Menu Plan Monday

Sunday:
Pizza

Monday:
Teriyaki Chicken
Pineapple
Rice

Tuesday:
Biscuits and Gravy
Scrambled Eggs

Wednesday:
BBQ at a friends house

Thursday:
Jeremy's Favorite
(This is a noodle dish that Jeremy's Mom and Bema make)
Garlic Bread

Friday:
Mexicali Pie

Friday Night Lights

Football is a BIG deal down here in Texas. The school our girls attend goes through high school. Tonight was their first game and so we headed out to cheer them on! The team played great and we got a chance to meet a few of the girls friends and their parents. We did leave early because we were tired...the girls definitely weren't ready to go! Enjoy some pics from our evening! Go Saints!!

This is what you walk through as you enter the stadium!

AKP and Mrs. Sawyer

Leaving the stadium...

TW Goes Back To School

The whole reason for our move was because we are following a call that the Lord has on our lives and the next step of that call is for TW to go to Seminary, which really means we are all going to Seminary but he is the only one going to classes. "Going to seminary" affects our lives in many ways and for that reason I say we are all going. Classes started this week. He has one night class on Mondays and everything else is on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I cooked a good Mexican dinner, homemade tacos, on Monday night and then we sent him off for his first class and his first time back in school in over 8 years. And yes, I made him pose for a picture just like I do the kids each year when they start school. It was quite comical. The kids and I were lined up watching as I had him pose in front of the same bushes that the girls did just weeks before. He was a little embarrassed, but we all had a good laugh out of it. On Tuesday Bubby and I joined him on campus for Chapel. The President of the school spoke. My favorite thing he said was, "I may become weary IN this job, but I never become weary OF this job." He was talking on doing ministry in a messy world. Bubby did very well. We sat at the back in the last row in case he got disruptive. This is definitely not the norm for us; we are usually front few rows kind of people. After Chapel we sat with TW while he ate lunch and we went with him to check his mailbox. This was comical as well. The mailboxes have a turn dial lock on them. We both messed with the thing and could not get it to open. This took me back to my Jeff Jr High days all over again. I finally asked someone to help us. We all got a little chuckle out of it. TW is learning to navigate his way around campus and trying to learn how to balance school, family, and work. I can say for myself I sure do miss him already! He is gone quite a bit more then we were used to and it is only the third day of school. I am sure we will adapt and I know the Lord will take care of us!

Menu Plan Monday

I am getting used to cooking more again! This is what will be served this week...

Monday:
Chicken Puffs
Salad
Corn

Tuesday:
Tacos
Mexican rice

Wednesday:
Grilled BBQ Chicken
Baked Beans
Sweet Potato fries

Thursday:
Tater Tot Casserole

Friday:
High School football game and BBQ

Real gourmet, huh. :)

Saturday Adventure

We headed out to the Dallas Arboretum, kind of like the Botanical Gardens in STL. Entrance is only a dollar during the month of August so we took advantage! We packed up a picnic and started our adventure. The grounds were beautiful and we had a great time. We only saw probably a third of the place so we will be going back. After almost three hours there we went to REI to get TW a new backpack. They have a climbing wall and all three kiddos took a shot at it! Enjoy our pics!

My Buddy, My Buddy and Me

There was a doll when I was growing up called My Buddy. The song they sang on the commercial was "My Buddy, My Buddy and me." The saying reminds me very much of Bubby and I since the girls have started school. It is just him and I hanging out while everyone else is gone during the day. Him and AKP had become pretty good buds over the last few years and I wasn't sure how he would do with her being gone at school all day. However, he has transitioned just fine! He is a trooper and does errands with me and we do some playing together and he entertains himself while I am doing laundry or other house work. One advantage of not having a lot of activities going on here or friends yet is that he has been able to have a very set and routine nap time. Back home he would get his nap in every once in a while because I often had things going on or I was out and about meeting different people. I am treasuring this time with him because I know it will go fast!

