. She is an old coaches wife and retired Kindergarten teacher of many years. She just loves kids so much she says she still wanted to be with them, so she teaches Preschool. Remington was immediately her friend.

Remi couldn't believe her name was on the door! It was cute to watch her be able to pick it out.

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-09-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

My sweet family took me to Perini Steak House on my birthday. It was Remi's first time there and she wanted to walk around and look at everything. The food was delicious as always and I came to remember that I could probably eat at least a dozen of those Jalapeno pepper wraps all by myself... YUM!

This was Remington's first Root Beer... yeah, she is a fan!

At Perini they had this great new Armadillo that was HUGE. Remi loved it so much we had to take our picture with it. What a great birthday dinner.

My 90 year old Paw Paw August 8

2009-09-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

My sweet Paw Paw turned 90 on August 8th. So not to be outdone by his almost 5 year old great-granddaughter he had a swim party! And yes, he swam. Now it took him a little longer to get in and out of the pool, but hey, I hope I am half that good when I am 90! Happy Birthday Paw Paw, we love you!

Classroom Readiness

2009-08-17T22:51:00.001-07:00

Isn't it funny how high school teachers, (ie. Clint) never understand what in the world we elementary teachers DO all the time at school getting ready for the first day? I kind of envy them putting up a poster or two and calling their room "ready." hehehe But I COULD NOT teach those boy crazed, girl watching, no homework bringing, smart-mouthed, I like you today, I'll hate you tomorrow, chemistry taking, Algebra taking, pain in the kiester high school kids. So I'll keep hanging my bulletin boards, putting up cute little borders around everything, writing names on every blooming thing they bring and then some, making sure we know how to stand in line, and how to play nicely with others anyday! School starts Monday, Meet the Teacher is Thursday.... my room isn't ready... YIKES! Does anyone have a magic wand I can borrow? :)

Overly Excited

2009-08-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

What they say really is true. "They grow up SO FAST." I know it's cliche` but.... true. I can remember rocking her to sleep, singing You are My Sunshine, watching her "crab crawl", and her wearing those little purple high heels outside helping her Daddy work with nothing else on but a diaper. Oh man... sigh... I do look forward to what all she will experience and achieve coming up but I am such a sap I can't help but look back at the sweet times we've already had and miss them, too. It has been so much fun and God has blessed us so richly with a healthy, precious girl. We are excited about Sweetwater Christian School! We went to get school supplies this morning and she was so very overjoyed at all the choices! Here are some pics of our day.

Birthday Month!

2009-08-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

It's almost Remington's 5th birthday! August 24th. The first day of school in SISD. Man that's crazy. we are having a Mermaid theme swim aprty this year. Yeah! for the swim party we are always so hot at her parties! I just became digital in January so I can't post any pics of her as a baby, and no we don't have a scanner. So.... I'll just wait and post some of her bday party. It should be lots of fun!

Memory Making

2009-07-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

While I was making the nap mat Clint and Remi got to spend some good time together. They were out in the pool at one point watching the clouds change shapes and telling what they saw. I snuck out to take their picture when they weren't looking. I hope they remember these ordinary but so extraordinary times together. They will be all too few and far between in a couple of days when football starts. That's just the life of a coach's kid and wife. We know it, we don't like it,but we know we have to treasure each moment with him when we have it.

Look what I made!!

2009-07-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

So it's official... Remi is REALLY going to school next year!! ;-( She is looking forward to it so much and so am I but oh it makes me so sad, too. Preschool, yes, but she still needed a nap mat. So my sweet Grammy came for three days to help me make one. She does all the figuring and I do the sewing. That's why I don't sew more... there's too much math involved! My brother can attest to how that subject is my, well let's just say, "weakest" area shall we? But we had a great time making this thing and I am so proud! It came out just as I had hoped. And Remi slept in it last night!

Sweet soft leopard on one side and bright colorful flowers on the other. The one I liked online was $200 so I wasn't about to spend that! We made this one for under $100.

My Grammy knew all about cutting the material diagonal for the "bias" which made an adorable binding around the edge.

It buttons closed and has a handle for easy carrying.

And with the scraps I was able to make this sweet little dress for Remi, too. A very productive couple of days!!

Welcome Ziggy, er uh.. Stripe!!

2009-07-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

We had been talking about letting Little Miss get a pet of her very own for quite a while. Then a couple of weeks ago her little black rabbit Charcoalina died. So... we had to make good on the "talk." So on Tuesday we headed to Rescue the Animals to see what we could find. Clint had been very clear "ONLY ONE CAT." So ok, we were fine with that. This is Remi waiting for the place to open, we were a little early.

This is Remi after she selected, very carefully, her kitty cat. We ended up going to see the Rescue the Animals kitties at Petsmart because the others were not ready to go home yet. (surgeries, eye problems, etc..) So we found this little guy named Ziggy. He has the loudest purr I think I've ever heard!

