Life as a Family of Five

Summer Daze

2008-07-18T12:42:00.004-05:00

Trying to stay cool and busy at the same time. Not easy in Texas or with three kids who want to do three different things. We ended up at the Mayborn Museum yesterday. We used to spend a lot of time there before the kids started school. They have grown up a lot since then. I didn't realize how much until they tried to get out of the little cars in the play area.
Mark made a good friend at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. I think this guy wanted a kiss!
Dinosaur Valley State Park. I think the dinosaurs became extinct because they got TOO HOT! Just a thought.
By the end of this short trip, everyone was exhausted, especially this little girl!!!

Lindsay finally lost her tooth!

2008-07-12T00:01:00.002-05:00

Lindsay lost her first tooth on Wednesday, July 9, after many, many months of "looseness." I'll let her tell you about it...

(Evan is shooting a wasp with his airsoft gun in the background, in case you were wondering.)

From water slides to bed rest

2008-06-16T09:20:00.003-05:00

Great Wolf Lodge is a very fun place to visit. The kids loved all the water activities and especially their "Kid Kabin." While we were there I got sick. I didn't think much about it then but it progressed into an ugly monster ending with a visit to the ER and an overnight stay at the hospital. Needless to say, my plans for the week will have to be altered. Drew is at Scout Camp, Evan at Math Camp and Lindsay is doing VBS. I am suppose to be teaching in her class. Instead, I am stuck at home in a narcotic stupor!

But most of all...

2008-06-04T07:57:00.006-05:00

Last night was 5th grade graduation. Drew was excited, not about the graduation ceremony but the lock in at school afterwards. I am sure he had a great night filled with autograph signing, laughing, eating and a great trip down memory lane. This is the only school he's ever known.

We knew Drew would get a few awards--regional history fair, UIL, TAKS Commended, math, etc. We even knew about his surprise Baylor baseball camp scholarship. He got the Principal's Outstanding 5th grade Award but this wasn't too much of a surprise since grades are an important part of the selection. What was most meaningful to Mark and me was what his homeroom teacher said about him. He said that Drew lives what he believes and stands up for his morals. He choses not to participate in things others are doing if it's not the right thing to do. WOW!! You never know if the words you speak to your child really sink in. He doesn't always appear to be listening. He often disagrees with us. We don't always see him making wise choices at home but it sure is reassuring to know that he is making good choices when we are not with him.

Time for some summer sun and fun!

Then off to the next adventure, MIDDLE SCHOOL!

Blog neglect

2008-05-26T11:31:00.004-05:00

I have to confess, I have been spending too much time with another online obsession. I fought it for a long time but ultimately, I was sucked in. I am a FACEBOOK addict. It began as a way to keep up with the students I supervise. Then I connected with people I hadn't seen in a long time. Soon, I was staying up late on the computer. While I don't like sitting around wasting time, I think it is fun to travel the world, go to prom, see new babies, etc, all at the click of a button.

So, if you are on facebook, I'd love to be your friend.

A new scout

2008-05-26T11:21:00.004-05:00

It's official. Drew has made a commitment to scouts! He has his eye set on the EAGLE!

UIL District Champ

2008-05-26T11:02:00.003-05:00

UIL results are in. Evan decided not to compete this year. That won't happen again!

Drew did well. He placed first in Number Sense and first in Maps, Graphs and Charts.

He placed 5th in Social Studies. I didn't even know he was competing in this subject until 2 days before the competition. He thought it was easy so he was a little surprised that he didn't do better. I don't know how he was suppose to know some of the answers. One question he asked me about after the test was "Who was the founder of the NAACP?" I don't have a clue and apparently he doesn't either.

School is almost out for summer. I am looking forward to it but also a little worried about keeping the kids busy.

Earth Day

2008-05-06T19:44:00.003-05:00

I just had to share this with all of you in blog world. The cool people from Baylor created a bicycle powered smoothie machine. We talked them into taking it to Hillcrest for our Earth Day celebration. The smoothies were YUMMY!

Race for the Cure

2008-05-06T19:38:00.002-05:00

The guys in our family ran the Race for the Cure Saturday morning. It was a chilly morning. They all ran well. Evan ran with his friends from school. They had a great time for a great cause.

Bible Drill Report

2008-04-27T21:55:00.003-05:00

Well, all the hollering and fussing was worth it. Drew memorized all 24 verses, 10 key passages and memorized all the books of the Bible. He made a perfect score at the church drill and associational drill. This weekend at the state drill in Dallas he also got a perfect score. We are so proud of him. I can't say he enjoyed the journey but he was proud of this accomplishment.

life as we know it

2008-04-21T16:54:00.004-05:00

Kids say the funniest things. Here are a few examples from last week:

Drew doesn't particularly like our rules. He thinks all his friends have more freedom than he does. One night last week he thought we were being especially unreasonable. After we told him how we felt about the situation he said "this place is worse than IRAQ." This kid isn't even a teenager yet!!!

Evan used to like going to "Friday night church." We love it because childcare is $1 per child a couple of times a year. We treasurer these times since we don't have family in town and sitters are hard to find. Date nights are rare for us. This week Evan really didn't want to go. He has turned into a health nut. He is one active little boy. He wears a pedometer daily because he and I are "Walking Across Texas." He easily takes more steps a day than I do. So Friday night when we were ready to take him to church he said "I don't want to go. They make us sit down the whole time. They want to make us fat and unhealthy."

Friday I went on a field trip with Lindsay to Dinosaur Valley in Glenrose. It's a great place to visit. I think we will have to go as a family this summer. While I was there, one of Lindsay's kindergarten friends shared some interesting news with me. He said "Guess what my dream is? I want to be on Dancing with the Stars with Lindsay!!!" I could hardly control my laughter.

I saw #5 yesterday...

2008-04-21T10:49:00.003-05:00

I don't remember where I first saw this blog (maybe it was on TexasInAfrica), but, having grown up in the church, I find much of it funny. This post, in particular, actually made me laugh out loud, which doesn't happen very often when reading.

(By the way, it really bugged me that I had to type "laugh out loud" because all I could picture was "LOL" and when people type that how often are they really laughing out loud? But I really was laughing, so I felt compelled to write that. I know- I'm weird.)

This one made me laugh, too. Probably because if I'm left on my own to clap, I'll never get it right.

Vote for Hillcrest

2008-04-07T22:23:00.001-05:00

Even if it's not the best video, vote for it just because Drew's in it.

yeah, we're loaded...

2008-04-07T16:55:00.002-05:00

Now, I realize we live in Texas and Texas is very different from NYC, but just in case anyone ever wondered, I'm announcing it here and now: We had 3 kids just so everyone would know we are rich.

Our friends with 2 kids and expecting twins? Millionaires!

how cool...

2008-03-31T09:14:00.003-05:00

How cool is it to live in a college town? We love it. Our kids, well at least the boys, love following Baylor sports. Drew is the most intrigued. He follows the stats of many of the players. This year he started a blog to keep track of Freshman Basketball player Lace Darius Dunn's stats. I think this is what keeps him busy at school when he is done with his work. He got to meet Lace and a few other athletes at our PTA meeting Thursday night. The boy was in HEAVEN!!!

Lindsay's kindergarten class performed a PE program. Anytime she is on stage, she is a happy girl!!!!

Easter

2008-03-25T21:48:00.004-05:00

This is the first year that Lindsay is not scared of the Easter bunny. This is also the first year that she really understands the true meaning of Easter.

We managed to get the two younger kids to pose for a picture. We just didn't take enough pictures Sunday.

No more trips to Plano

2008-03-03T14:06:00.004-06:00

Great News! Evan has been released from the care of his pediatric neurologist. Although this doctor is good, we believe that God is ultimately responsible for healing Evan. We've had a tough 2.5 years but God is good! To God be the glory. Amen and amen!!

We still appreciate your prayers. We go to God every day for continued provision of good health, habits and attitudes.

Thanks to those of you who have supported us during this time.

Prison Break

2008-03-03T10:46:00.009-06:00

We've returned from prison. We went on a choir mission trip with 70+ members of our church. What an amazing trip! It's taken me a little while to reflect on the impact that the trip has had on my life. I can't imagine life behind locked gates and razor ribbon. I wonder about the stories behind each inmate. Did some of them even have a chance in life? Did they grow up with drugs scattered around their homes? Were they born with drugs flowing through their veins? At the first couple of units, I tried not to make eye contact with the prisoners. I didn't want to see their pain. As the weekend went on, I realized that most of these inmates loved being at our concerts and came to worship. I'm sure there were still many cons there but there were also those who had an evident relationship with God and love for their fellow Christians. The spirit of God was so evident at many of the units. This trip has changed me. I'm not sure how, but it has.

We enjoyed spending time with friends without having to worry about kids. When asked about my favorite part of the trip, I was trying to think of something spiritual. Now that I've had some time to think about it, my favorite memories are not spiritual at all. I loved sitting at IHOP at 10 PM laughing like teenagers. Playing Farkel in a box on the bus was pretty fun too. Learning bathroom protocol for large groups of women trying to use two stalls was a life lesson I will not soon forget.

