Halloween

What a fun night! This is the first Halloween that Steve got to be home with us. We had an especially fun year because the boys are older and just enjoyed the whole spirit of the evening.

Let me first explain the costume choices. Caleb decided to be a pirate. Steve was pushing for a Star Wars guy, but there will be plenty of time for that. Carter is Dash from the Incredibles. That is our nickname for him. It started back at DisneyWorld when he started wearing his Dash baseball cap. My brother just kept calling him Dash which then made him so angry and he would yell at us, "I not Dash!" Oh, it was too funny. Plus since he's the slowest moving child I know it's only fitting we call him Dash. So, when I found the Dash costume I asked him about it. At first he said "No, I not Dash" but then changed his tune once he saw the costume. He just loves being Dash now. If only he could start actually moving faster...

Back to our fun evening...

We met out at the court as our usual Summertrail tradition. It's so fun to take pictures together. All the kids were so excited to be dressed up together! Even our newest neighbors (just moved here from Ohio 5 days ago) joined us.

We all trick-or-treated together. So, we all just left buckets of candy outside our door and abandoned our street. Needless to say there was very little candy left when we returned. As a group our kids ran from house to house. I say ran, but let me mention that a couple dads brought along wagons. Instead of running, Carter chose to ride from house to house and then jump out to go to the door only to run back and be pulled to the next house. I kept up with Caleb while Steve hung back with Carter and the free wagon ride. Steve quoted Carter as sitting back in the wagon saying, "nice ride." Now where did he hear that phrase before?

Here's what we looked like from house to house. We were just a moving mob.

Caleb & Dylan- on the same street and in the same kindergarten class.





Captain Caleb in a duel against Darth Vader Jeremy.



Why walk when someone will just pull you in the wagon? It's better to save your energy for eating the candy.

Here is Kahlyn- daughter of my neighbor, Jenn. How cute is she? Jenn made her chicken costume. Certainly the best costume I've seen in a long time.

Texas Fans

Here is our sibling picture on the campus of the University of Texas. We have a tradition at every game where we park then walk to the Coop. That is where you can buy anything and everything UT. It's always packed on game days, but a fun time to load up on clothes for the boys. For every UT shirt I bring into my home I make sure we have a Baylor shirt also. So, the closets are pretty even when it comes to the 2 teams.

From left to right it's me, Stewart, Steve, Shanan, and Shannon.

And yes, it was very difficult for me to wear burnt orange. I originally was wearing black to the game, but got talked into wearing the school colors. And with the exception of Shannon's med school diploma, none of us are Texas exes. Oh well... Hook 'Em anyway.... except when playing Baylor. Then it's always and forever Sic 'Em!

What's Your Name?

I saw this elsewhere and had to post it here. Feel free to swipe it...

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father's middle name)

Darlene K (my dad only has a middle initial, no name & no period after)

9. NASCAR NAME: (name of your mother's dad, fathers dad)

Wilburn Giles

8. STARWARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, any 2 letters of your first name)

Jamje

7. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, fav animal)

Green Monkey

6. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)

Lynn Tacoma

5. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav alcohol drink, add "THE" to the beginning)

The Purple Rum N Coke

4. FLY GIRL/GUY NAME: (1st letter of 1st name, 1st 3 letters of your last)

J-Jam (I'm sure there is someone famous already using my fly name)

3. GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)

Peppermint Heath

2. ROCK STAR NAME: (current pets name, current street name)

Elphaba Summertrail

1. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy)

Tuscany Reece's

Spicewood, Texas

We went to Austin- aka "the lake house" aka "Spicewood" for a long weekend. The Shans flew in with their boys and Stew drove down. So, it was a fun family time. We just hung out, which made it a relaxing weekend for all. The original reason for getting together was the Texas/Nebraska football game. But, the family time ended up being the most fun.

Some of the cousins came out on Friday to join the fun. Kyle and Mo are local Austinites and then Emmy and her roommate are just starting their freshman year at UT. We carved pumpkins, cooked out all kinds of meat, and roasted smores in the fire pit- aka the Kum-Ba-Yah circle. The weather was perfect.

There are tons of pictures, so I'll just post a sampling of the fun.

"Aunt Shanny, you're too big."

Practicing T-Ball and Throwing Washers

Mason loves his Uncle Steve!

Shanan, Mo, and Emmy helping Cole and Caleb clean out the pumpkins.