This is the now named "Stripe" checking out his new pad.

Who knew love would hurt so bad? She didn't even mind! She is very smitten with her new friend. They sit together and play and she just giggles! Kitties are so much fun! So far he hasn't been in the stroller or in baby clothes of any sort, but she'a only had him a few days..... ;-)

2009-07-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

The "eights": Ellen tagged me with this fun little activity~ Enjoy!

8 things I look forward to:

Football Friday Night!!
it not being so hot at 8 0'clock at night
keeping Madee Gene Tuesday afternoon
Remi snuggling me in the morning
Clint kissing me goodnight
swimming with Remi
Clint coming home from work
having our new house "finished" (is there ever that point?'

8 things I did yesterday:

played games
held a baby
laughed loudly at silly adults
picked up toys
read to Remi
kissed my husband ;)
laundry
went to a family reunion, yes another one!

8 things I wish I could do:

play the piano ( I took lessons as a child but hated to practice, so.... well,.... now I can't really play)
cut my own hair
cook a REAL meal without HAVING to go to the store
quote scripture better
use a saw to "make stuff" I see in magazines
figure out how to organize my scrap room\utility room
have people over more often
have the guts to sing in public

8 shows I watch:

iCarly
Jonas (those boys are sooo cute!!)
Law and Order SVU
America's Funniest Home Videos (I love to hear remi laugh!!)
Wild Pacific
Drop Dead Diva
16 and pregnant
Sonny with a Chance

8 Bloggers I tagged:

Marsha
My Mom
Krista
Courtney
Mandi
Elizabeth
Karri
Bethany

Here's what you do:

Mention the person who tagged you. Complete the list of eights. Tag eight people. Go tell them you tagged them. :)

Summertime, summertime busy, busy, busy time!

2009-07-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy this summer:
SeaWorld, camping, family reunion, more camping, fireworks, camping, fishing, Remi was the flower girl in my sister's wedding... Here are a few memories of our fun times so far.
We went to Lost Maples with Clint's Mom. It was so hot, but sooo beautiful. We took the camper, even though, Clint didn't really want to. I tried to tell him camping in a tent in July doesn't make you tough... it just makes you stink!!

We hiked trails and Remington was the leader. She is such a "treasure hunter."

I checked several times to see if she had mysteriously grown gills.... she hadn't.

We took in the beautiful scenery. You could see all the way to the bottom of the river, no matter how deep it was.

A mid air jump off the rock she jumped off of at least 200 times while we were there.

Happy Fourth of July!! Again camping with her Daddy on the river with Clint's 85 year old Grandpa. I only went for dinner. Remi stayed one night.

Remington doing a concert for Clint and Granny(Clint's Mom). We went camping in Buffalo Gap State Park. Yes, as you can tell we stayed in a tent. Yes, I stayed ONE night. They stayed two. Luckily my sister Bianca had a bridal shower I had to get to. hehehe.... I don't mind "camping" if there is a camper trailer to stay in. That's still camping, right? Remi would stay for a week I think. She LOVED it.

SeaWorld shots. We went in early June, it has just been so crazy moving and still trying to have a normal summer.

Remington's sweet cousin Emma came to visit for a few days and they got to enjoy Sam together.

Remi being a "real" cowgirl. Apparently there is some magic cowgirl power in that hat. Maybe like Frosty?

Sweetwater move

2009-06-28T18:27:00.001-07:00

ok... we are officially moved to Sweetwater. We are MOSTLY unpacked and settled in. We have been busy... family reunion, Buffalo Gap State Park, unpacking boxes... So I will post more later. I miss all of you so much!!! :)

The Zoo

2009-05-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

Remi HAD to have everyone pose on the caterpillar. We do it every time we are there.

She also got to pet the ferret named Sarah. She was really cute! I might consider one of those of they weren't so stinky!! She even had been "de-musked" so I can only imagine what one with the "musk glands" smells like. ewww :(

I took the babes to the zoo last Friday and we had the best time. I have a double stroller and Emma and Remi just walked beside. Everyone did great. No one was grouchy, no one fell and scraped their knee, and we got to see all the animals, except the hyenas, which are getting moved due to the addition of the White Tiger. We even went to Fort Imagination for a picnic lunch afterwards. Yes, there were lots of schools there but really they were all just leaving when we arrived so it worked out perfectly. They all moved over to the park and were cleared out from there too when it was time for us to go. Remi has been such a good helper this year. She already shows signs of being a great mother. :)

Roasting

2009-05-27T06:42:00.001-07:00

We had a "roasting" the other night. We are trying to take advantage of our fire pit before we move. Remi loves being outside and even more when there's chocolate and marshmallows involved. Remi took this picture of Kayla and was so proud. Kayla is a very special member of our family. One of Clint's little powerlifters from a few years ago at Clyde. She has just become one of ours. She comes over often and we love her.

