The French Five

The Big Event from 2010

2011-08-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

Our big event for 2010 was Tamara's wedding. We all love Uncle Chris so much and are very happy for them.

Christmas 2010

2011-08-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

I may never catch up but I'm going to give it a try! Here we are decorating our new, smaller tree I bought last year. I love how it looks in our front room and I love that we could decorate it so fast and take it down so fast. I think this is the first year I haven't had to move any ornaments around after the kids finished!

Fall Photo Shoot

2011-07-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

This was from a fun fall photo shoot that a friend did of the kids. Jack was 10 1/2, Bailey was 9 and Connor was 4 1/2.

Jack's Baptism

2010-11-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

There are no words to describe how truly amazing this felt. This is something you think about from the time they are born. I felt like I was going to burst with joy as I watched my oldest give his confession to one grandfather and the other say a wonderful prayer over him. Then to watch as his daddy baptized him was awesome!

Jack-

Mommy and Daddy have prayed for this day since you were born. We are blessed to be your parents and are so very proud of you.

My Last Soccer Player!

2010-11-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

I love soccer, and I love watching my kids play soccer. I've been a soccer mom for 7 years now, Jack started playing when he was 3. Well, now my baby Connor is playing. He is on a team called the Tigers and they have orange uniforms. His favorite color so he loves wearing it. I think he actually enjoys running around the field and playing more than he enjoys playing soccer. He does look really cute in his uniform

Back Tracking, Way Back

2010-11-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

I am so behind...
This is Connor on his first day of preschool. He is now upstairs in the 4's. He is such a big boy. He is just beginning to like all things school and this makes me a happy mommy. This is Connor with his teacher Mrs. Stephanie. Such a funny boy!

A Day All For Connor!

2010-08-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

The other two are fully back into the swing of things at school. Connor came back from his big trip to Memaw's and G-dad's house last night and decided mommy and Connor needed a day to themselves! He is such a funny little boy. Or I guess I should say big boy. I think he grew an inch while he was gone. So, we named today Connor Day. First, he had yummy waffles for breakfast then we did some school practice, then off to visit with his Mimi and Papa, who hadn't seen him in over a week. After playing with the doggies at the clinic we headed to his favorite restaurant, Old McDonald's. After we got home we went out back to practice soccer. He is playing soccer this fall and is very ready to be a soccer star! He is actually pretty good, I guess having an older brother who plays and plays well has helped him. After soccer and a Popsicle we headed in to watch a few cartoons and rest before we have to pick the other two up. He doesn't want Connor Day to end but I'm guessing the other two won't be as patient as mommy with Connor picking everything we do!

School Again...

2010-08-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of school for the older two. Jack started 5th grade and Bailey started 3rd grade. It is so hard to believe that my sweet kids are that old! We spent the beginning of last week on one last trip to the lake. We swam, played and had a great time with Memaw and G-Dad. When we left on Wednesday we also left Connor to play a bit longer with them. It gave me a chance to get J & B ready for school and to spend some quality time with them.

Here they are on the first morning with our new backpacks and new clothes.

Bailey with her 3rd grade teacher, Miss Bradley. She is new to our school but I think Bailey will have a wonderful year.

This is my big 5th grader with his sweet teacher. He was so excited when we got the letter telling us who he had. Mrs. Petrini is going to be a wonderful teacher for Jack. And somehow I still managed to get him to let me take a picture, I was afraid that this would be the year he told me no.

Greg led us in a family prayer before we sent them to their first day of school.

Then we had our traditional donut shop trip and gave our teachers a fun first day treat.

They both had a great first day and actually got up easy the second day too! I know that will wear off soon!

4th of July...finally!

2010-08-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th out in the country with Greg's family. We saw a fun small town 4th of July fireworks show and it was so good! We ate great grilled food and just hung out and rested. I read a whole book and watched the kids play the Wii. Finally we had our own fireworks one night. It was a fun weekend.

