Faithful Honda

We've had the Accord since my senior year in college. Thought it was cool we hit 111,111 on the odometer. (and yes it's actually low mileage b/c Steve used to fly so much)

How Sweet it is!

When Baylor made it to the Sweet 16 we knew that one of us was going. Steve insisted I go! How can I say no to that? It ended up being such a fabulous weekend- wish I had taken more photos. Houston was the host for our regional. Before the game on Friday we attended a Baylor Foundation hot dog dinner. The poster above is of the entire team. It's huge! But they are huge! I've loved Baylor basketball since I was a little girl- well before the Ferrell Center was built. I remember running around the H.O.T Coliseum while the Bears played their games. And they had trailers for their locker rooms. Boy, we've come a long way. Even when I was a student the only big games would be when Kansas would come to play. But now it's a different story. I won't dare mention the terrible incident in the summer of 2002 and the coaching scandal that followed. But, needless to say, that's just not Baylor. It was as if we were forever defined by the insane actions of a player and the sleazy actions by a dirty coach. Baylor cleaned house and started fresh. Who would have thought that in 2010 we would have played Duke in the Elite 8? I guess you gotta go to the lowest point to appreciate what happened for us this weekend. Yes, it would have been so cool to go to the Final Four. But, I feel like we had so many great victories this season that I just don't care. Baylor men's basketball made me proud.
Here's the original four. Andy and I were raised on Baylor campus- my dad's office was in the middle of it all.

My cousin Chris and his (UT alum wife) Kristin with their 3 kids- Garrett, the really tall guy was our ring bearer!!

The media crew getting set up.

We ran into family friends inside the Reliant Center. We ran into others outside, but I didn't think to grab my camera.

Our view- not the best... but it was the best available when purchasing seats. We were low, but far. Let's just say that football stadiums are not a good place to host basketball.

My youngest cousin, Mark. He's a junior at Boerne HS. Crossing my fingers that he will choose Baylor! How could he not? Years ago he didn't want to come to Baylor because our sports were so bad. So I told him that night that he can't complain anymore.

We crushed St. Mary's. In the Elite 8 we faced Duke and lost. They fought hard. They had a great season. It was an amazing run. Sic'Em!!

Caleb's 2nd Grade Performance

All the 2nd grades at Caleb's school put on a sweet musical performance. The theme was all about what the kids were going to be when they grew up. Caleb's class was filled with bakers. You can see him all dressed up in his baker's costume. Some of you may recognize the cute red head in front of him- it's Sarah Schappert (same church and same class)
Caleb is really getting into his role... quite the mixer (and hip shaker)

His class singing about becoming a movie star.

Here's his best bud- Eli Chambless

And his 2nd grade teacher this year, Mrs. Leibold. It's been a great year in 2nd grade and I'm so thankful he loves school!

Abracadabra... Caleb turns 8!

We celebrated Caleb's birthday on Thursday with a magic party at the house. I have a certain friend (Randi) who always throws the cutest parties for her children. So, I thought, "well maybe I can put together a fun party for my child." The following is my attempt for a fully thematic birthday party for my eldest son.

Since the theme of the party was magic, I started out with card house building. This kept the kids occupied and challenged while waiting for everyone to arrive. The grooves in the wood floor were very helpful in trying to build a house.

I remember as a child being pretty good at this. The kids were really frustrated at first, but they got the hang of it after a while.

My artsy friend, Erin, and her 2 girls came over to do some face painting. I really do have the most talented friends in town. They came prepared with some printouts of magic symbols. The children all loved getting their face painted. Carter maximized his face by having Lizzie also paint his chin in addition to his cheeks.

Stewart once again wins "Uncle of the Year"- especially since Daddy had to be at work during the party. And Caleb is showing us 8 fingers for his 8th birthday!

Then we had a real magician, Christopher Lyle , come to the house and perform a real magic show.

The children (and adults) were mesmerized and sat so still throughout the show. This was definitely a big hit for all ages. He did tricks and illusions. I can't believe how fast the hour flew. Big credit to him for keeping us entertained for that long!

Caleb was excited to get some more Diary of a Wimpy Kid books from his cousins.

His "girlfriend" Emily came to the party. These 2 have been going steady since kindergarten. The card she wrote to him said, "We've known each other a long time but we still like each other a lot." Sounds like the makings of a lasting union.