Remi took this one also and was so surprised she got Sam in the background! Notice Clint is already sporting the red! This starts his fourth week over there and he seems to still be really excited. I am starting to pack... a little...ewww.

Super Remi

2009-05-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

Super Remi! Going where no one has dared go before! Well.. not NO ONE, maybe just SOME... ok alot have gone there but she certainly was proud of this semi-self-made mask and cape. Nice Sunday shoes pulling off the outfit! Such an imagination. Sometimes it's hard to keep up if we are playing or it's for real. Sometimes I get caught playing the game from five minutes ago and have to be schooled on the game at hand. I made her promise she will ALWAYS ask me to play, she said she would.... we'll see. :)

Summer

2009-05-13T05:56:00.000-07:00

Man..... I am so ready for summer. We always think the kids are the ones who are most ready... but I don't know..... I think I am as ready this year as when I was teaching. I have been so blessed to home with Little Miss this year, but I think I'm ready for it to be just the three of us again. (Clint, Remi & me) Is that bad? :0 Elizabeth talked about the packers coming in two weeks... that might be nice. I mean someone to come pack for you. Coaching families don't have that. We have to pack it all up, move it all, unpack it and get settled all on our own. Not that we have ever had to really do it alone, my family is REALLY good about helping whenever we need it. They are a gem. I know a lot of people are not as lucky. Hey, some people don't have things to move right? We are definately blessed in inmeasureable ways. God is good and Sweetwater will be good. Sounds kind of like a pep talk, huh? Yeah..... :)

Sweetwater goings on

2009-05-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

Well, we have a house in Sweetwater. It is a 3br 2 bath and is on about 4.5 acres. That was a big concern: finding something nice that we could have a little land and still have Sam with us. I mean he is 24 or so and well, you know what might be coming soon, so we were glad we found this house to have him close a few years more. We don't close until June 12 so we are still here in Abilene for about another month. Man.... I hate packing. Sure as I pack a box with something I will need whatever I just packed. Already complaining and I haven't even started packing yet! hehe I am looking forward to decorating my craft room! Ya'll will all have to come early for Bunco and get in the hot tub! Party at the Easleys! :)

Some things we've been up to...

2009-05-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures from this month. Just to get a little caught up all at once.

Warm enough to play in the sprinkler with Madee. Those girls do LOVE the water. Helping Daddy haul off some brush at WATS.

She wrote her ABCs outside on the porch all by herself!! She was Sooo proud. She, and I, are very excited about her going to PreK next year. She will be going to Sweetwater Christian School. There will only be about 10 kids in her class and the teacher is a retired Kindergarten teacher. I can't believe it is already time for "school" for her. Man, time does pass too quickly!

WeAreTheSermon at Pioneer Drive. It was a great opportunity for Remington to see us helping others and participating in the action.

Remi's friend Payton came over for the evening and they did have fun.

Remi struting her stuff for the new "They're Big and I like Them" eyewear line.

Clint's birthday, April 23rd. We just went out to Chili's and had cake at home. That means I will be a little closer to my birthday in August. Man, they just seem to keep coming about this age.

A REAL fireman showed up to wish Tatum Happy Birthday. He was pretty cool, even if he did look an awful lot like my Dad!

Tatum and Emma's birthday party. They got a Gator, it was a lot of fun.

Showing her cousin, Twister, her roping skills.... or lack thereof. hehe

She's a sucker for a musical card. This one was "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

On the hunt for the perfect egss,.... ok so they didn't have to be perfect, they just had to sound like they had candy in them!

Remi just loved decorating Easter eggs this year.

News for the Mustangs

2009-04-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

I guess I will need to change my profile that says Abilene is our home and we love it to: Abilene HAS BEEN our home and we loved it! As of June we will be residing in Sweetwater, Texas. That's right, we will be Mustangs baby! The head coach at Clyde was asked to go to SW and he asked Clint to go with him. Our house is already sold, WOW! What a blessing.. And we don't have to be out until June 8th, so that is good also. Now all we have to do is find somewhere to live in SW. We only have one prospect right now, but maybe, surely, something will come up in the next two months. I will miss Abilene, our church, the choir, Abuelo's!!, Target and my sweet, sweet Hobby Lobby among so much more. That doesn't even take into consideration all of you that I will miss as well. It's only 40 minutes, I'm sure I will be back OFTEN. And don't any of you subs gets any ideas about moving into my Bunco spot! hehe... No really... I'm NOT QUITTING BUNCO! More details to come later.

