Spring Break!

Yeah! Spring Break is almost here! I'm taking the boys to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine for 2 nights/3 days. We leave tomorrow after school. It has the largest indoor water park in Texas. You can also do something called the Quest in which you have a magic wand and go all over the lodge and seek different quests in a certain amount of time. I think you can also interact with different things/make them do fun stuff within the hotel with the wand. Some of the rooms have little private cabins within the rooms that have a set of bunk beds and their own tv in them. Austin can't wait. We are taking 1 day off early from our break - we actually get off this Friday, but since the rates were drastically cheaper during the week instead of the weekend, I decided to go 1 day early, which is very much needed. I'll try to take some pictures and post them later, but if I don't get to, the web has some great info about it. I'm just glad they have a Starbucks right there in the lodge! Cameron is trying to get sick again, running a little fever and has a little cough this evening so I hope he gets over it real soon! He has added the word "actually" to his vocabulary lately, It's pretty funny to hear him say it and use it correctly in a sentence! That's it for now, gotta get some much needed sleep!

Snow?

SNOW! Yes, we do have snow in Texas! Not much, but we did have some! The boys played out in it today before having to go to school. Jake was so excited he was trying to eat it as it was falling from the sky last night (first timer for snow). Austin has started ball practice - 3 days a week! Not sure yet what position he will play, but his coach asked him to bring his catching gear next practice. He has the dredded TAKS test tomorrow for reading. Which is the Texas standardized assessment that all students have to take. If you don't pass the TAKS, you don't move onto 6th grade so he is not so excited about it. On another note, we added another animal to our house, a pet rabbit. We had her for about 2 weeks but returned her to her previous owner since no one wanted to clean out her cage and I kept having to do all of it. Her name is Radar since she has big ears and likes to raise them up whenever she hears a noise. But, she was too much with all I have to do and not getting much help from Austin. He liked her, but didn't want to clean up after her and rabbits poop a lot and he didn't realize it was going to be a chore to clean out the cage! Plus, Jake kept looking at her like she was his next snack, so we decided to wait on the rabbit for a while. We are coming to Arkansas March 16 to stay a few days so hopefully we will get to see everyone!

Found the camera!

OK, OK, finally found the camera, then I couldn't load the pictures until I found the card reader so I could upload the photos! Now we're in business! Everything is going well here in D-town. We're trying to get all settled, but all those boxes just keep starring at me and me not wanting to open them. So, this weekend is the big yard sale, giantic proportions, make-me-an-offer kind of sale, can't wait to get rid of a lot of stuff. Boys are fine, Austin keeps injuring his knee over and over. Went to the orthopeadic Dr. here and had x-ray and MRI, but result is the same - bad bruise. I think the real reason is to get out of school for a day or so. He is really missing his friends, but I keep telling him that he will make new ones. He got drafted last weekend for a team that a coach saw him during try outs and called that same evening and wanted to "freeze" Austin for his team before the official draft which is in another week or so. Baseball is a little bit more professional-like down here in these parts, I guess. Apparently each team can freeze only 2 players before the official draft and this coach wanted Austin. He's very excited about it, to say the least. I was like, where's my Escalade???? Uncle Justin worked with him one weekend and gave him a few pointers before tryouts, thanks Uncle Justin! Cameron is busy with Power Rangers now, everything is Power Rangers! Loves them! He likes his outside playground too, see the pictures! Jake is getting bigger every day and loves to play and chew and chew and chew! Not much else going on here trying to stay grounded and healthy. I'll try to post more pictures more often now that I have my camera and card reader!