We are grateful for Meme and Papaw for spending some quality grandparent time with D, E and L.

The trip was smooth sailing--until a buzzard decided to try to join us for the last leg of the trip!

Now back to the real world.

2008-02-18T09:32:00.003-06:00

This is one of my favorite new pictures. Lindsay has always loved animals. She is particularly fond of horses. We gave her an equestrian outfit for Christmas. She wants to be a vet when she grows up. We'll have to see if she sticks to it!

Middle school mania

2008-02-18T08:36:00.003-06:00

I never thought about having a middle schooler. When you are expecting a baby, you never think about them as a middle schooler. But here we are, looking for a place for our oldest to spend the next 3 years. The decision is not an easy one, especially since the district is possibly making some big changes soon. We have talked to parents, researched and visited schools. We think we've found a good fit for Drew. You just never know until he gets there. You can't control who else goes to the school. We want a strong positive peer group for him. These are crazy years anyway. Hormones begin flowing resulting in very unpredictable behavior. Braces, acne and armpit hair--Need I say more?

(Under) Ice Hockey

2008-02-01T15:01:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking of forming a league in Waco, if only I could find an appropriate venue...

(Original Source)

BACK?

2008-01-11T16:21:00.000-06:00

Getting around to blogging just hasn't come easily.

Here's the scoop: I went school at 8 this morning. I spent all day working on PTA stuff. I didn't even make it to the grocery store or to get gas-both of which are easier WITHOUT kids! I did get a special treat today. I got to see an old friend who is visiting from Germany. She and her husband and two girls serve the needs of missionaries over yonder. I love to see how God is using people all over the world.

We are glad the weekend is here. Well, sort of. I work at Providence this weekend. Mark has to be Superdad for a few days.
All three kids are playing Upward Basketball. We seem to always be at a games or practice. I can't imagine what we used to do on the weekends before we had kids?

Evan has had some good days but he is still struggling. School seems to be a thorn in his side. It's safe to say he is already looking forward to summer break. We are still trusting that God will heal him.

We're back in Blog-Land!

2008-01-07T19:05:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! I don't know if anyone still reads this blog. We haven't updated in a while. I do miss being able to connect with others in Blog-Land. I am going to try to do better this year. There is so much that happened last semester that was funny or challenging or sad. I wish I'd had the energy to write about it. I will try to back track. My goal is to have a featured picture each day and write about what was going on. This will not happen today since Blogger willn't (a Drewism) let me upload a picture. Since I no longer have time to scrapbook, I will have to document memories on the blog. In about 13 years, when Lindsay goes off to college, I will hopefully be able to work on the scrapbooks. Maybe sooner if I am up late waiting for the kids to come home from dates when they are teens.

In about 12 hours, we will get thrown back into reality. School and all the other activities will begin again. The holidays were fun and relaxing. I've gotten spoiled staying up late, sleeping late and playing all day. All good things must come to an end. Here's to a great 2008!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T17:30:00.000-06:00

The kids felt the need to make a music video for Christmas. Enjoy.

Back from Disney

2007-10-19T22:54:00.000-05:00

We had a fantastic time in Orlando. The whole Disney experience is amazing!!! Lindsay had a great birthday and celebrated all week long. She loved having lunch with the princesses and getting hugs and kisses from Pooh. The guys rode ALL the scary stuff. More to come later.

Stupid Mirror!!

2007-10-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

You can't have it all! That's how I've come to grips with the way Drew was designed. He's brilliant. He can understand with ease the concepts of abstract algebra. Advanced technology is second nature but common sense, well...that is a different story. Yesterday was picture day at school. I thought it was important to make sure his hair was not sticking up on top of his head. For some reason, this was not important to him but he complied. He headed off to the bathroom. After a few minutes of trying to tackle the Alfalfa hair-do, he was almost in tears.

Mom: What's wrong?
Drew: The stupid mirror doesn't even know which way I am!!

He just can't understand the whole mirror image concept. The brain is a fascinating thing!!!

No...Time...to...blog

2007-10-03T16:17:00.000-05:00

We've been too busy to blog! I can not believe October is already here. Everyone seems to be settled into a routine.

Drew is in New Mexico this week. He and his classmates visited White Sands this morning and Three Rivers Petroglyph National Monument this afternoon. They will go to Lincoln City Thursday and Carlsbad Caverns to see the "flight of the bats" Friday. Sounds like they are having a great time. We know we are blessed to be at a school that provides such an opportunity to young students. Drew and his friends have begun writing the script to a play that will be presented as a dinner theater in November. The research they do in New Mexico will provide them with the information they will need to finish writing the play. Drew was most excited about learning everything possible about Billy the Kid.

Evan is busy these days trying to earn as many badges as possible in Cub scouts. He is proud to be a BEAR! He can't wait until his meeting Thursday where he will learn how to carve with his pocket knife! YIKES!

Lindsay is finished with Annie! She is finally getting some sleep. She is doing great in school. She and the nurse have become friends. She's had to visit several times because of fever. She is getting very excited about Disney World and her birthday.

I thought for some reason that I would have so much free time with all three kids in school but that has not been the case. I am starting to get used to going to work 2 days a week. The other days are filled with grocery shopping, washing, cleaning and working on PTA stuff.

Mark stays super busy with all his activities and then playing taxi for kid activities.

All this to say... maybe we won't be blogging much anymore.

Another show...

2007-09-01T23:31:00.000-05:00

I think Lindsay has caught the acting bug. I don't know how she is still going with so little sleep. She had no idea until last night that she might get flowers after the performance. The boys gave her some last night. She got more beautiful roses tonight. Meme and Papaw came to the show tonight along with an aunt, uncle and three cousins from Corpus.

A surprise!

2007-09-01T11:10:00.000-05:00

Last night was opening night for Annie! Lindsay had the time of her life. Though she is sleep deprived and worn out from her first week of Kindergarten, she sang her heart out!
We took the kids for breakfast at Leal's this morning! We gave each one of them an envelope to open. The first one (Drew's) had a calendar with October 10-16 highlighted. The second envelope (Evan's) had a picture of an airplane. Drew figured out that we were going somewhere on those dates. He was anxious for Lindsay to open her envelope to reveal our destination. They were all smiles as she showed them pictures of Disney World. Mark and I have been so excited for weeks as we have made hotel and dinner reservations. Now the kids can be involved in making the plans.

A new school year

2007-08-29T16:31:00.000-05:00

All three kids are now in school. Everyone had a great first day despite a few bumps in the road. Lindsay woke up with a bloody nose. She was also too nervous to eat breakfast. She has practically grown up at Hillcrest PDS but being there all day is something new. There were no tears shed as we parted ways. She and seven of her Kindergarten classmates were stung by bees at recess. She was a trooper! She didn't even cry. I stopped by the school, gave her a Benadryl and she ran back to class. She was very proud to announce to me that she went to school for the first time, visited the school nurse for the first time and got her first bee sting all in the same day.

Evan and Drew are old pros. We got to school and they were off to their classrooms without much ado. Drew didn't even say goodbye. Anyone surprised? Of course not. Today was much calmer. I've been very anxious the last two days. I'm trying to relax. I rush to get my errands done forgetting that I have all day to do them. I've been home for the last 10 years with children. It's hard to believe we are in another season of life with our kids. The house is so quiet. The house stays clean all day. This only child is happy to have some peace and quiet. I miss the kids. I'm glad to see them at three. Our newest challenge: three kids trying to tell me about their day at the same time while I drive them home from school. We are going to have to draw straws to see who gets to talk first.

On another note, Annie opens in less than 48 hours! Rehearsals have ruled our lives. Lindsay is still really enjoying performing. If she didn't love it, I would have pulled her out long ago. I'm not impressed with the way the actors are handled. I think somewhere along the way, the director has forgotten that she is dealing with lots of little girls who have just started school. As I write this, the boys are asleep in bed and Lindsay is still at the theatre. Shame on them!

Happy Graduation/Anniversary

2007-08-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

We had to say goodbye to the beloved Trooper. Mark got it the summer we got married. He loved that car. The car had no love left to give. After lots of looking and teetering back and forth, we settled on this:
It's a "tight ride" as Evan says. I think Mark is going to learn to love it as much as he loved the Trooper. I am a little worried that he is going to look for a few accessories at the truck stop. I heard something about mud flaps with naked women on them. So if you see him at a the Flying J, please don't let him buy anything!

My love...

2007-08-14T14:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was our anniversary. Not a day goes by that I don't realize how lucky I am to have found Regina and that I get to spend my life with her. So, it's only too bad I didn't see our friend's blog post yesterday with this killer music video, because, well...

I love you, Regina!!!