Museum of Nature and Science

2010-07-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Museum of Nature and Science at Fair Park had special rates on every Tuesday in June. Finally the last Tuesday we made it. The hardest part was getting the kids to wake up in time to get there by 9:30 for the cheaper tickets. We started in the science building first. The museum has a special exhibit called Water. It was really interesting and the kids enjoyed the information and fun games. The next room was the dinosaur fossils and fossil dig. This was, of course, their favorite room and we could have stayed there for the rest of the time.

After 30 minutes of digging for fossils I made them leave to go look at other things. After exploring that building for a while longer we finally made it over to the nature building.
After exploring the animal exhibits downstairs we made our way to the dinosaurs and prehistoric exhibits upstairs. See a pattern here. My kids are fascinated with dinosaurs and fossils. When we walked into the Dallas Ocean room we met a sweet older gentleman who walked around with us and gave us detailed information about all the fossils. He suggested we head to the basement to watch the fossil/paleontologist lab because he could tell from all Jack's questions that he is really interested in paleontology.

All in all it was a really fun, educational day!

Baseball and Swimming

2010-07-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

Other than our vacation, June was taken up with baseball and swim lessons. April, May and June were filled with baseball games. Jack's team is the Rangers and they were so awesome this year. Here is my little "Kinsler" about to hit. He loved to wear his red socks pulled up just like the Rangers Ian Kinsler, who is his favorite. He ended up with about a 600 batting average and played catcher and 2nd most of the time.

Our Rangers won there division and were headed to the final game but all the rain messed us up and we still haven't played a final game.

The rest of June was spent in swim lessons with Bailey and Connor. I was amazed at the progress that both kids made. Jack had leveled out last summer and didn't need lessons. Bailey really shocked us. She has never loved swimming, playing in the water,yes, but not swimming. She is doing so well. Swimming and jumping in and swimming and she even went down the slide and swam to the side! I am so proud of her.

I never remembered the camera when Connor was swimming so no pictures of him, but he was in this beginning 4's-5's class. He did really well. His teacher told us that he was shocked he was barely 4, he was swimming like a 5 year old. Whatever that means we were really proud of him. I debated putting both kids in the next session for swimming but decided we needed a break more than we needed lessons. So for the next few weeks we will be relaxing, going to movies, hanging out with friends, playing outside and in general just hanging out!

More Vacation pics

2010-06-24T10:40:00.001-07:00

One afternoon we went to the beach to hunt for shells and I took a few pictures while we were there.

Part Two

2010-06-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

After we got out of the pool we cleaned up and headed into Corpus. On our way to the game we stopped off at Corpus Christi beach and saw this funny shark to take a quick picture under. Next, was the Corpus Christi Hooks game. It was dollar dog night. We love our dogs! We always sit in the outfield so the kids can run around and play.

No balls hit to us this year.

Rockport Part One

2010-06-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Our family heads to Rockport (outside of Corpus) every summer. This summer we left the Sunday after school ended. As soon as the kids woke up on Monday morning they couldn't wait to get into the pool. We are very fortunate to stay in a rather large house that has a pool attached to it. Jack is an excellent swimmer! No worries when he is in the water. He has a really pretty swim stroke and can swim all day if I would let him.

Their favorite thing was for daddy to get in with them and then to have water gun fights.

Bailey has always been much more timid in the water then her brother but this year she really took off and learned to swim without holding her nose.

Connor is like a fish in the water. He was very comfortable and happy just floating around and playing.

The kids love the pool and we were very happy to just sit around and play in the pool with them.

We did stay out a bit too long and all of us had some pink somewhere on our bodies when we finally got out.

Pretend it is April 11th!

2010-06-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday we celebrated our oldests birthday. Today, I need to go back to April 11th and celebrate my youngests birthday. This past April Connor turned 4! In his 4 short years he has been through a ton. This year he wanted to go to a bounce place and have his party. So we had a BIG pirate party at Jump Town.