Uncle Shannon helping the boys learn how to play pinball. Carter is playing in this picture with Caleb and Cole looking on continuously saying "my turn."

Tub time for the boys- Mason was already in bed so he missed out this time. Maybe at Christmas we can get 4 boys in the tub!



Cole is holding out his hand waiting for the long-promised gummy worm if he would just sit for a picture. We love taking cousin pictures!

Lego Fun

OK, so all of you know about Steve's Lego passion. He's known as "The Master Lego Builder" to some. I think he's been waiting for a day like this his whole life. Finally a chance to share his Lego building skills with his sons.I bought these Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins this summer thinking it would be a fun guy project. We had family date night tonight with a yummy dinner at Babe's and then the guys came home to build their pumpkins.

I'm sure this is only the beginning for us. I know we are probably platinum members of the Lego stores, so I'm sure the company will be thrilled to know that Steve James's sons are starting their own collection.

Happy Halloween!

Team FROG

Team FROG is getting ready for the Breast Cancer 3-Day this weekend. I decided to take a year off from walking for many reasons, but the biggest was that I will be in Austin this weekend... kind of hard to be in 2 places at one time. But, I still feel as a part of the team as ever. We had a pow-wow meeting tonight getting everything organized. I was just excited to be there in support of my girlfriends.

Here's our shirts for this year. Our new team member, Joan, made them and printed up several for our family and friends to wear. She was so generous to do so. The ones for the team are actually Under Armor brand, so that will be extra nice during the walk. I think our team has raised over $18,000 this year. We raised at least that last year, so it makes it so exciting to know we are a part of finding a cure for breast cancer.

Everyone in the picture except me and Brandi (holding the newborn) are walking this year. There was one other lady, Jill, who could not make it tonight. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers this weekend. From the top rown (left to right) is Beverly, Cindy, Kerry, Brandi, Joan, and Dana. Bottom row is Leslie and Lori, the team captain, and me. Four of the girls are repeaters and four are new to the team this year.

Oklahoma Weekend

Caleb and Carter went to Sapulpa this past weekend to celebrate Kayla's 6th birthday. It was a quick trip, but I know they enjoyed every moment they were there.

My mom took this picture soon after they got to the house. The foursome just played outside and had fun cousin-bonding time. Caroline was even in on the action. She held her own pretty well from what I heard.

Thanks, Nanny, for taking the boys up to Uncle Andy's and Aunt Em's house. It was a weekend to remember!

Football Prayer

Steve and I went down to Waco for the BU/TX game. This is always a game we go to. My team has not won the last 10 years- not surprising, but just a fact. So, just before kickoff we had the invocation... the long-standing tradition of a private, Baptist school. Here's exactly how the pastor started his prayer in front of 35,000 people:

"Lord, we NEED a victory...."

Steve and I laughed out loud. Really... we could not contain ourselves. Who starts a prayer like that? Of course the pastor went on to tie this plea in with the fact we all need to have victory in Jesus. Can't you just hear the hymn now? Oh, it was so funny. You know, everyone there knows Baylor sucks, but do we really have to make a public plea to God?

I'm guessing the Lord wanted to humor the Bears, b/c we hung in that game until the 4th quarter. Maybe it's just good enough to have victory in Jesus and not be concerned with having victory on the football field. But, really... can't my team just win against one good team? Maybe I need to be praying more about that.

True Story- I swear

I stop in at Starbucks this morning- we were meeting Caleb for Kinder lunch, but at 10:30am I'd much rather have a latte than lunch. The lady in front of me was yapping away on her cell phone... the type who would rather not be bothered or interuppted while chatting. So, she quickly told the barrista "tall coffee, plain" and went back to her all-important conversation stepping aside after paying so I could order. I ordered a pumpkin spice latte- a favorite for me this season... oh, so yummy. I pay and step aside. We all know this routine.

Meanwhile, the lady so engrossed in her conversation suddenly walked away- heading straight for the door. The barrista yells out, "Maam, Maam... Here's you drip. Hey, here's your coffee." Most everyone in Starbucks looks up hearing the poor Starbucks girl yelling. The cell phone lady keeps yapping and walks right out the door. I was just stunned. By this time, my latte was ready so I said I'll try to catch her. I follow her out. She's already in her car and begins reversing out of her space. I'm yelling and waving my arms right in front of her. She never noticed me. She was totally engrossed in her phone call.