(if you'd like to know what this song is about, you might want to check out our friend's blog who is wrapping up a summer in Africa working on her Ph.D. dissertation)

Physics Master

2007-08-11T22:28:00.000-05:00

He did it! Mark is officially out of graduate school. He is the proud owner of a Master of Science in Physics degree. The monkey has been lifted off of his back! We are mighty proud of him. If you are interesting in reading his thesis, An SEGF of the Rh(001) surface, I'm sure he would be willing to share it with you. Just be prepared to not understand a word that you are reading. At least I didn't. There are words and symbols I'd never seen before. Now he's got to put up with us calling him Master! I think he kind of likes it though.

Little girls are not little boys (duh)

2007-08-08T10:42:00.000-05:00

In the last five years, I've learned girls are so different from little boys. I know I'll never figure boys out. They think hitting each other is fun. They think anything associated with the bathroom is funny. They can watch endless sports on TV and even more puzzling they listen to games on the radio. One thing I love about boys is that they can be furious about something and in an instant forget about it and move on. As a mom of two boys, I've learned some things like the difference between baseball cleats and soccer cleats. I also know now that a cup isn't just something you drink out of or measure flour with to make chocolate chip cookies.

Though there are many joys associated with having boys, I LOVE having a daughter. Lindsay and I went to a dance shop to buy Jazz shoes last week. I felt so out of place. We were surrounded by pink things, leotards, tights, feathers, tutus. Lindsay was in heaven! She can hold her own around boys. She's tough. But I got to see another side of her. She was in her element. She surprised us all when she wanted to audition for Annie because she had to sing alone in front of a crowd. She overcame her shyness because this was something she really wanted to do.

Little girls are full of hugs. That's the best part. Painting nails, brushing hair and dressing in cute clothes are icing on the cake. Life is SO good.

Up, Up and Away!

2007-08-06T10:39:00.000-05:00

The annual family trek to the beach was abbreviated this year. We were fortunate to be able to go at all. Lindsay is going to make her acting debut as an orphan in the Waco Civic Theatre's production of ANNIE later this month. She had mandatory rehersals 3 of the 4 days we were to be at the beach. We left for Port Aransas around 9:30 p.m. Friday. We got into our condo around 2:45 a.m. We spent all day enjoying the sun with family. I am amazed at the size of the M family, 23 of us! The kids really have a tight bond after seeing each other so much during the summer. Uncle David took us up in a two seater airplane. The kids LOVED it! The beach looks so cool from up high! I thought Lindsay might chicken out but she didn't!We headed back to Waco by 8 a.m Sunday morning to get Lindsay back for a 2:00 rehersal.

Big Chess

2007-08-01T19:56:00.000-05:00

Drew and Evan love to play chess. They have been begging to play at Baylor all summer. We had to figure out who had the keys to unlock the pieces. By the time we got all the gigantic pieces in place, we are all sweating. Playing giant chess allowed the boys to use both brain and brawn. Evan decided that he liked playing on the computer better.

In a galaxy far, far away

2007-07-31T08:50:00.000-05:00

We went to Fort Worth last weekend. We stayed with Uncle Paul and family and did some really cool things. The Fort Worth museum has a Star Wars exhibit that is out of this world (haha). The boys really liked it. Lindsay had enough after a few minutes. She wanted to play in the little kid area of the museum with cousin Chloe. She is still asking if we can go back to the museum and play in the "under 6 area". She also really liked the Cowgirl museum.
Aren't these brothers just precious?

Saturday we moseyed over to the Stockyards for Cowboy Days. Evan and Lindsay participated in a watermelon eating and seed spitting contest!

Love it!

2007-07-23T09:31:00.000-05:00

Now I know what I want for my birthday:

Baker's Edge

We just had a discussion about edges verses middle pieces during our Sunday lunch. I proudly told the kids that one of the reasons Mark and I are so happily married is because I like the edges and he likes the middle. I told them that I wish the same happiness for them with their future spouses. Drew asked if unequally yoked edge or middle piece eaters were the reason for the high divorce rate in America. Maybe so. Maybe the government should dump millions of research dollars into this theory.

PotterMania

2007-07-21T21:53:00.000-05:00

We spent a great deal of time at Barnes and Noble last night. I've never read a single page of HP but Drew and Mark really like the books. We played games and stared at all the very strange people hanging around. I won a prize for being able to identify a pickle flavored jelly bean. I was glad that I did not have to taste the black pepper or vomit flavored jelly beans. Can you imagine?

Drew didn't read as much today as I thought he would. He did the same thing with the previous book. We HAD to be there at midnight to get the book then he put the book on a shelf for a few months before he decided to read it. He promised me that he would read it quickly if we stayed up to get our copy last night. We got our hands on a copy of the much anticipated book at 12:37 a.m. (way past my bedtime, I might add.) It was worth it because we had some good bonding time, just the two of us.

Evan and Lindsay made wands and played Harry Potter all day long. They were saying all sorts of strange words. I think they were putting curses on things. That can't be good!

Salado

2007-07-13T10:50:00.000-05:00

Many people have asked me if the inlaws house is okay in Salado. Luckily, all is intact. Many in town were not so lucky. We visited last weekend and this is what we saw.
Our favorite place to play in the creek by the mermaid was a mess. Trees were down. The railing on the bridge was torn apart. The water from previous rains had done some big time damage.
Mark and Lindsay endured one of the hottest days this summer for bike riding lessons. We promised the kids we would go back to the creek after the lesson to cool off.
Lindsay was a quick learner but not quick enough. The clouds rolled in and the rain poured down. Everyone was so hot that the rain felt great. Evan played on the golf course for hours. The course was closed due to flooding.
We went back to the mermaid before we left town and this is what we saw. There was no sign of the mermaid. Salado can really use some sunshine.

We're all in this together

2007-07-13T09:07:00.001-05:00

Last night was so fun. Lindsay and I saw "High School Musical" presented by Waco Children's Theater. We went with a group of girls from church. I was surprised to see our neighbor as Sharpay, one of the leads. She was amazing!
Lindsay really liked getting autographs from the actors especially this cute little guy who played Troy.
Lindsay was by far the youngest girl in our group but I don't think she wanted that title. She wanted to sit between two of the teenage girls. I was sort of sad that she was so independent. We weren't even in the same row. I guess even the baby has to grow up sometime.

When it rains, it pours!

2007-07-05T21:21:00.000-05:00

Okay, the thesis is done. Life is great! Except Mark's car died..for good. Mark and Drew are away at camp. The water heater started to leak. Do I know how to turn the gas off? Turn the water off? No and no. Everyone I know is away at camp. I called two plumbers today. Neither called back. Did I mention that Lindsay is sick? When it rains it pours! Boy, am I drenched.

Hallelujah! And Amen.

2007-06-29T21:28:00.000-05:00

So- How many of you readers out there knew that I was working on a Master of Science degree? Well, the short story is that I was and I passed my thesis defense today (hallelujah!) and it's over (amen).

For those of you who haven't seen me much lately, the 16-18 hour days are over and maybe my life will return back to normal. (After a week at youth camp, anyway.) By the way- whatever it was that allowed me to work 18 hours a day is suddenly gone. I was ready for bed at 8:30.

The slightly longer story is that I started grad school in physics, but before I finished, I got a job. Then we bought a house. Then we had a kid. Then another kid. And another. And somewhere in there, I started losing motivation.

I tried seveal times to get started on it again, but the long and short of it was that I didn't have the proper motivation or mindset. My friends quit asking about. My parents quit asking. Regina quit asking. But, always, it was there, eating at me. I wanted it done, but I didn't want to do the work.

The one person that didn't quit asking was my grandfather. Always, he would ask. "I'm working on it, Granddaddy." Sometimes, it was true, other times, a white lie. Last summer, when I could tell that his time with us drawing to a close, he asked again. I decided that if he still thought I could do it, I would do it. I started working diligently. I wanted to finish it for him. When we lost him just before Thanksgiving, I lost some of my motivation.

I came to the conclusion, though, that I could do this for him. It ended being a sort of "perfect storm" of many things- motivation on my part; Regina was motivated for me and allowed my many late nights and time away from the family to get it done; the kids were great and very patient with me and excited for me; Dr. Benesh's (my advisor) schedule allowed him time to meet with me probably more than he wanted to. And a deadline from the grad school didn't hurt, either. No more extensions! (what, no more? It's only been, oh, I don't know, 6 or so...)

So, anyway, I passed the defense and I have only minor revisions to make to my paper, so I will graduate in August. Only 13 years after I started in the program!

End of busy days

2007-06-17T21:58:00.000-05:00

Last week was just as crazy as the week before. I was really starting to get run down and I know the kids were too. I wore my pedometer Thursday to see if I really was on the move as much as I thought. My pedometer said I took 35,583 steps in one day!!!! Now that is moving. Two of those miles I ran intentionally on a treadmill. The rest was errand and kid related. WOW!

Well, this week will be different. The agenda consist of nothing more than relaxation. Now that's what I'm talking about. Swinging on the back porch in Salado never sounded better.

Totally unrelated but I had to share. This baby bird fell out of its nest in Salado last weekend. We tried to feed it then placed it back in the bird house. I don't know what happened after that. Isn't it amazingly small?

Evan is Eight!