Bubby Turns 3

Our little guy turned 3 yesterday! The sad news is that he is a little under the weather. He woke up yesterday with a bad cough and his voice was horse. We laid low yesterday morning, although I did take him out to ride his bike on a trail by our house. He loves to ride his bike and he doesn't get a chance to do that often here at our new home so I figured we would spend some time outside on his special day. I made it a short ride since I could tell he wasn't completely himself. We rode over to a lake where we saw all kinds of ducks and birds. They let us get very close to them. I was a little nervous at times that they were going to attack. We bent over to see how close the ducks would come to us and all of the sudden the pigeons starting flocking around us. I felt like the bird lady. AAP is frightened by birds...I was glad she wasn't with us. We did see one strange type of creature. It looked as though it was a cross between a duck and a turkey. A prize for anyone who can identify it for me. After our ride I put him down for a nap. I had to wake him up, and hour and 40 minutes later, so we could go get the girls from school and he was NOT happy with me. Last night we went out to dinner and my good friend from high school joined us! We then came back here for cupcakes and presents. The little guy didn't even eat his cupcake. Last night was a rough night. Him and I were up several times. I took him to the Dr. today and ends up that he has croup. :( She gave him a steroid to help with his breathing. He just got up from a 2 hour nap. He seems ok today, but still crabby and not 100%. However, the Dr. did say that nights are the worst, so I geared up for the midnight duty by taking a nap of my own this afternoon. :)

We had a visitor!!!

And, it wasn't just any visitor...it was my sister!!!! She was here for work and then stayed for the weekend just to hang out with us. She got in Wednesday morning but went straight downtown to Market (she owns a boutique and came for Market to place orders). I could have met her down there, but since our girls started school the next day I chose to hang out with them for their last day of summer. However, after we got the kids to bed I did meet her downtown at a restaurant where she was finishing up dinner. We got to chat and hang out for a bit! Then on Friday morning, after dropping the girls off at school, I got to go to Market with her! I even got to sit in on an appointment she had with one of the designer lines that I love! It was interesting to see how they go about deciding what they will buy, in what color, and quantities. After they showed me around some other show rooms her and I headed to meet TW and Bubby for lunch. We then took them with us to the World Trade Center which is actually the bigger Market. WOW...it was amazing! I had a lot of fun! Thanks sis for showing us around!! The rest of our weekend was spent showing her around some of our favorites here in Dallas that we have discovered in our short time here. Her and I were able to get some one on one time in on Saturday afternoon. We went to a shopping area and checked out some local boutiques. None of them were as good as hers though...seriously! The time flew by and she is already back at her home. :( I hope she comes again soon!! We miss her already!

First Day of School

The girls are off to their first day of school. This is AKP first year...she started Kindergarten.

:( However, there were no tears. She didn't cry and I haven't...yet. They seemed to do really well. I am anxious to pick them up and hear how their day went! Enjoy the pics!

The family with Mr. Mac (Principal)

Back To School Celebration

The girls start school tomorrow. Which also means my little AKP starts Kindergarten. :( What will Bubby and I do all day without her around? For the most part the girls are excited, but also a bit nervous being in a new place. Prayers are welcome!

Our tradition is to have a formal Back To School Celebration Dinner the night before school starts. The kids get to pick the menu, they dress up, get to drink from fancy cups, eat off special plates, etc. We had spaghetti (the girls ate butter noodles), garlic bread, and frosted brownies. It was fun and they were looking so forward to it!

A Home Within

Our friends Erica and Sean gave us a going away/housewarming present and one of the items was this little book called A Home Within. I just read it for the first time and I loved it. It helped me in this transition especially since I have been missing our old home. So, I thought I would share it with you.

A Home Within

It has been said...
"Home is where the heart is."
But home is really so much more.
Home is where the heart finds comfort...
And peace...and pleasure.
Along life's way we discover...
Houses hold things.
And cover a multitude of distractions.
But home is something altogether different.
Home is where we learn how to laugh...
It is where we welcome souls.
It is the place where broken hearts are mended.
And dreams are nurtured.
It grows outside of its own boundaries.
A real home draws in its own.
It pulls in the very breath of life.
And releases that breath just as peacefully.
Home is where we give birth
To our brightest and best hopes,
And where we find the courage to pursue them.
The best home creates its own climate within.
Independent of the forces of nature...
It stands generation after generation,
On the firmest of foundations...
A foundation of character and energy,
And of love and trust.
Most of all,
Home is within us, now and always.