I'm sure once she hung up from that call she reached down for her coffee only to realize what an idiot she was.

Checkers

I bought a Lego checkers game the other day and taught Caleb the basic rules of checkers. He caught on very quickly and loves to say "King me!"

Grandpa came over tonight to take the guys out to dinner (I had previous dinner plans.) So, while waiting for Steve to get home from work Caleb brought out his checkers game to play with Grandpa. The game lasted quite a while since my father-in-law used the time to teach Caleb strategy with every move. I could see the wheels turning in Caleb's brain as he was taking all the instruction in.

Then Carter decided it was his turn to play. He was more interested in banging his legos together and moving side to side on the board than doing the real thing. But what do you expect from a 3 year old? Caleb decided to play on "Grandpa's team" and help Grandpa beat Carter. Well, we can all see that would not end well. Needless to say, Carter eventually lost all his legos on the board and Caleb announced himself and Grandpa the winner. Despite Grandpa trying to help Carter make wise moves, it was all but inevitable he was doomed to lose. Poor Carter just cried. Luckily that lasted just a few seconds since I quickly suggested it was time to play in the backyard. Isn't it great how easily 3 year olds can be redirected?

Happy 6th Birthday, Kayla!

Here are my 2 girls. Remember all those clothes I got the week before? Well, here's the girls that will be wearing them. Today is Kayla's 6th birthday! I remember the day she was born. I was teaching 4th grade in Coppell- just a few months pregnant with Caleb. Mom called to tell me she was on her way to Tulsa (from Waco)- got a call in the very early morning. We had no idea if she was a boy or girl so that made the day all the more special. Poor Emily had a rough delivery, but once she was born, all of our lives were changed. I became an aunt. My parents became grandparents. And my brother became a daddy. Kayla Sue is the smartest, spunkiest girl I know. She gives her parents a run for their money. I love you, baby girl. Happy Birthday!

Caleb's First Cavity

Caleb got his first cavity filled and sealed today. It was on one of his molars, which he won't lose until at least 10 years of age. I kept him home until his appointment. His dentist is amazing. She talked him through the whole thing.... gave him some laughing gas and had him feeling really good. I sat by his feet and when she pulled out that long needle to deaden the area I got choked up. But he was already numb from the cream and didn't feel a thing. She just called them little bee stings so he wouldn't freak out and he did great. She told him to give a thumbs up if he wanted more gas or a thumbs down if he wanted less. He kept his thumbs up the entire time.... and wouldn't stop smiling through the procedure. Apparently he was feeling really great.

There is nothing fun about visiting the dentist, but he walked away as if it was a regular day. The best part for him was getting a milkshake at 10am. The funny part for me was watching that milkshake slide down the side of his lip since he couldn't feel what was going on. I decided to wait a bit before putting him back in school. I would hate for him to be laughed at for having a drooling issue in kindergarten.

Pumpkin Patch Visit

We visited the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch with our Sunday School Class yesterday. It was insanely crowded so we didn't stay too long. The boys got to run through the hay mazes and play in jump houses. Caleb chose our pumpkin to take home. Carter tried his best to pick up a pumpkin, but they were all just a bit too heavy for him. We'll have to try to visit another time when it's less crowded.

Here's Carter with Tessa and Lana- they are 2 days younger and sweet friends. They are together all the time because of church, MDO, and gymnastics. Carter calls them "TessaAndLana"- just one word. They are his buddies.

Happy Birthday Little Shanan!

I dug out this old picture because I love it! Here's the Shans (we call them this b/c it's Shanan and Shannon) with Caleb as a baby when we were vacationing in Puerto Vallarta. They got to play like parents and tote him around for us. They've since gone on to have 2 boys of their own!

Little Shanan's birthday was yesterday. They live far away in Augusta, GA while big Shannon finishes his fellowship in GI. We want them to finish soon so they can come back to Texas where they belong. Now that we each have 2 boys it makes the holidays and summers so special. Aunt Shanny is a very special part of Caleb and Carter's lives. We'll be seeing them in 12 days down in Austin for the Texas/Nebraska football game.

Happy Birthday Shanan! We'll see you soon!! Love you!

I finished my puzzle!