Here are 4 things about Connor:

1. He thinks he is as big as his brother! He actually plays a mean WII game!

2.His health is awesome! No hospital visits in over a year. What a blessing.

3.Connor has what we like to call a Connortude. He gets in a bad attitude at the drop of a hat. He loves to frown at people.

4. He has the quickest wit! He has a comeback for everything we say.

What a blessing this little boy has been to our lives. We pray to God everyday and thank him for keeping him healthy. It is so hard to watch your baby grow up and this one is growing up way too fast.

We love you Connor Reid French!!!

My 10 Year Old!

2010-06-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I'm months and months behind!
Today is my sweet Jack's 10th birthday. We have been so blessed to be your parents. You constantly amaze us with your quick wit, your kind heart, your knowledge and your adorable smile! I thank God daily for allowing me the honor of being your mommy. Happy Birthday, Jack!

Christmas Eve Take Two

2009-12-30T16:53:00.000-08:00

After our family spent some time together around our tree, we headed over to Mimi and Papa's for some more Christmas blessings. We enjoyed a wonderful, yummy dinner and some fun with family. When dinner was over the kids changed into their warm pajamas and took a few posed pics for mommy. I love these kids smiles! I asked the boys to give B a kiss under the mistletoe and Connor was all for it. Notice Jack is not so into it! Connor loves to love on his sister. Jack not so much anymore. He's too grown up for that!

The cousins took some pictures with their Aunt Tamara.

The Three Silly French Kids!

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve at Mimi and Papa's. We were all five truly blessed and received more than we could have expected to receive.
Next, we headed off to hop in bed and wait for the big guy in the red suit...

Christmas Eve Take One

2009-12-30T16:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve after some last minute shopping by all of us, we cleaned the kids up and decided to have our family time that afternoon before heading to Mimi and Papa's house. We sat around our Christmas tree and watched out the window as it snowed a beautiful white all over our yard. It was truly a surprising blessing to have a white Christmas.

As a family, we were very grateful to ALL be healthy this Christmas. That hasn't happened in, well ever... Our sweet Connor has continued to remain healthy with his white cell counts staying up. What a blessing!

Our family tradition is to open our gifts to each other on Christmas eve. This year the kids all saved allowance and actually bought each other very well thought out gifts. The boys got together and got Bailey a Webkin that she really wanted. The older two found Connor the cutest Medical cart and Dr. costume. He loves to play Dr. because he has been worked on enough to have the routine down!!! B and C pooled money and got J a new Nerf gun he has been wanting. I was so impressed with the thoughfulness that went into each of their gifts for each other.

Then they each opened up the gifts mommy and daddy got them. Bailey got a new book, shocker, B wanting to read. Connor got a new Spiderman t-shirt, he loves Spiderman. He put it on over his clothes. Jack's gift was the best. Mommy decided to play a little joke on my jokester. He got Spiderman undies in his gift box from us. He tried so hard not to look disappointed. His face was too sad to keep the joke up too long. So, mommy pulled out another box for him. He was so relieved! He actually got a Florida Gators shirt. He really likes Tim Tebow and I couldn't swing a Tebow shirt ($120 ouch) so a Gators shirt did the trick. He loved it.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgramage. Ps. 84:5

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-22T14:25:00.000-08:00

Be Joyful always. 1 Thessalonians 4:8 Love,
Jack (9 1/2), Bailey (8), Connor (3 1/2) and Princess Lulu Buttercup!

The Richardson Christmas Parade

2009-12-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

The first Saturday in December was spent decorating the house, getting in the spirit and being in a parade in 20 degree weather! Both kids are in scouts this year so they were both in the city Christmas Parade. The theme was Texas Christmas. Our kids sang a song called, The Twelve Days of Texas Christmas. It was very cute. Here are Bailey and some of her girl scout buddies sitting on the float waiting for it to pull out. It was a beautiful day, but very cold!