Exploring

Wow, we had a good weekend here in the hot state of Texas. Friday I was beginning to get a little stir crazy so the kids and I headed out and did some driving around. I found two new parks for us to venture to sometime when it is less than 100 degrees and we ran a few errands. It felt good just to get out of the house. I have never been one to stay at home much. Usually the kids and I are out and about doing different things. That changed some now that we have moved. When you don't know anyone (I do have one really good friend from High School that is here, but she works during the days) and you are living on a lower budget the number of activities seem limited. I have decided I am going to make myself get out of the house anyways or things could get pretty dim for me. So, Friday that is what I did. :) Saturday we ventured down to the Farmers Market. It is huge and really cool! TW wasn't too interested in getting out of the car and walking around so we drove around the area and checked it out. Pretty cool! We then headed to the West End and grabbed lunch. This is the kiddos outside of the restaurant. We then headed to the public library downtown. It is HUGE! We let the kids play there for a while and they each got a new library card and checked out some books. AAP has almost finished one of her books that she checked out...it is pretty thick too. It is the Boxcar Children. I remember reading it when I was younger so I recommended it to her. :) She has loved it. While the library is big I will have to say I think I like the kids area in our old library better than the one here.

AKP reading a "big book" Bubby with friends that he made TW and AAP searching for books

We then headed home and AKP and I made dinner. The kids really enjoying cooking with me and now that we are eating more at home they are taking turns cooking meals with me. AKP really enjoyed it last night because we made meatloaf so she got to squish the meat together with her hands.

Today we woke up and went to church. We attended the church we are pretty sure we are going to make our home church although there are still a couple we want to check out. This afternoon the kids and TW headed to the pool while I went to the grocery store. On my way to the store I stopped to get an iced tea. When I opened my car door to go into the restaurant this duck was sitting right outside my door.

I found it funny that right in the middle of the city this duck found himself relaxing in a small puddle instead of one of the many lakes that there are in the area. He didn't seem to mind me at all. He just continued to enjoy himself. He was still there when I came back out too.

This evening we headed to our second church service. The pastor was really good! Sure makes the decision harder for us. We had planned on grilling chicken for dinner but we got out of church at 6:20pm and it was a good 30 minutes from our house. So, we went out for dinner. We sure are learning how to be more savvy with our money. Bubby and AKP shared a kids meal and TW and I shared a meal and AAP got her own meal off the kids menu. It totally fills us up. In fact the little ones had some leftover and so did TW and I. It is saving money and calories!! Why didn't we start doing this earlier?

Us at dinner

This week the girls start school and my sister will be here for work and then she is staying to visit for a few days. YAYYYY!!!

I'm Baaaacccckkk

We have returned from a two week hiatus to Missouri. We were busy seeing family and friends, being sent off by our church, going to Kanakuk Family Kamp, celebrating JD birthday, getting my cast off, and more time with family and friends. We are now getting settled back into our home down south. We had an AMAZING time at Kamp and created a lot of fun memories. It is definitely the best vacation we have had!! It is really an indescribable experience, but one I would love for each of you to be a part of! Check it out at www.kanakukfamilykamp.org

On another note...
The girls have a slight obsession with Full House. For Christmas two years ago my sister bought them the whole set of DVDs. They watch those DVDs almost daily. AAP asked me the other day if she could borrow one of her dad's ties. I told her she could not wear his ties because he had to keep them nice for work. I asked her why she wanted one and she responded that,
"DJ wore one and it is cute." So, again this morning she asks for a tie, but this time TW was home so she went straight to him. He asked her why and she said she was going to wear it. He thought it was pretty funny so next thing I know he is putting one of his older ties on her. She went and looked in the mirror and thought she was pretty much hot stuff. I had to keep myself from giggling. I don't think she realizes that the show isn't current and that a girl wearing a tie is not the "in" thing anymore (was it ever cool?), but I have to love that about her...she didn't care. I am just thankful that we didn't go anywhere today. :) I suppose if we had gone somewhere I would have allowed her to wear it. I am mad at myself for not taking a pic so I could share it with you!