2007-06-07T22:55:00.001-05:00

The years seem to be slipping by so quickly. Evan turned 8 yesterday. He was upset that we were not able to celebrate his birthday with him all day. He was hardly deprived of a good time though. He has been at Mad Science camp all week. He got to dig through Owl throw up and piece together the skeleton of a rodent. What could be more fun? In the evening we attended VBS family night at church. There were many Baylor athletes there to help celebrate the sports theme. A new family favorite was in attendance: Mamadou! This time he brought along some friends. Poor Birthday boy had to eat dinner with a table full of talented college athletes. He had their undivided attention.
After he and Mamadou ate two burgers a piece, the guys headed to the nearest basketball goal. Mamadou gave Evan a few pointers!

I know Evan had a great day but he just couldn't admit it. We tried to convince him to use his imagination and pretend that all the people at Family Night were there to help him celebrate his birthday but his imagination just wouldn't take him there. He was set on having a pity party instead. The kid is worn out from late nights and incredibly busy days. Isn't summer suppose to be laid back and relaxing?

Keeping up

2007-05-28T12:30:00.000-05:00

Events to remember when scrapbooking (Because my memory is so bad, I have to use the blog)

Bible Drill and Six Flags: April 27-28

Rangers game: May 12

Lindsays graduation: May 17

Another rainy day

2007-05-28T11:49:00.000-05:00

Evan was downright giddy about leaving the hospital.
We let Evan (and Mark) run around before getting in the car for the 2 hour drive home. They had been confined to their hospital room for 48 hours.
We had a fun night last night. We went to a drive in movie theatre in Gatesville. We saw Shrek 3 and Spiderman 3. The boys each took a friend. All seven of us saw both movies for a grand total of $5! What a super deal!

Today, Evan woke up with an earache and asthma problems. Bummer!

Home Sweet Home

2007-05-26T19:11:00.000-05:00

We are back home. Evan is glad to be free of his electrodes. More to come later. We are all tired.

Fun in the Hospital

2007-05-25T23:44:00.000-05:00

Evan and I have now been indoors for 38 straight hours. Evan has been wonderful. At least I've gotten to get out of the room. I even went downstairs to the lobby to get a paper this morning. Evan, though, has been confined to a "ponytail" that's about 15 feet long. It's long enough to get him to the bathroom and to look out the window. We've read, played games, and watched several movies- Willow, Batman Forever, Star Wars: The Phanton Menace, Honey I Blew up the Kid, and Home Alone. I may have missed one or two.

Here's Evan before we ever got started. I tried to get him to walk the halls so he'd know what was going on around him, but he decided he would rather wait in bed.

This is Shawn putting the electrodes on Evan's head. They use some pretty heavy duty glue. Turns out Shawn goes to First Baptist Irving, so we talked about the Durhams. Small world.

Evan really doesn't like the smell of the glue:

The one good thing about this place is the food. You can order as much, and as often, as you want, though we limited ourselves to three meals a day. Evan's enjoyed it...

We saw Evan's doctor yesterday evening and at lunch time today. The preliminary reports have been good. We (meaning Regina) will give a more detailed report in the next few days. Turns out his doctor's son will be a freshman at Baylor in the fall, so I think our next appointment is at halftime of the Parent's Weekend game. It'll save us the drive.

A huge thanks to my parents who took Drew and Lindsay home after Baylor spanked Michigan in softball so that Regina could come up here. Also, huge thanks to my brother Paul for taking Drew to the softball game and then driving Regina up here even though it probably added an extra hour or more to his drive. Evan was so excited to see Regina he could hardly contain himself. I was excited, too, but I had to play it cool...

Summer Break Detour

2007-05-24T13:25:00.000-05:00

Summer break is not all fun and games for Evan yet. He (and Mark) have checked into Medical City Dallas. Please pray for peace, patience and good results.

Drew is 10!

2007-05-23T18:16:00.000-05:00

Drew entered the world of double digits today! It's a big deal to him. He completed 4th grade today as a nine year old. He turned 10 at LaFiesta Restaurant with Baylor Basketball player-Mamadou Diene from Senegal, Africa! Mamadou turned 20 today! We had a good time celebrating together. Drew talked sports with Mamadou and of course Evan wanted to know all about Senegal.

Mamadou is a very cool guy. He made an appearance at the Hillcrest talent show to say "Happy Birthday" to Drew and to present him with a basketball and signed shirt. He said a few words to the children. He encouraged them to work hard in school and listen to their parents. I love this guy. He seems to be a very intellegent, thoughtful young man. He's just the kind of role model I want for my boys.
Drew and Evan are glad summer is here and that Drew unwrapped some new toys today. This multi-sport training net was a hit! After they wore themselves out, they decided to hop inside of the net and take a nap. We'll see how long this contraption keeps them occupied. I am quite proud that I set this thing up instead of giving the typical answer of "wait until dad gets home."

Who's that kid?

2007-05-15T21:13:00.000-05:00

Today, I had finally had it with Drew's long hair. I have been telling him that he REALLY needed a haircut. He likes a buzz in the summer so I thought why not a few weeks early. He would teeter back and forth and always ended up backing out. I guess it's my pride but I wanted him to look nice for the state Bible Drill competition a few weeks ago. I decided that was a battle I didn't need to fight. The fact that he worked so hard to learn all the information was enough to satisfy me for the time. I thought it would be nice for him to cut his hair before he sang in church last Sunday. His role in the production of Donkeytales was that of a wounded man so I let the haircut issue slide. He wanted to look the part of a rough character. Drew has been the 3rd base coach for Evan's baseball team this season. Yesterday after the game, he was so sweaty and his hair was stuck to his head. It not only looked yucky. I bet it felt gross too! I'd tolerated as much as I could.

So, today when he got home from school, I said "you really have to have your hair cut" and I meant it this time. In the back of my mind, I was thinking about Awards Day, Commended Performance, field day and those other end of the year things that all the other parents attend. I didn't want the other parents thinking I didn't know my kid needed a haircut. (pride)

So, he agreed that field day would be much cooler without a mop sitting on his head. The next problem: He didn't want to go to a barber. I think the fact that the barber Mark takes him to is missing an ear really freaks him out. I think he thinks he may leave there looking like the barber. At this point I am wondering if the kid still has ears because it has been a long time since I've seen them.

So, despite the fact that I had no idea what I was doing, I agreed to buzz the kids head. The whole time I'm going "I don't know what I am doing here buddy." And he is saying "it's easy Mom, just pick it up and cut it off." Well, things don't really go as planned. I got a lot of the length off and then FREAKED OUT!! I realized I had no idea what to do next. I again offered to take him somewhere to get it fixed. Meanwhile, his hair looked like a blindman took a weedeater to it. It was terrible. I thought I could make it a little better but I was afraid to touch it anymore and he didn't want me anywhere near it either.

He was screaming something about never going back to school and I was almost in tears. I called Mark and told him we had an emergency at home. He tried to calm me down but every time I saw that poor boys head, I felt terrible. That long hair wasn't so bad. This was bad!

When Mark got home, he tried to convince both of us that it wasn't so bad. Ha! We both knew the truth. Drew reluctantly let Mark "work on it." It's better. That is not saying much. So if you see Drew, please be kind. I feel terrible that he has to face all his friends and maybe not so friendly kids at school tomorrow. Too bad hats aren't allowed at school. If only I'd let him wait 7 more days until school was out! I'm sure he will always remember this day! Way to go, Mom!

Outnumbered

2007-04-20T17:20:00.001-05:00

Three kids, 2 parents, three games at 9 a.m. in the morning. Enough said!

Many people have asked about Evan's head. He was hit in the head 3 weeks ago by a baseball at baseball practice. He had a huge goose egg immediately. Of course, I freaked out. That is my job! He has since gotten two black eyes. We can't wait for the bruising to dissappear. He's tired of people asking about it. I hope there was no serious damage done. He has had a hard time lately!

Happy Easter

2007-04-09T12:30:00.000-05:00

Lots of planning goes into the annual Easter outfit but this year, we should have made our selections from the winter clearance racks. The girls were brave and wore their sleeveless dresses despite the weather. We roasted marshmellows in the fireplace and had Easter smores. We had no electricity Saturday night or Sunday morning before church. I'd have to say this was the strangest Easter I have ever experienced.
We had to wake Evan up but we knew he would be sad later if he missed out on building a Snow Bunny with his cousins!! We were not prepared for snow. We had no gloves, no hats and just a few light jackets. The kids didn't last long outside.

Salado was a beautiful place to spend Easter. The golf course provided lots of room for snow ball fights and "ice skating" on the greens. This picture reminds me more of Colorado than Easter time in Texas.

Early Tech Support

2007-03-09T14:45:00.000-06:00

As you undoubtedly know, I help people with computers. So I found this video especially funny. I wasn't around when they introduced books, but I can imagine the messages with questions my dad would have sent via carrier pigeon when he was moving from scrolls....

(Just kidding, Dad!)

Enough Already!!!