Sweet ol' Sam

2009-04-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

Clint has a horse named Sam that Remi has pretty much adopted as her own. She rides him whenever she wants and he loves her. He is 23 or 4 or 5 and so he isn't a work horse anymore, he is just a member of the family. THIS is a horse my Grannie gave Remington a couple of years ago and she of course named him Sam. Well, Sam got to go for a makeover the other day. He didn't seem to mind much and the beautician did a great job accessorizing him, I think. Is that purse on the ear going to be secure for running? We'll see.......

Tea Party for Daddy

2009-04-02T05:49:00.000-07:00

Little Miss wanted to have a tea party for Daddy the other day. So she made him an invitation. Then we got her room ready for the party. We moved the canopy from her bed to the middle of the room so they could eat under it. We used only her best china dishes and had real "tea" in her teapot. They both dressed in their finest clothes..... Clint did so after working all day and then going to mow after work and then coming home to a little girl with big brown eyes asking him to come to her tea party. Of course he said yes!He would do pretty much anything for her and I love that about him.
Remi and Daddy enjoying the "tea" (water) and cupcakes\cookies. He even brought her some flowers and a surprise Reeces egg for tea. I sure hope she will always think he is so great. I'm sure one day, all too soon, she will be tempted to listen to the world and all the lies that it sometimes tells. But I pray that she will keep her eyes fixed on the Savior and the truths that He always tells. She thanked God for giving us Jesus and letting Him die on the cross for us at dinner the other night.....How sweet is that? She looked at me and said, "Mommy are you crying?" I of course was. Wouldn't you?

2009-03-30T05:58:00.000-07:00

Mustangs Baby!

State Powerlifting Meet

2009-03-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

The real reason we drove 7 hours with Daddy and four high school girls to watch a powerlifting meet: it was in Corpus Cristi! Even tough the trip was long and we heard, "Are we almost there yet?" many, many times, we had a great time.
We definately got our money's worth out of the pool. The ocean water was so cold it was a good thing we had a heated pool to swim in. Clint finally said, "Wonder how long she would stay in the pool if we let her?" I said probably until it dried up. hehe

We saw the coolest old pirate ship. It was a replica of one of the ships that sailed with Christopher Columbus, the Nina. Remi just wondered where the pirate flag was?

Even though we were on a business trip per say, Daddy still had time to read to Remi during the meet. But only a short story until he had to return to his duties.

Ok..Maybe Remi will do powerlifting after all. She was searching around the hotel room for something to "wrap up her knees." That's what the real lifters do at the meets. So... Clint being the Daddy he is goes down to the car to get the knee wraps so she can pretend. This is her with her strong face on. hehe

Fort Worth Zoo

2009-03-23T19:12:00.001-07:00

Spring Break just isn't until we go to the zoo. We have gone three of Remi's four years and she absolutely loves it!

Seeing all the starfish, erchins, stingrays and hermit crabs in the tank was pretty cool, even cooler taht we could touch them all.

This time they had penguins!

And man were they cute.

The baby giraffes were pretty great to watch, too.

One of her favorites is to go into the avirary and feed the birds.

Great Wolf Lodge

2009-03-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

So for Spring Break we went to the Ft. Worth zoo and spent the night in the coolest hotel!! It was the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine and it had an indoor WATERPARK! It was 45 degrees outside but we were in an 84 degree funland.

Everything was created to make you feel like you are actually in the wilderness. They had storytime at night down by the fireplace where someone actually read the kids a story. This treehouse was inside the lobby and in the morning a guide takes the kids on a Wolf Walk.

She taught them

about nature and

different animals

and hibernation, etc...

I think Clint had as much fun on the waterslides as Remington did, maybe more.

You must go check it out the next time you need a special trip for your family. Pricey, yes, but worth it. And really you get to play in the waterpark for free the whole day after you check out.

2009-03-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

ok.... it has been way too long since I have blogged!!! I vow to do some catching up tomorrow....right now I am too tired. We drove in from Corpus today after the Girls State Powerilfting Meet held there yesterday. So,...yawn.... see you tomorrow.

Big Country Kids

2009-03-04T06:26:00.000-08:00

Remi and I were getting the oil changed the other day when she brought me this little magazine. I know you have all seen them... The little mag that tells of things going on in our community, when kids can eat free at certain places, what's going on at the library, lots of advertising from businesses pertaining to kids, etc... Well, imagine my surprise when I was flipping through and saw Little Miss on page 8! Check it out if you have time. She thought it was great!

http://www.familyandkidsdirectory.com/
You have to give it a few seconds to load on each page.

Laughter

2009-03-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

The other night Clint picked Little Miss up from choir like always and after eating at ChickFilA on the way home, he was just being silly with her. She was laughing and laughing, until finally she said " Daddy, my eyes are getting wet!" Laughing so hard you cry...we should all be so lucky every day.
You will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
John 16:22