Jack never got cold! He has too much energy to get cold. Greg walked along beside them and I waited inside Sears for them to get back! Mommy doesn't like the cold very much.

November Recap- A little late!

2009-12-13T16:40:00.000-08:00

November was a fun filled month!
My sweet baby Connor had his Pre-School Thanksgiving Program the Thursday before Thanksgiving. Every age was something different. The two's were Pilgrims, the three's were Indians and got to pick an Indian name. Connor picked Porcupine Bear! He was the cutest Porcupine Bear! The four's were very cute turkeys. Connor had been singing his Indian songs to me in the car for weeks! I knew them forward and backwards! Sadly, I didn't know a word of my four year old classes songs:( It was so much fun to watch Connor sing and act cute on stage. Daddy got caught in traffic and missed the whole thing. We were so sad, but Connor didn't mind singing his songs to Daddy at home. Doesn't he have the cutest smile!

The next week, after Connor and I were out of school, the older two had their annual Turkey Trot. I got a good shot of Jack as he flew past me at the start of the first lap. He was about half way back in the pack at that point. By the time he came back into sight around the school he was in third place and he never looked back!

Jack moved from 7th place last year to 3rd place this year, and no one was really close to him! We were cheering so loud and were so proud of him.

Later in the afternoon Bailey came out to run. This is actually her right after she crossed the finish line. I couldn't get a picture of her running. She improved her finish from last year, and she never quit running! I was so proud of my girl who tells me all the time, " I don't like to run!"

The Birthday Girl

2009-11-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord...
So this year Bailey turned eight! I still find it really hard to believe that my sweet baby girl is already 8! Everyone knows Bailey loves birthdays and has had hers planned for a least a year. She actually got to celebrate for 3 weeks!!! First, the weekend that we all got sick around here her Aunt Gretchen took her to the American Girl Doll Store to have brunch with one of her dolls. She loves doing this and it is the second year her aunt has taken her. Then the next weekend on Sunday her Memaw and G-Dad came into town and brought cupcakes and presents and she got to celebrate again. (No, she doesn't wear glasses, she loved wearing them with her costume and continues to put them on for fun)

Finally, after all of that celebrating the day was finally here... I always take a picture of the kids in bed before they get up on their birthday and she was ready to get up this morning. Usually I have to drag her out of bed, not a morning person.

She got dressed for school and then got to open her gifts from us. The boys got her a new Webkin (Connor's idea) and a new book she wanted (Jack's idea). Mommy and Daddy gave her new black boots, a new necklace, a cute nightgown and a cute new shirt. She loved it all.

Here are 8 fun facts about Bailey...

1.She loves school. She loves anything school, reading, writing, math, science...

2.She is a very loyal friend.

3.She is very helpful around the house. She loves to clean!

4.She is a planner. She is always making lists, wonder where she got that, hehe.

5.She has the biggest heart. I love her sweet spirit.

6.She worries too much. Another thing she probably got from me!

7.She loves clothes and shoes. She is such a girlie girl.

8.She is beautiful, inside and out!!!

Happy Birthday my sweet Baileybug!!!

Halloween Fun

2009-11-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

I am really behind in my blogging! The week before Halloween our family was hit hard by the swine flu! It was not a fun week to live in the French household. By Halloween night all of us had been fever free for over a day so we decided to celebrate with some pumpkin carving and dressing up! They all three loved carving the pumpkin, but for some reason I didn't get one picture of our carved pumpkin. It was so cute this year. Jack made up the design and daddy carved it out for us. As usual, Bailey and I are the only ones that got our hands dirty. The boys detest pulling the seeds and gunk out.

After carving we got our costumes on. I love, love, love Connor's costume this year. If you know Connor at all you know he loves horses. He actually still calls them Neigh, Neighs. Too cute! He was the cutest cowboy on a horse ever!!!