It's taken me almost 2 months, but I finally finished my 1000 piece Norman Rockwell puzzle. Anytime anyone stopped by my house, I'd have them work on it. It has been rather frustrating at times because it has occupied my dining room table for so long. But, it's now finished- I have the picture to prove it- and will soon be thrown back in the box.

Cookin' All Day

I restocked my freezer today. I love to do some mass cooking. I bought all the ingredients over the past few days and then decided to get it done today. I was suppose to meet my MOPS group at the pumpkin patch today, but when I finally looked at the clock I realized I missed the whole thing!

I made 4 pounds of spaghetti sauce, 2 pounds of chili, 2 pounds of sloppy joes, 2 different meatloafs, and a huge pot of minestrone mix soup. I already had chicken noodle soup, chicken alfredo, meatball penne, brisket, and marinated chicken in the freezer. So, now I'm ready to go for a while. This will really help since I teach piano until 6:00 on Mondays and Tuesdays. I just want to have something to fall back on instead of always ordering pizza or Chinese!

Many thanks to Steve for bagging everything after it cooled down! What a team!

Neighbor Girls' Night Out

I love my neighbors. We all have such a great time together and really enjoy hanging out. Usually we're just all meeting up outside in the court for our kids to play, but every now and then we talk our husbands into keeping the kids so we can go out.
We went to Patrizios, which is in the new shopping center by our house. Let me first say, the food is excellent... so yummy. The service, well... it sucked. We left our street just after 7:00. We did not leave the restaurant until after 10:30! We opted to sit outside, so we had to wait about 30 minutes to get a table. That was no big deal since we just got drinks at the bar while we waited. After getting our table we had to finally ask for a waiter after sitting there for 20 minutes. The night continued on that way. SLOW, SLOW, SLOW. Good thing we enjoyed the company. It's like our waiter would literally disappear for long periods of time. We even made attempts to talk to the manager, but they seemed to avoid us as well.
I guess part of it can be chalked up to just opening and trying to iron out the issues, but I tell you most people do not want to be taking 3 hours to have dinner.

Jenn, Diana, Me

Tammy, Kristi, Melanie

He lost his 2nd tooth!

It's been loose for many, many weeks. He's been wiggling it and flicking it with his tongue. And now finally it has fallen out. Luckily I was around for the big event. Caleb was eating his healthy after-school treat... Cool Ranch Doritos, aka "blue chips".... when he plainly said to me, "Here Momma" and handed me his tooth. Oh, I look at this picture and can't believe how big he's getting!

How 'bout them Cowboys?

OK, I gave on the game and went to bed to read. All of sudden Steve is hollerin' for me to get out of bed. All we need is a field goal to win the game? How did we score 9 points in 20 seconds?! Tony Romo played just about as bad as anyone can play, yet the cowboys still pulled it out. That's it... I'm done with Baylor, just sticking to the Cowboys for the rest of the season.

Walking to the bookstore

I love my new shopping area. I don't love the traffic it's causing, but I love the easy walking distance from my house. Highland Village is made up of endless trails. Our neighborhood trails wind right into the new upscale shopping area. My neighbor, Jenn, and I walked to Barnes & Noble so I could buy a new book and then walked to Texas Roast coffee shop for some late night lattes. So fun!

Where does Baylor loyalty get me?

I love Baylor. I love cheering for the Bears. Every season before football starts I think... maybe we'll win some games. It always seems to start off shaky but promising. We win a couple of non-conference games. Maybe this will be it?? Maybe we can win some conference games? And then the season starts.

As a Baylor fan you show up at the game just wondering when it's going to be over. The game ending does not usually coincide with 4 full quarters. I think my parents were gone by the end of the first quarter on Saturday. Can you imagine? Baylor already loses and it's only the first quarter.

The last time we were any good was 1994! I was a freshman- 18 years old. My life has changed so much since then, but Baylor still sucks.

I'm just ready for basketball season.

Sic 'Em Bears!

I love to shop!

I love to shop! It's more that I love to find a good deal. Never pay full price is my motto. And really, it's not a good deal until it's at least 75% off. I am so lucky to have 2 nieces- Kayla and Caroline. My 2 girls... the ones I get to dress up. Our family dynamics work really well because my sister-in-law lets me shop for their wardrobe and my mom pays. Can you beat that? So, I didn't pay more than $4.25 for anything in the pictures.