2007-03-06T12:52:00.000-06:00

Eight of the last ten school days, at least one of my kids has been home sick. Strep throat seems to be the culprit. We flew through flu season without a sniffle. While absentee records at school were being broken, we were healthier than ever. I thought we had it made. I was wrong. We were exposed to children who were at school and church despite fever and obvious illness. I know how hard it is to have to change your plans to accomodate sick kids. It's not fun! It's not convenient. I can't imagine having a "paying job" and having to take so much time off. Three sick kids makes for lots of trips to the pharmacy, especially when the first antibiotic only mildly works. When the big guns finally arrive, we see victory against the bad guys.

Evan is home for the second day in a row. He will have two days of school then Spring Break starts. Here's to a healthier spring!

He's up to it again!

2007-03-06T08:40:00.000-06:00

You may remember last year, Mark ran his first marathon. I thought that might be the end of distance running for him. It just doesn't look like much fun! He was at it again last weekend, ONLY 13.1 miles this time. This was his second year to run in the Bear-A-Thon. He actually did really well. The course goes through Cameron Park which is very hilly. This weekend he is running again. I think it might be getting in his blood.

I normally don't run unless there is a large dog chasing me. A few weeks ago, I mentioned an upcoming 5K (Prepare for the Bear) to Evan and he expressed interest in running with ME! AHHHH! I decided that would be a good bonding experience with my son so I decided to run with him. Although he was running circles around me, we both made it to the finish line. The hilarious part is that I took home the first place trophy in my (old) age division. So, Mark may be a better runner. He may be faster and in better shape but I am the one with the first place trophy!!!!

Upward Basketball!

2007-03-06T08:20:00.000-06:00

A big thank you to Upward Basketball Coaches David, James, Bo and Josh! These guys did an awesome job teaching game skills, team work and sharing God's love with the boys. I am always impressed when young men volunteer their time and invest in the lives of children! Their efforts did not go unnoticed. These men will make great dads one day.

Race for the Cure

2007-03-02T15:43:00.000-06:00

There are two ladies who I work with who are battling breast cancer, so I helped form a Baylor ITS team for the Race for the Cure. If you want to get involved in a worthy cause, please help me raise money...

Mark's race page

Wow...

2007-03-02T08:20:00.000-06:00

Perhaps you saw on the news about a high school that got hit by a tornado. That's about all I knew until I got home from dinner last night and I had a message from my parents that it was my niece's high school. She (and the rest of the family) is fine, praise the Lord! However, 8 people at the high school died. I don't know if they were students or teachers. While Kate has contacted her close friends and they are fine, at least some of these will surely be acquaintances. (Enterprise isn't very big, after all.)

There's not much left of the school-

Here's a slideshow with some other pictures.

Luckily, the family is (physically) fine, but this will obviously create some emotional/psychological wounds. I'm sure Lisa, David, Kate, and Jake would covet your prayers.

Belated Presidents Day

2007-02-20T14:12:00.000-06:00

I wanted to post this yesterday but I just didn't get it done! Happy belated Presidents Day!

Am I the only one who checks the mailbox multiple times on non-food, therefore less celebrated holidays before realizing why there is not any mail?

Work

2007-02-13T13:59:00.000-06:00

Working with Eating Disorders is a fairly new thing for me. I continue to be shocked by some of the stories I read and the pictures I see. I don't know if I will ever get used to it. I can't imagine what can make one go to some of the extremes that I see. I am glad my part of recovery only deals with the food. That's the easy part. I have no idea how one gets to the bottom of such dispair.

PANNYHOSE

2007-02-06T12:44:00.000-06:00

So I am not the only one who can't seem to find time to blog . I haven't even had time to sit down and READ blogs which is one of my favorite things to do. I've been working a lot (if a few hours a week can be considered a lot). I count it as a workday if I have to put hose on, even for just an hour or two.

Working on campus has been fun because Mark and I have been able to meet for lunch several times. We've even eaten in the dorms a few times. I know you are jealous! On one occassion, a girl sat down in the booth right beside us. A few minutes later, she got a phone call and she began to bawl. She was trying to be quiet about it but she wasn't doing a good job. Mark and I looked at each other and had no idea what to do. She made a phone call and sobbed some more unintellegible words into the phone. She pushed her tray of food aside and continued to cry. A few minutes later, a girl came running towards her and wrapped her arms around her. Between sobs, the girl tells her friend that her boyfriend just broke up with her over the phone. We can't help but hear all of this. Wow! Talk about being in an uncomfortable situation. So much for a quiet, romantic lunch with the hubby!

Mark and I visited a magnet middle school called Carver Academy last week. We were invited on a "learning walk" to check out all the wonderful things this school has to offer. I can't believe we are having to think about middle school for one of our own kids! Something seems so wrong about that! As I walked the halls at Carver, the smell, the lockers, the labs took me right back to 7th grade. All of a sudden I felt like I was 13 again. How are we old enough to be the parents?

We are off to see the Harlem Globbtrotters tonight. Lindsay's response: "not another boring basketball game!" Makes me glad we spent a small fortune on the tickets!

P.S. While we were studying for UIL spelling, Drew discovered how to spell PANTYHOSE. He said that because of our Texas accent, he always thought they were PANNYHOSE. Boy, am I glad he's got that straight now. BTW, They both did great in their UIL events!

No school today!

2007-01-17T10:02:00.000-06:00

We are all home today! The kids (including Mark) enjoyed "sledding" down our neighbors driveway. I knew those Woodway hills would come in handy someday. The kids looked alittle woobly out there at first. Luckily, our neighbor, an ER doctor, was on hand just in case someone drew blood. They got the hang of it pretty quickly and I had to beg them to come in for some hot oatmeal! Mark can not let a fun time pass him by.
Evan was very confident by this time.
Lindsay missed a lot of the fun because she had to have the perfect "ice outfit."

Evan's Ice

2007-01-16T12:43:00.000-06:00

Evan wanted to share these two pictures:School was delayed two hours this morning. Evan had plenty of time to explore outside. He was busy collecting icicles and trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth.
Evan thought this ice looked like the shape of Africa. Africa is always on his mind!

I'm dreaming of a white MLK day...

2007-01-15T13:22:00.000-06:00

What a wonderful thing to wake up to...

A New Year

2007-01-12T13:30:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to all! 2007 has been lovely so far. Football, shopping and the return of children to school top the list of our favorite activities. We have a new family member. Her name is Jessica. We mostly call her "Jess"
If you see Lindsay, you will see Jess because they go everywhere together. They are "Twinns."
Getting dressed in the morning takes a little longer because the girls have to coordinate outfits. I love having a girl.

The boys are back in school. Drew was Leonardo DaVinci last night at "A night with the Artist." Imagine our surprise when we saw him come out to present dressed like this:

Do you recognize the Mona Lisa?

Christmas Letter 2006

2006-12-19T22:49:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all!! We come to the end of another year and can’t imagine where all the time has gone. We have all been extremely busy this year but that is a good thing. We were trying for the perfect Christmas picture to send out with our cards but it never happened. I had to send the cards without a letter or picture. So here is Plan B.

Drew is in 4th grade and loving “just being a regular 4th grader.” He has made his acting/dancing/singing debut this year in Annie Jr., church choir, and Waco Christmas Celebration. I don’t think he wants to admit it but he had a lot of fun. I love seeing him step out of his comfort zone and realize there is more to life than sports and math. He still likes school but mostly because he loves being with his friends. He will compete this year in UIL Spelling, Number Sense and Art Smart. Drew is now part of the preteen ministry at church. I just can’t wrap my brain around the idea of having a preteen!

Evan is in 2nd grade. He also got his dads math brain. He is a whiz at multiplication and often beats the entire 3rd grade class in math contests. We think he has been seizure free for quite some time. We have had a few scares in the last year but we have been unable to determine if a seizure occurred. He has side effects from the drugs but we will deal with them in order to be seizure free. We still believe that God will heal Evan. Evan continues to feel called to be a missionary. He has an amazing heart! He loves all people and seemed to be able to easily put himself in their shoes. He has a particular love for the people of Africa. This year for Christmas, he wants all the money we would spend on him to go to others who are in need. Doesn’t that just melt your heart?

Lindsay is as sweet as ever. She enjoys attending Pre-K three times a week. She loves going on field trips every Thursday. When she is not at school, she is Mommy’s shadow. Pretending and playing are at the top of her list of fun activities. She also loves to sing and dance. She is looking forward to starting “real school” in the fall. She is a true blessing to our family. Lindsay’s biggest moment this year was when she asked Jesus into her heart. She really loves God and has an amazing understanding of His love.

Mark ran his first marathon this year. We were all very proud of him. He continues to enjoy working a Baylor, teaching Sunday School and coaching the boys’ teams. He went to youth camp this summer. He was able to go to Big Bend National Park with Drew and 70 other schoolmates. He worked hard to get our yard back in order after a tornado uprooted two gigantic trees in our backyard and made a mess of the rest of the yard. We mourned the loss of his grandfather in November, but it was a bit of a blessing as he had not been doing well for several months.