Pizza and cookie cake were served after the show. Glad my dad ignored my suggestion and ordered 4 XL pizzas. Apparently these kids can put away some pizza! His Nestle cake was adorable (and quite tasty too)!

I had masks for the children to decorate. My friend, Vicki, sewed red velvet and black satin capes. I paired those things with top hats and wands making each child into a magician. They all looked so cute. Even Brenner had a baby cape to wear!

Then it was time to make animal balloons. This is my little known talent that I pull out for special occasions.
The goal is for everyone to leave with a four legged animal. A few of the older kids caught on easily and accomplished the task on their own. Most of the others needed help. My dad and I made sure each kid ended up with a balloon animal.

Whew! A lot of work, but a lot of fun! Caleb had a great time and that's all that matters!

And the 5 cutest magicians at the party...

and the amazing grandparents who helped me pull off this party. (and amazing SIL, Emily, who somehow didn't make it into many photos!)

Happy Birthday, Caleb!

Spring Break Fun

Spring Break has been quite a busy time for all of our family. We left last Friday and went to Waco- meeting up with Andy/Em and the girls. On Saturday, Steve/Brenner/I drove on to Spicewood for some time at the lake. We spent a day in Fredricksburg and a day in San Marcos. We also took the boat out and just enjoyed some time with Steve and Shereda. The big boys stayed on the farm until Sunday when they headed back to DFW.

The kids did some shooting practice with their BB Guns. Even Carter got a chance to shoot the target.

Here's a video of the kids all riding on Papa's tractor. You can only imagine all the fun the cousins had together! Baby Brenner will have to wait to join in on the fun!

While Steve and I were at the Nimitz Museum in Fredricksburg, the rest of the family headed to Great Wolf Lodge for some waterpark fun.
It was crowded, but still a great time for all.

My parents then took the kids to the children's museum in Ft. Worth. I now have a membership because it just made financial sense to do it that way. So, it looks like we'll be making more trips to this museum! On Wednesday we were back in town and while Steve and Andy were back at work, we all headed out to Six Flags. Brenner was so excited to ride his first roller coaster. Unfortunately he was just a bit too short. His favorite ride of the day was the stroller.

The cousins had a great time in Looney Toon land. Just a nice warm up for some bigger rides later in the day. The weather was fabulous... cool and sunny. Couldn't have been better. The crowds were fine until lunchtime. Then it was just crazy! Good thing I have season passes; we'll just go back other times to fit it all in! Caroline loved everything we put everything we put her on. It's like she didn't know being scared was even an option. Can't say the same for the others.

We took the older 3 to ride the Judge Roy Scream. Uncle Stew met up with us and got to be Caleb's riding partner. Caleb opted for the last car. Stewart was a really good sport because I don't think heights are his thing. Caleb and Carter both thought the ride was "so awesome" but declined the chance to ride it again.Nanny and Papa were so sweet to make sure the kids all had a wonderful spring break. The cousins all get along so well. Hard to believe we have to go back to reality next Monday.

Baylor Weekend

Jaime and I met up in Waco for some Baylor baseball and basketball. Yes, we were the girls that would go to those games as students. We stopped by our old apartment- Kensington 102, also known as K102 by our friends. Lots of good times there!


Andy came down from Tulsa and came to the games too. Mom kept my 3 boys while Steve stayed back in HV umpiring all weekend.

Jaime used to be a Diamond Girl for BU baseball. It was fun to be back there with her again!

My big brother!

And then it was time for the final men's basketball game of the season. We played the Texas Longhorns. We already defeated them in Austin in overtime when they were a highly ranked team. The Ferrell Center was at full capacity to see this match up.

The Gorham guys are wearing their game gold. Sic'Em!!

Such a sweet victory. 92-77 Baylor Wins! Time for March Madness!

Almost 8

Grammy and Grandpa came to visit for the weekend. Such a nice treat for everyone! On Friday night we let Caleb choose where he wanted to go for dinner. His birthday isn't until March 22, but since the grandparents were in town we decided to start the celebrations early. Caleb chose Freddy's Frozen Custard. Grammy surprised the boys with a Lego minifig sticker book at the restaurant.

We didn't have an "8" candle, so we had Caleb pick out a few that added up to 8. I still have 3 weeks before his official birthday, so I'll have to add a candle 8 to the grocery list! The cookie cake says, "Happy Early 8th Birthday Caleb"

Caleb totally looks like a James!

He got a new Toy Story Lego set. I love this new line of Lego!

Little Bren-man enjoyed the party too!