Obviously pink and brown are the colors for girls this fall, huh? I love you Kayla and Caroline! The boys are excited to see you in 2 weeks! And thanks, Mom, for letting me use your credit card!!

Sunni's Visit... and she's the only one having a baby!

Brad and Sunni came for a quick visit. Sunni is my oldest friend... not in terms of age (I'm actually 2 years older)... but we've known each other since birth, well.... since her birth. My dad and her mom have been friends since kindergarten. We were almost raised as sisters. I was her maid of honor, she was my matron of honor. She's certainly one of my all-time best friends, the kind that will always be a part of my life. She's also the smartest person I know. She has her doctorate in statistics and worked at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota until last year when she and her hubby got homesick and decided to come back to Texas. So, now they live near San Antonio where they both have careers doing what they love. And now, after over 8 years of marriage decided they wanted to become parents. This was a long time coming.... See for a while there was no thought to having children. It just wasn't part of their plan. But, that all began to change in the last year or two.

I offered Sunni all my baby furniture- bed, changing table, dresser, and bookshelf, along with the bedding Shereda made, the window treatment, matching lamp, and diaper holder. So, Sunni had a business trip to Germany and then flew in to DFW, so Brad picked her up and they stayed over here.

We had a great visit and a little shopping trip for baby GIRL clothes- so fun! She brought her doppler so we could listen to the little heartbeat. Carter enjoyed hearing the sound but was not convinced there was really a baby in the belly.

Sunni and Brad are also very good with dogs, which is a good thing since we're on our last bit of patience with Miss Elfy. They gave us lots of info and tips, reminding us this puppy stage will soon pass. Steve was secretly thinking of sending Elfy with them in one of the baby drawers. Actually, Sunni and I may work out a plan that she takes the puppy and I take the baby. Then once it gets easier we trade back. We are both much more experienced with the other.

So, that answers the baby poll. There is no James baby in the works. The fact that Steve is one of the NO votes counts for more than any of the other votes out there. And my vote was not cast b/c it would be somewhere between HMMMM and NO. I am very happy with the 2 healthy boys I have. The thought of holding a new baby is so sweet, but that doesn't mean it's an easy road to get there. We have a clear answer for now. I'll never say never... well, maybe when I'm too old I'll say never, but for now I'm content... and that's a really good place to be. I'm just glad I'll have a new baby girl coming into my life.... even if it's Sunni giving birth to her.

Tag: My Man

TAG: MY MAN
I got tagged. Here are my answers. If I tagged you, then copy these questions in your blog with your answers and tag someone new.

1. Who is your man? Stevan Aubrey- Caleb is the 4th generation Aubrey.
2. How long have you been together? 7 years, 11 months of marriage
3. How long dated? 2 years, including one year engaged
4. How old is your man? 32
5. Who eats more? Dinner- Steve, Dessert- Jenny
6. Who said "I love you" first? He did- 5 minutes before he proposed.
7. Who is taller? Steve
8. Who sings better? Never had a competition. I'll sing anywhere; Steve will only sing to the boys.
9. Who is smarter? Steve is better informed on current events while I am smarter when it comes to pop culture.
10. Whose temper is worse? Steve, no question
11. Who does the laundry? We take turns. It never piles up too bad. We try to tackle it on the weekends.
12. Who takes out the garbage? When Steve is in town I leave it to him.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're looking at the bed, Steve sleeps on the right.
14. Who pays the bills? Jenny
15. Who is better with the computer? Steve- hands down.
16. Who mows the lawn? Marlin, the yard guy. Steve threw out our mower one day when he got a bit agitated with Sears Service Dept.
17. Who cooks dinner? Jenny; Steve will follow instructions that I give him.
18. Who drives when you are together? Steve- always.
19. Who pays when you go out? Mostly Steve; but sometimes it's easier for me to pay.
20. Who is most stubborn? It's a tie.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Jenny
22. Whose parents do you see the most? We see them equally; sometimes we see mine more because it's hard to keep up with Steve's parents.
23. Who kissed who first? Steve jumped all over me.
24. Who asked who out? I asked Steve out and picked him up. He paid.
25. Who proposed? Steve...twice...because I wouldn't stop laughing after the first time.
26. Who is more sensitive? Jenny
27. Who has more friends? Jenny- hands down.
28. Who has more siblings? Steve
29. Who wears the pants in the family? Steve

Okay, I tag: Sunni & Jami