Regina has begun working a little at Baylor this year. She works mainly with students with Eating Disorders and supervises dietetic students. She continues to work at Providence Hospital a few days a month. Both jobs are very rewarding and keep her on her toes. She still enjoys Bible Study Fellowship and volunteering. Sadly, there has been no time for scrapbooking this year. Being a mom of three very different personalities is quite challenging. This coming year will be a new experience as all three children will be in school. For the first time in 10 years, our home will be quiet during the day.

God has blessed us tremendously this year.

Here are some pictures from the past year, including a few attempts at a real Christmas card picture.

Fun games...

2006-12-19T13:37:00.000-06:00

My brother Paul and I find pleasure in the out-of-the-ordinary. This probably has been tempered somewhat by the fact that we have kids and we live more responsible lives (I do, anyway). In the past, though, my mom and sister used to fuel this by buying at least one goofy game for us each Christmas.

I'm a Dave Barry fan. When he was still writing a weekly column, the Brazos Living section of the Waco Trib was known as the "Dave Barry" section, as his column was about the only thing worth reading in that section. His Christmas gift guide was especially fun.

What do these have to do with each other? Well, in this year's gift guide, one of the items is a game affectionately known as the "butthead game." The thing is, he is WAAAY behind the times. This particular family had this game years ago, as evidenced by the picture below of Drew and Papaw enjoying the game when Drew (and Papaw) was much younger. I'm guessing this is 1999. Come on, Dave, get in the 21st century.

Random Stuff...

2006-12-19T08:12:00.000-06:00

Clever

And no, Regina, we were not on any of these roads when we went for our jeep ride in New Mexico.

Job Security...

2006-12-11T12:17:00.000-06:00

Microsoft, if nothing else, is good for job security. For instance, read this on the Windows Vista Team Blog.

I guess it's all in how you interpret the numbers, but I take the added jobs to mean that Vista is unnecessarily more complex and will require more people to support and maintain the product. Since that's what I do, that means job security.

Limo

2006-12-07T20:45:00.000-06:00

Eight of the 11 cousins living it up in a limo! Just too cute not to post.

Nutcracker

2006-12-05T20:57:00.000-06:00

Lindsay and I went to see The Nutcracker ballet Sunday afternoon. Our dear friend, Carol Sedberry invited us to be her guests. Thanks Carol for a wonderful experience with my daughter and great memories we will always cherish! I remember going to see The Nutcracker as a little girl. I always loved the magical atmosphere created by the music, dancers and little girls all dolled up. Lindsay loved it (up until the moment she fell asleep). I neglected to tell Lindsay before the ballet that the dancers would not be speaking. A few minutes after it began, Lindsay asked "Why isn't anybody talking?" Luckily, we'd read the story and saw a movie of the Nutcracker so she knew the story line. After it was over, she said "that was so much better than the movie!"

She got to take pictures with a few of the dancers at the Kids Club Party. She also received a sequins Nutcracker that she adores. She takes him everywhere she goes. Looks like we may be starting ballet lessons soon. She has the bug!

Rest in Peace, Granddaddy...

2006-11-21T22:52:00.000-06:00

Harold Minner Mastin
May 11, 1911 - November 18, 2006

Granddaddy was a kind, gentle, patient soul. I was very fortunate to grow up in the same town as him and share many special memories as I was growing up. In his later years, nothing made him light up, though, like being around his great-grandchildren. He had 11 of them and whenever we were with him he made a point of telling anyone he could about he lucky he was to live long enough to be with his great-grandchildren and how proud he was of all of them.

He and Evan seemed to be especially fond of each other. Evan liked his Army stories and never tired of them. Granddaddy liked the unconditional affection and tenderness that is such a part of Evan, that we credit to being past down from Granddaddy and Papaw. (I guess it skipped me, though.) Evan wrote a little speech that he plans on sharing at the service. It brings a tear to my eye just to think about it.

Granddaddy was indeed lucky to have lived to 95 and to see all of his great-grandchildren. But not nearly as lucky as I was to have had him for a grandfather.

Things that make you go hmmmm....

2006-11-10T23:27:00.000-06:00

Why would someone steal your credit card number and use it to give very generously to their alma mater? (Southern Cal to be specific.)

Why is it that people throw candy at you while you are trying to sit back and enjoy a parade?

Why do people insist on referring to me as a stay at home mom, yet I am hardly ever home?

It is a good thing that nine year old boys can't vote. The boys I am referring to wanted Kinky to be Governor of Texas so they would not have to take the TAKS test and could have unlimited parties and candy during the school day. How's that for a political stand?

Why is it that you can go to the grocery store for two items and come home with $90 worth of stuff?

Quote of the day:
Mom: "Lindsay do you know what a HYMN is?"
Lindsay: "Yes, of course, it's a BOY."

Just in case you missed it, it snowed in Waco today. Well, actually, the snow came along with Santa. He arrived at Richland Mall tonight. If he comes any sooner, he's going to need a costume for Halloween.

My choice of Action Figure

2006-11-03T17:33:00.000-06:00

Another interesting action figure you can add to your Christmas list:

Top Toy Pick of the year...or not!

2006-11-02T15:42:00.000-06:00

As Lindsay and I browsed the Baylor Bookstore this week, a display caught my eye. There were action figures and finger puppets of various historically important folks. Can you believe there is an action figure of Leonardo DaVinci? What is crazier is that I bought it!

Drew is studying Leonardo this semester in his GT class. His art teacher chose the artist with the child's personality in mind. Drew thinks he and Leonardo are alike because they are/were extremely messy writers. Maybe there is hope for Drew despite his horrific handwriting. He has a big project due soon and of course, he has not made much progress.

A Chemistry Experiment

2006-10-30T15:15:00.000-06:00

I'm sure by now many of you have seen videos of how Diet Coke and Mentos react rather violently. Check this video out, where they take it to the next level.


Of course, Regina just sees this a big waste of some perfectly good Diet Coke.

Any suggestions?

2006-10-25T08:38:00.000-05:00

Evan went to the dentist yesterday afternoon to have sealants put on his teeth. Just a few short hours later, we went trick or treating at Baylor. This is what we came home with. Any suggestions as to what we could do with all this candy? The kids of course think they can ration it out and eat it all "responsibly." Ha!

Wild Weekend

2006-10-24T08:28:00.000-05:00

Baylor Homecoming was not as big of a deal for us this year as it has been in years past. The kids all had their activities so we snuck in a few Homecoming activities where we could. I am so glad that we were all able to make it to the game. The best part is that we were able to tolerate the first 3 quarters and stay for the exciting victory! Sometimes Baylor will just knock your socks off! Our football seats seem to be surrounded by Shawn Bell haters. They are quite vocal about their feelings. It is hard to tolerate especially since Evan and Shawn have such a special friendship. Shawn may not be the most talented QB but he is a wonderful, moral and kind young man. I would rather have my children look up to him than some highly successful, rude, obnoxious player. Evan has been blessed by Shawn and even Drew is coming back around. He asked for a BU Homecoming shirt and even wore a Baylor shirt to school!

Speaking of Evan, he is doing fairly well. If we are firm about his sleeping and eating patterns, he does well. He is doing excellent in school. He enjoys doing math with the 3rd graders and a recent field trip with GT. He is a soccer superstar and recently made a goal worthy of an ESPN highlight. He still deals with residual from either the medication or the stifling of the seizures. We have seen no signs of seizures in a long time and for that we are grateful. God is so good and so faithful. Evan still feels strongly about going to Africa and now thinks he wants to be a doctor so he can tell them about Jesus while he helps get them better.

On a lighter note, Mark was greeted by a SOUP pyramid in front of his office door Friday! His coworkers asked what he liked and I mentioned that I was thinking of doing a soup party for him because he likes soup. This is a very creative group of people. If you work on campus and you forget your lunch or run out of cash, stop by his office and pick up a can of soup! It's Mmmmm good!

By the way, Mark decided against having a princess party. He wanted Lindsay to have fond memories of her friends dressed up. I think that is best. Seeing Bart, Steve or Alan dressed as Princesses might be more than we could handle. He did enjoy the princess birthday cards, especially the one with the tiara that he cut out and wore!

Anyone there?

2006-10-18T12:39:00.000-05:00

Life is really busy these days. There seems to be very little middle ground. Summer is slow, without structure and too often riddled with "Mom, I'm bored." Fall pushes the pendulum all the way to the other side. We have 3 kids playing soccer for the first time. They are not all playing at the same place which adds just a bit more adventure to our weekends. I've been working more than I have in 9 years. Mark is busier than ever toting kids to games, parties, pictures, etc by himself on weekends that I work. He does a fabulous job and makes it look easy!

Since the last time we blogged, our baby turned FIVE. Lindsay is a sweet little girl. She is growing up so quickly. I can't believe she is so grown. She spent the morning of her birthday at the fair with her class. She went back to the fair with her good friend MacKenzie. We took her to dinner at Chick-Fil-A, one of her favorites and then to Marble Slab.Because our weekends are so packed, we had her party on a Friday afternoon. She and a few other girls dressed in their finest gowns for a Royal Ball. The boys even joined in the fun by dressing as royalty.

