A TAKSing Week

It has been a TAKSing week for Jess and Jonathan.  We have had a week long TAKS extravaganza.  Jonathan had testing on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Jess rounded out the week with tests on Thursday and Friday.  

It is a well known fact that I am not a fan of the TAKS test.  My kids do not test well, so the TAKS test is torture in our home.  I have one that gets so anxious that it is hard for her to concentrate, and the other one just can't sit for that long. 

We are so thankful that they are over!

The Dust Bowl of 2010

It was such a windy day today.  Jonathan commented on the wind as we walked to the car tonight.  He said, "Mom, it was so windy today that it was like a mimicry of the Dust Bowl."

I replied with the only thing that I could think of, "Really?"

Easter Baskets

The Easter Bunny brought the kids lots of things for the summer.  They got a crazy sprinkler to replace last year's slip-n-slide.  He also brought them swimsuits, sunglasses, flip flops, bubbles, swim goggles for Jonathan, swim cover up for Jessie, and bubbles.  They should be ready when the pool opens next month!

Jonathan was excited to get a shirt to go with his swim trunks.  He was especially excited about his sunglasses, that have already been misplaced.

Jess didn't bother to fix her make-up or comb her hair.  I would have thought she would have learned by now.  Almost everything gets posted on the blog!

Wheeling and Dealing

Fred, Jonathan and I spent an entire afternoon at Grapevine Ford purchasing our new/used vehicle.  We decided to go used, because Fred has a company car during the week.  It just didn't make sense to spend a lot of money on a "weekend car."  Fred wanted something that he could pull a boat with.  So, we traded in the mini-van for a 2007 Dodge Durango.  I love this picture of Jonathan.  We were still in the the dealership parking lot.  Jonathan was so proud, because he felt like he had really participated in the negotiations.  The boys drove a hard bargain.  We got a great price, plus Fred talked them into replacing the bumper, a torn seat and adding a towing package.

Self Portraits

As you might of noticed, I took a little break from our blog.  The little break occurred because I am very far behind in downloading and organizing my pictures.  While going through my files, I found these from March.  I guess Jonathan got hold of the camera, and was taking a few self portraits.   I'm glad that he isn't normally this scary!

Power Lifter

Exercise has been a focus in our home for the last couple of months.  This is what I found in my garage on Saturday afternoon.

Priorities

Fred and Jonathan went with me this morning for our weekly bike ride. As we were riding along, they both came to an abrupt halt. Both of my boys were standing at a bridge peering into a creek. What might have gotten their attention? Fish. That's right. We had to take a small break to look at fish.

As for me, I didn't really care about the fish.  While they checked the fish out, I played with my new toy.  I bought myself a speedometer for my bike.  Now I feel like a serious bike rider.

I had to laugh at Jonathan's bike riding attire.  Red helmet. Bright yellow shirt.  Blue shorts.  Black shoes with a splash of neon green.  Priceless.

Easter Clothes

There is nothing that I love more than Easter clothes.  I love getting my kids ready in matching clothes on Easter Sunday.  Then, I line them up and make them pose for pictures (usually, against their will).  I have such high expectations that I am always disappointed in my pictures.

This year, Easter Sunday fell on our church's General Conference.  The conference is televised from Salt Lake.  This means that we can stay home and watch it in our pj's.  I love General Conference, but I was sad that we wouldn't be getting dressed up in our new spring attire.  On the following Sunday, I made the kids get dressed up, and I took them outside for their "Easter" pictures.  Yes, that is the kind of mom I am.  Just ask my kids!

We were rushing to get them taken, so we wouldn't be late for church.  Once again, I was disappointed in my pictures.  Jonathan is frowning.  Jessica's blouse was too low.  I tied Jonathan's tie myself, and didn't know what I was doing.  It looks incredibly silly!  I had them stand in front of the neighbor's tree, because we didn't have any suitable landscape.  In hindsight, that is just odd, because their house shows up in the background.  Years from now, my kids are going to wonder why they are standing in front of the neighbor's house.  Oh, well!  I tried.

Bike Riding with My Guys

It is no secret that Jonathan and I love a good bike ride on a Saturday morning.  Fred and Jess, on the other hand, rarely ride their bikes.  I would venture to guess that Fred has only ridden his 3 times.  Jonathan and I invited Fred to go for a ride with us on Saturday morning.  We were so surprised when he actually said yes!

Jonathan took this picture of Fred and I.  Definitely not one his better shots.  However, it is proof that Fred really did go with us.  I think his bootie and legs were sore after the ride!

 I sure do love my boys, and I love getting out and playing on a Saturday morning.  Hopefully, Fred will go with us more often!

My Girls

There is a running joke at my office about all of the money that I spend on my dogs.  A co-worker is sure that my vet's office gets really excited when they see my number pop up on their caller ID.  We took the girls to the vet on Saturday morning.  $321 later, we learned that Mollie has seasonal allergies.  She came home with ear drops, and orders to take benadryl twice a day.  This is good news, because last year we thought she had a food allergy.  I've been feeding her organic dog food for a year!  We also learned that Gracie has arthritis. 

I came home with arthritis medicine and ear drops.  And, let's not forget the containers to gather fecal samples.  Mollie has a recheck in two weeks on her ears.  Then there is our Gracie, the vet's office left us a message today that her blood work came back with some sort of kidney issue.  We have to go back in 30 days to have another blood test.  And, did I mention that they get groomed on Wednesday (an estimated $90)?  It is a good thing that I love these crazy girls!  Actually, it's a good thing that Fred loves these girls! 

And, because I love these dogs so much, I got myself some UGLY dog walking shoes on Saturday.  Okay, I didn't get them because I love the girls.  I got them, because I thought that I could maximize my walks with the dogs.  We'll see if they work.  They certainly don't take the place of the gym, but I think they give your walks an extra little boost.

No pictures of the girls, because they are filthy!  I can't wait until Wednesday.  I love freshly groomed doggies!

Have You Ever?

 

Have you ever been shopping, and realized that you've started crying for no apparent reason?  That exact thing happened to me today.  I was walking through Kohls on my lunch hour.  I don't know my way around the Kohls in Carrollton, so I had accidentally wondered by the girls' department.  As I passed by, I felt emotions well up in my chest.  Before I knew it, I was tearing up.  How silly! I was confused for a couple of seconds, but I quickly found the cause of my distress. Speedo swimsuits. We used to frequent Kohls when Jess was on the swim team, because they had the best price on Speedo's.  Just seeing those little suits brought back memories.

As long as I live, I will never see anything cuter than a 6 year old in her "big girl" swimsuit and goggles on the starting block!  Oh, how I miss my little swimmer!