Jack was Harry Potter and had been growing his hair out just for his costume. A few days after Halloween we took him to get a hair cut. He loves to read the Harry Potter books and this costume was a good compromise for a mommy who isn't ready for him to be a gross character.

Bailey was a cute 50's girl. Her Memaw made her this adorable hot pink poodle skirt. She loved it. It was too big on her and will probably fit her for many years to come! After we trick or treated our street we headed over to Mimi and Papa's for a good scare and a fun "gross" dinner.

Papa always comes up with some fun way to scare the kids each year. This year he came out from behind a tree as they rang the door bell dressed as a ghoul with glowing red eyes. I don't think the older kids were scared this year but Connor and Brooke were not happy with Papa! I took pictures outside but they didn't turn out at all. Mimi made us a fun dinner complete with scary foods! Heart parts, monster brains, tombstone cupcakes and other spooky foods.

Aunt Tamara brought pumpkins for them to decorate and they had a blast. About this time of the evening Jack and I were getting very tired. It took the two of us longer to get over the flu.

Connor went over board with the stickers! He really loved Halloween this year. Not just the candy, he loved the decorations dressing up and helping Jack and Bailey make bats, and jack o lanterns to decorate our front window. Sometimes I forget he is 3, he is growing up so fast.
After a long, eventful day, we headed home exhausted to fall into bed and gain an hour of sleep!

Pearce Mustangs!

2009-10-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

Last Friday before all this swine flu happened around our house, another blog, we spent a fun, crisp and cool night at the football field. Bailey attended the Pearce cheer clinic a few weeks ago and one of the perks is they get to cheer with the Varsity Cheerleaders at a home game. It just happened to be the same Friday that Greg was out of town and the same Friday that Jack started acting sick but we made the best of it and had a good time. Bailey and her friend Bella got flowers from their super sweet teacher after they performed. They love their teacher and I love that they have a teacher who would take time out of her Friday night plans to come and watch them and bring them a surprise. We are truly blessed.

I couldn't get a good shot of the girls cheering and they wouldn't look my direction, they were too busy looking at their teacher in the stands!

This is the third year that we have done this camp and probably the last, but it was fun to watch B on the big field cheering her heart out!

Pumpkin Patch Adventures

2009-10-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

These are the children God has given me. God has been good to me... Gen.33:5 I love, love, love this time of year. The cooler weather, the warmer clothes, the beautiful colors, the pumpkins and leaves and football! When we finally got a little break in the rain, we headed to our local pumpkin patch to pick some pumpkins for our yard. Jack looks so old to me all of a sudden. He is really growing up this year.

This was my favorite picture of the afternoon. I am truly blessed by three wonderful children. After they all gave me their best smiles we ran around and picked out our pumpkins to take home.

Bring on Fall!

Cheer Clinic

2009-10-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the Annual Pearce Cheer Clinic. This was Bailey's 3rd year to attend but the first without the Milegar twins running it. Bailey loves the twins and really enjoyed watching them cheer at high school games for the last few years. I wasn't sure she would feel as comfortable going without them but she surprised me! Several of her sweet friends also attended and that made it all that much more fun. They learn several yells, and a cheer and a "dance". Not much dance, more yelling. One more perk of the camp is that the girls get to attend a Pearce home game and go on the field to cheer the team on and do a yell for the crowd. That game is in a few weeks.

This is B with her best buddy Isabella and the cheerleader that ran their group.

Silly cheerleaders!

Her friend Kayla also attended and they were in the same group again.

Not so sure she will ever be a cheerleader, but she really enjoys this cheer camp and it gives her a chance to "pretend" to be a cheerleader!