Mark's birthday is Friday. He deserves a royal ball in his honor. There haven't been many birthday bashes for him since Lindsay was born. I am usually still recovering from Lindsay's party when Mark's birthday comes along.

Big Bend Article

2006-09-26T22:11:00.000-05:00

For the out-of-towners-

There was an article about Hillcrest's trip to Big Bend in the paper today. It's online here. There were two nice pics in the print edition, as well. Hopefully, this good press will help to sway the administration to keep it going.

And we're back....

2006-09-25T14:45:00.001-05:00

Drew and I are back from Big Bend. We had a great time and I learned a bunch, right along-side the kids. We were at a group camp site, so we had an area to ourselves, which was nice. This was pretty much the view from our campsite. It made for some great sunsets. (BTW- not my pics.)

Here's the group I was responsible for. They all made it back to Waco alive, so I consider it a successful trip.

(L to R) Matthew, Austin, Daniel, LynDemian (I had a hard time with that name and had to shorten it to LD), Devon, Nathan (I'm the tall one in the back)

Unfortunately, I didn't get many pics of Drew and me, but here's one of the few-

That's the Rio Grande and Mexico in the background.

Drew was in Mr. Burnie Battles' group. His wife, Mary Helen, and son, Jay both teach at Hillcrest. Burnie and Mary Helen have been taking groups to Big Bend for years and know that park like the back of their hands. If we go back as a family, I think Drew will have to be our tour guide, because I know he learned a lot from Mr. Battles.

There was a bit of controversy surrounding the trip and how it was received by the new administration in Waco. I have a feeling I'll be called upon to speak as a proponent for future trips, which I will certainly do. There is definitely more to learning than the classroom and the teachers at Hillcrest obviously share a love for these kids and passion to teach them. While the trip was fun, it was very obvious that the teachers don't do this trip because it's the easy thing to do. They do it because they love these kids and want them to experience interactive education and expose them to new things. I'm sure this was the first time many of these kids have seen the mountains, and for many it will be the last.

And they are off...

2006-09-20T22:59:00.000-05:00

Mark and Drew left around 10:00 last night with 80 of Drew's schoolmates and teachers. They were headed for Big Bend National Park. I don't imagine anyone got much good sleep on the bus. They watched movies and snacked until around midnight when kids started dozing off. They arrived at McDonald's in Fort Stockton at 5:30 a.m (an hour and a half earlier than expected...hmmm). They made it to the park around 10:45. This will be an amazing trip! My only concern is that Drew wasn't placed in a "family" with any of his friends. I am praying he builds new relationships and bonds with his "dad" Bernie Battles.

Grandma is here taking care of us. We have all been sick. We sent Drew on the trip with a fairly new case of Strep Throat (treated, of course). Total bummer! I sent antibiotics for Mark but I almost certain he won't take them. Evan is finally better and is now enjoying doing Sodoku puzzles with Grandma.

I cleaned out every drawer and cabinet in the kitchen tonight. Sounds like fun, huh? It wasn't my idea. My mom suggested it. Once I started I couldn't stop! I always get a lot done when Mark is not here. I threw away 3 large trash bags FULL of plastic cups and stuff. I don't know how this stuff gets so out of control. I think it multiplies in the cabinets at night.

Math

2006-09-19T09:59:00.000-05:00

It's a simple equation...

Governor Kinky + Willie + Willie on the state payroll = legalized marijuana

After all, if the head of the state's new energy department (or the governor, for that matter) wants to enjoy a little Mary Jane on his time off, he shouldn't be held down by any silly laws- so change 'em!

Labor Free Weekend

2006-09-05T10:57:00.000-05:00

I think we over did it this weekend. We have cranky kids (and parents) and no one wanted to get up this morning.

We started off the weekend by going to see Nacho Libre. Not one of my favs but the boys were dying to see it. Evan thought it was "awesome" and Drew said "I had no idea it was going to be such a religious movie." We woke up Saturday morning to the sound of boys wrestling with underwear on their heads. They were trying to conceal their identities.

Saturday was a great day to hang out in Salado. I think I can feel Fall heading our way. Sunday was a strange day because Baylor played football. I think God does not agree that Baylor should play football on Sundays. Note the stinky score!! Evan was the kick off kid at the game. Since Baylor didn't kick off first, he was on the field for a long time. Not good when you have butterflies in your tummy. He thought the high five from Sepulveda was cool. I asked him what Sepulveda said to him. Evan said that he said "hey kid, I need that tee." Words to cherish!

We went to the Lake at Grandbury with Uncle Paul, Aunt Kelly and kids on Monday. There was much fun to be had there. Everyone except Lindsay loved the wave runners and Sea Doo.

Now we are back to reality. I think we can make it through a short week. A few good nights of rest and I think we can shed the crankiness!

Pre K Girl

2006-08-25T08:49:00.000-05:00

Lindsay just completed her first week of Preschool. She loves it. She has made a few new friends and already has two birthday parties to attend this weekend. The official word from Mrs.Henkel is that Lindsay should be teaching the class. We know she is ready for Kindergarten but the state of Texas doesn't agree. You must be five by August 31st. The sad thing is, if she had been born seven weeks premature with difficulties in learning and other problems of prematurity, she would be "ready" for school. I'll get off my soapbox now. The good thing about waiting until next year to start school is it gives us another year to save for college. Don't you know by the time she is out of college, we are going to be POOR. Study hard kiddos, I sense the need for lots of scholarships.

It's a bird, It's a plane...

2006-08-24T18:45:00.000-05:00

IT'S SUPERMAN! Well, sort of.

Let me explain. Wednesday night was the kick off for Music and Missions at church with a theme of Super Kids. There were several superheroes invited. As we walked into church, a certain children's minister was frantically trying to find someone who could "fill out the outfit" but also fit into it. Apparently the person slated to be Superman was unable to make the transformation from Clark Kent to Superman (and still breath). Mark did not WANT to be Superman but he cracked under the pressure and sweetly donned the outfit. He played the part well. He signed autographs and lifted children in the air with great ease. They loved him.

Training to be salesmen

2006-08-16T13:43:00.000-05:00

They say kids are more advanced these days. Kids know how to use computers better than most adults. They can beat the over 30 crowd at video games. Kids are masters of manipulation. They are sly. They are friendly and o, so cute! This makes them perfect for what seems to be the most needed skill for the beginning of the school year. FUNDRAISING! One thing I didn't bank on is that my kids would be transformed into mini Donald Trumps in order to fund various activities in their lives. They learn to peddle all sorts of stuff. We are currently selling Sally Foster gifts/wrapping as well as coupon books for soccer. I'd rather pay a higher fee for sports than sell. Too bad that is not really a choice.

The one reason we are hitting the pavement with Sally Foster this year is that the funds go directly towards Drew's trip to Big Bend next month! The trip is pricey and so despite our dislike of bugging friends, we will sell as much as we can. Do you want to buy anything?

Mark here... Figured I'd go ahead and put the link on here to buy the Sally Foster stuff, if you're interested. If you're in the Waco area, though, you can call Regina with your order and I think you don't have to pay shipping. I don't really know how all that works. Regina does all that- I'm just the "tech guy."

The good days

2006-08-15T13:04:00.000-05:00

Quote of the day (by Lindsay):
"Mom, do you remember when I was two?
Those were the good days weren't they?"

Ode to School Daze

2006-08-14T11:05:00.000-05:00

Yahoo, school started today!
Time for Lindsay and I to play.

Summer was an awesome blast.
Though it came and went so fast.

"Mom, there's nothing to do!" No more.
Homework, projects and tests galore.

Time to hit the books and study
But also sports and lessons, honey.

I know we'll have an awesome year
Do your best and keep God near!
(The girl who wishes she could go to school)

Flip Flops and Bubblegum

2006-08-14T10:54:00.000-05:00

Youth led the evening service at church last night. They did a great job telling about the wonderful experiences they had this summer. We have a great group of kids at Columbus. One thing that I still have a hard time getting used to is how casual church has become. "Back in the day" I remember wearing hose and closed toed shoes everytime I stepped into the sanctuary of our church. I don't really want to go back to those days. Hose and heat are not a good match! I overhead a friend say she has to force her daughter to wear a dress to church on Sunday mornings. What kind of mood do you think they are in by the time they get to church? Is it worth the battle? I am all too familiar with the struggles of dressing for church. Drew hates shirts with collars. What do you think?

Fun stuff...

2006-08-11T16:31:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd show you something fun I found- A virtual "fly-over" of Baylor, using Google Maps. There are a few pre-programmed cities (in the Select a location menu), but since I'm a geek I figured out how to start it out at Baylor, over Founders' Mall. Click the link and then the Start button. Use the arrow keys to go left, right, up, & down.

(For some reason it didn't work in IE, so try Firefox. I didn't really try to figure out why not, because who uses IE anymore, anyway, right?)

We're back!