Well, we have officially moved into our new house. When I can find the camera, I can post some pictures of it! Austin is growing his hair out and trying to see how long he can go without water and soap touching his body, I think. Cameron is being himself and not wanting to follow directions all the time, but who does? Cameron has a playground in the back yard that is really cool - it has a rock climbing wall, 2 swings, a swinging handle bar thing, a slide, a house/fort thing, a sand box and wood chips surrounding it - so it's safe too! I just stay busy raising my 2 boys. I really don't have much of a life right now, but that's just fine with me. (Who really does when your raising 2 boys solo????)I keep busy with the new house and being a mom. We have plenty of room now for guests so anyone wanting to come to big D, come on down! I try to unpack 1 box per day and hopefully i will be able to find my camera. I am missing my phones also. We only have 1 phone in the whole house and no answering machine yet either, so if you try to call, you may have to keep trying or call my cell. We really had a great time over Christmas visiting everyone, although it was short and kind of hectic and tireing (did I spell that right? tiring just didn't look right) with the big move. Thanks to my awesome brothers and dad, I was able to get most of my stuff moved down here. They can really pack a U-haul! I hired 2 guys to help me unload and they told me I got my money's worth for that U-haul! Gotta go get some sleep now - more later, hopefully with some pictures!

Getting ready for Christmas!

WOW! This past month has been pretty exciting! We found a house and have a signed contract! We are very excited about it, but no looking forward to the move. It appears that trying to get my family to move me one more time may be in the not-so-distant future. I know all of you are in the spirit of giving this month, so save some for me the week after Christmas. I will need all the able bodies and strong muscles I can get. I just can't afford the $4500.OO estimate to have movers come load and haul my stuff away. It's a tad bit out of my price range! The house is 4 bedrooms, 2 baths and a 2 car garage with a nice fenced-in backyard complete with a playground! Austin & Cameron will be in new schools which are both within 1 mile of our new house. Austin started this past week and he says it is sooo much better than his other school down here, I think because he doesn't have to wear uniforms now! Cameron will start his preschool on Monday. It is a learning center within a Lutheran church. Since I have been promising Austin a dog for the last 4 years, the first thing out of his mouth when our offer was accepted was "let's go get that dog!" You see, earlier that day we had been to the mall and the SPCA was set up just in time for Christmas and we saw the cutest dogs there. Austin fell in love with one so much that he cried when I said "not right now, we don't have a house yet". Sooooo, away we went to the mall and we now have a cute, lovable shepherd/rotweiler mix named Jake. Austin is doing great taking care of all his doggie business! That was our agreement that he take care of the dog and I pay the vet bills! We went to the mall this weekend to visit Santa. Cameron actually wasn't scared of Santa this year as he had been in previous years. He was very excited to see him. Well, this is getting to be a long post so I'm going to sign off, peace.

Halloween!

Things are going well in the Big D. Cameron is adjusting to his new school and Austin is meeting new friends. He says school is easy, so maybe he will do just fine. Halloween has been fun this year with Cameron. He is Superman - see side photo. He's very excited about it! He has already been to 3 carnivals, 2 at local churches and 1 at the YMCA. Then there is the actual trick or treating! wow! Can't wait for that sugar high! Austin decided to go scary this year, which he thinks is really cool. He says he wants to scare all the trick or treaters that come to the house by standing by the side of the house and run towards them (in the dark) screaming! UGH!

Big D

We are now settled in Dallas at my mother's house. Austin has started school, but recently got strep throat so he is out of school today. Which is alright, since most of the 5th grade went to Sky Ranch for 3 days for a camping trip. Sky Ranch is in East Texas about an hour and a half from Dallas. Unfortunately, we were a litle late getting in on the registration and all the spots were filled and counted for. So, he's sleeping soundly today. Cameron started his new school yesterday and tells me he doesn't want to go. However, it's a private school and there is an indoor swimming pool, a roller skating rink, horses to ride and a great curriculum and staff. He did have fun playing yesterday, but he misses his old "new" school. I have had 2 interviews with 2 school districts here and hopefully will have some news that I have a job soon. It's kinda weird not working, when that's all you've done most of your adult life! I had my 20 year high school reunion this past weekend and had a good time seeing everyone. The men changed the most - they got fatter and balder! Some got a ton of gray hair! Man, I feel old!