2006-08-09T10:52:00.000-05:00

Vacation was fun. We had non-stop action for 10 days. We didn't go far but we had a great time. We enjoyed a tour at Blue Bell and the yummy ice cream. We visited Independent where Baylor was established. We LOVED Washington on the Brazos. Drew has such a love for history that this was one of his favorite stops. We "worked" on a farm (picked cotton and feed hogs) and learned to play games that don't use electricity. Imagine that! We learned so much about the Republic of Texas.

Mark and I both got to visit our grandparents. I also saw my best friend from 1st to 8th grade whom I hadn't seen in almost 20 years. Other stops included Ice Skating at the Galleria, the Houston Zoo, an Astros game (and running the bases after the game), NASA (Super Hero school was a special treat), Unlimited rides at Kemah, Dinner at the cool Aquarium restaurant, feeding the giant sting rays, Moody Gardens, swimming at the Galvez and milk chocolate waters of Galveston, staying at Grandma's house, Putt-Putt at Zuma's, the original Ninfas and Houston Museums (Butterflies, Natural Science, Health, Children's). Our main reason for heading to Houston was to take part in seizure research conducted by Baylor College of Medicine. We hope our participation helps researchers find some answers. I was super proud of Drew for participating. He was the first well child in the study.

After seven days in Houston, we headed to Port Aransas for our annual Mastin beach weekend. We are exhausted and very sun tanned. School starts Monday. Our days are filled with dentist, orthodontist and doctor appointments as well as back to school shopping. My, how quickly summer seems to fly by.

This week

2006-07-19T17:02:00.000-05:00

We are just hanging around this week. Well, sort of...

Drew is at church camp for the first time. Rumor has it he is having a blast! Mark is at Youth camp.

Evan is going to Space Camp during the day. He went to the planetarium today. Favorite part: the laser show.

Lindsay is going to Vacation Bible School. Mom has a few hours of R and R (Rush and Run errands)

Due to the fact that it feels like it's 500 degrees outside, we have tried to stay indoors. I certainly don't remember summer being this HOT!!! Maybe there is something to that global warming thing!
Special Note to the public: When one of the employees/cooks is hauled away in an ambulance with cramps, fatigue and dizziness at a restaurant you just ate dinner at, it is not a good sign.

Update on Evan

2006-07-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

I spoke with Evan's Pediatric Neurologist today. We've seen some problems lately. I hope that our erratic summer schedule is to blame. We have some decisions to make regarding Evan's care soon. We could surely use God's guidance in making the right decision. We want Evan to have fun and just be a kid but he also has to be sure to get adequate sleep and take his medicine in a timely manner. It stinks to have to deal with medicine when you are seven. He has a little pill box, very similar to my granddads, with an opening for every day of the week. I always assumed I'd have one of those things before any of my kids would. I know I shouldn't whine about it. There are many who have much more serious ailments. I've worked with diabetic children who have to inject themselves with insulin daily. One family I follow closely has a child with cancer who will very likely succumb to the disease. I feel fortunate that my kids are generally very healthy. I just can't help but ache when Evan is suffering inside.

On a lighter note: I thought I might need a prescription for a sedative by the time I got in touch with the doctor today. I can't stand their phone system. I spent the better part of the morning just trying to leave a message for the nurse to call me back. They must have 75 different options and you have to listen to every one of them before you can leave a message. They give you every bit of information you could ever want about the doctors, office policies, prescription refill protocol, etc. They insist you hang up if it is an emergency and call 911. I'd be dead if it were an emergency and I'd gotten that far in the message. They say if you need to speak with someone quickly, just dial "0" BUT ONLY IF YOU ARE A DOCTOR or HOSPITAL! {GROWL} I called last week but couldn't leave a message because they will not accept messages between 11-2. The voice on the line said "please TRY calling back at a later time." They must recognize the challenge.

A day at the ranch...

2006-07-09T23:02:00.000-05:00

I love the area west of Austin, as you start getting into the hill country. The rolling hills, majestic oaks, and the laid-back true Texas atmosphere are great. Well, we got to spend a good part of Saturday on 2200 acres of beautiful Texas land. It was Griff's family's place. Regina and the kids (mainly Evan) will tell you about the bugs, cacti, and possibility of snakes, but if I had a couple of mil (or more?) to drop, this was the kind of place I would love to have.

Most of the day was spent at the small pond on the property. The water was too low to swim, but I think that probably made for better fishing. My boys (especiallly Drew) love to fish. I enjoy it, but didn't grow up doing it much, despite the fact that I grew up (literally) 2 blocks from Corpus Christi Bay. At this point, fishing consists mostly of baiting and casting for the boys, though they are surprisingly brave when it comes to dealing with the worms and minnows that Griff provided. They are getting better at casting, but they seem to need help getting untangled quite often. In other words, there wasn't much fishing for me, but I enjoyed watching and helping the boys.

Drew was the first one to get a hit. The boys (and Griff) were very excited....

We couldn't get Drew to hold it, though he would touch it, so JB held it for him...

Evan wouldn't get his lips any closer than this:

Drew really wanted to show Mom and LIndsay, so we put the fish in a bucket and carried the fish the few hundred yards to the house. Everyone was very impressed. As I started to get the fish out of the bucket, Abby asked if it was still alive. With impeccable timing, the fish flopped out of my hands, right at Abby's feet. Her reaction made me partially deaf for a short time.

Bhood struck next. I wish I had had the video camera to get the whole episode. It would have made for great material. She had to put hers in a bucket to show everyone, too. Griff finally coaxed her into holding the fish. You can see that picture on her blog, but I really liked this one:

After that it was Evan's turn. Look at that thing- it's almost as big as he is!

Even Lindsay got in on the action, with Bobby Velazquez's help. He hooked 'em and then let her reel in a few. Bobby caught a ton, but threw them back before I could ever get a picture. A true fisherman! (Well, except for the one that he cooked. But he said that one was going to die anyway). Lindsay liked reeling it in, but wanted NOTHING to do with touching it:

I did get to catch one. I would have kissed it for real, except that I wanted my wife to kiss me again within my lifetime:

The boys caught several more, but we didn't take pictures of all of them and I wont' bore you with more fish. After the fishing, we did some four-wheelin'. Regina didn't want to drive, so I had to take everyone for a ride. Lindsay decided to let Regina and I go by ourselves when she found out that I was going to go fast. Drew and Evan also went with JB.

We had a great day as a family! Thanks Griff for having us and thanks Jay for bringing the four-wheelers!

They're back!!!

2006-07-05T10:34:00.001-05:00

The days of dining on octopus....over!
The days painting a hallway after church....over!
We are glad to be together as a family of five again. We were all happy to see each other. They were worn out but in good spirits. They have lots of stories to tell. Meme and Papaw are awesome (and probably VERY tired as well)
After much needed naps, we went to the Hood's for a July 4th celebration. Everyone had a blast! Fireworks were postponed until Friday night because of rain. We feel blessed to live in a free nation. We are blessed with a wonderful family, great friends and an AWESOME GOD!

Hairy Baboon misses children!

2006-07-01T13:51:00.000-05:00

2/3 of my children want to come home. Mommy guilt has kicked in and I feel selfish for having this time away from my kids. Lindsay called last night. Her first question was "How many more days until camp is over?" She seemed to be fine as told me of all the fun she had during the day then suddenly there was silence...then she started crying. I know they are fine but my heart aches for them. I find it hard to comfort my kids. I don't know what to do for them when they are far away. I just want to hold them, comfort them then send them back on their way.

On a lighter note--Who in the world ever thought that hair removal for women was a good idea? I thought we were a high tech, highly intellegent society but I think not. Not after my first experience of "getting my brows and lip done." I know most women experience this earlier in life, but I never thought I needed anything done until recently. Well, I tell you what, Mark will just have to be married to a baboon because I don't think I can ever sit for that again. I went for a "sugaring" which is SUPPOSE to be gentler and last longer than waxing, plucking or whatever barbaric form of hair removal you choose. There was NOTHING gentle about it. Now I have giant whelps on my face in place of the very fine almost invisible hairs. I will keep my hair WHERE EVER it wants to grow, thank you very much. I thought of words I hadn't thought of in a very long time. So if you see me and I have a face full of hair, please just ignore it. That's what I have decided I am going to do!

peace and quiet

2006-06-30T14:55:00.000-05:00

Quiet. It's SO quiet at our house. Almost too quiet. I guess this only child has gotten used to having noise in the house.

The kids are at Cousin's Camp in Salado. They are having fun but Lindsay was very sad when we left. She likes 1:1 attention. Who doesn't? I guess you could get the feeling you are being herded around when there are 11 of you. I know that they are making memories that will last a lifetime. Let's just hope they are using their manner, being sweet to their cousins and loving on their grandparents and counselors.

Mark and I have had a lot of fun so far. We went to an outdoor concert, saw Superman on opening night, ate at "big people" restaurants and slept late. Today is full of business--yard work and Dietetic stuff. Hopefully by the evening it will be back to the business of having fun. When you only have 4 kidless days a year, there is a lot to cram into it. We are very grateful for every minute we have! Thanks Meme and Papaw!!!!