Connor's Turn

2009-09-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

Monday was the beginning of Sunshine School for Connor and myself. Connor began his year in a three year old class and I went back to teaching in the fours. Connor was so sad last week when Jack and Bailey went to school. So, it was so cute to see him so excited about going to school himself. So many things have changed with this big boy in the last year. During the last year of school he potty trained, gave up pacifiers, started talking all the time, his white blood cell counts have remained up and he has stayed healthier than ever! He has the best sense of humor, we all laugh at him all the time. He is also the most stubborn of the three and into everything! He tends to get into things the other two didn't because he has access to things that they didn't. He loves scissors and tape! Many of our important papers have suffered. He loves animals and has a very tender heart when it comes to them. He loves to line his stuffed animals up and he has names for all of them.
This mommy is having a hard time letting this one grow up. He is such a sweet, bright and funny little man.
My prayer for Connor is to have a wonderful year with Mrs. Laura again and to stay healthy this winter!

Off We Go!

2009-08-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

If you ask my two older children if they are ready to go back to school they will answer with a very loud NO! But, I secretly think they are ready and excited. It was so easy to get them up this morning. After dressing, brushing hair and teeth and getting backpacks packed with lunches we were off to our annual donut breakfast. We have a first day routine that we have been doing for the last 5 years. (5 years!!!) First, pictures in front yard in new clothes with backpacks, then off to donuts at our favorite donut shop, then pictures with new teachers and giving them a little Sonic gift card for an after school treat! Then finally, after I pick them up we head to Braums for some ice cream and to talk about their first day. We are so blessed this year, Jack gets to have his 2nd grade teacher again in 4th grade. She was an awesome teacher and Jack thrived in her class. We look forward to another great year for Jack.

My sweet Bailey knows who she wants for a teacher way before the end of school and last year she really wanted Miss Johnson, well of course she got her! We think Bailey will have a good year also.

Here they are all dressed up and ready to get started! Look close, Jack may not look so nice the rest of the year, he has asked me not to dress so "nice" after the first day. I guess I can let go a little and let him more of what he wants to. Maybe!

Freaky Friday!

2009-08-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one long, crazy day spent up at the kids school! Early yesterday morning Jack, Bailey and I headed up to their school for them to help last years teachers get their rooms ready. While the kids helped their teachers I set up for the "End of Summer Beach Bash" Luncheon for all the teachers and staff. I get the fun job of Teacher Appreciation stuff again this year and was really excited to start this new school year off with a fun luncheon. So after drinks iced, tables decorated, food placed, and game set up, the teachers all came in to eat and play. After lunch I ran to the front hall to decorate the bulletin board PTA is in charge of. Thanks to BETA club for helping me! After that I went to clean up the lunch and begin to stuff first day packets with all the millions of papers that go home that first day! Then we started to set up for the school supply sale and I set up the PTA table for Meet the Teacher.
I then worked the PTA table for a while until Greg and the kids showed up to meet their new teachers. Jack got his 2nd grade teacher again in 4th this year. We are so excited, we love Miss Bradley! Bailey and her best buddy are together again, they got the teacher they wanted. Miss Johnson will need to keep these two separated! Somehow in the middle of all this Bailey talked me into letting Bella spend the night and so we all headed home to eat pizza and for mommy to crash!
So, here we go, starting another new school year. I never becomes old hat with me. I really am a little sad to see them off to school each year.

An Upgrade

2009-08-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

It was inevitable, Connor's long legs outgrew his little trikes, so we upgraded him to his big brother's old bike. This was actually Jack's second big boy bike! Connor is so tall he skipped the first bike size and jumped right to this one. He looks so cute riding his "new" bike and he loves being a big boy like Jack!

Way To Go, Bailey!

2009-08-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

First, let me say, Bailey is my cautious child. The child who wants to please us, take care of us, and detests getting into trouble. The boys don't really have a cautious bone in their bodies. So, I needed to brag a bit on my Bailey. She has faced a few of her fears this summer and had a great time doing it! For several summers B has been in the same level for swim lessons. We have worked really hard to get her to swim with no luck. This summer it all just clicked. She passed another level in swimming and has now begun to jump off the diving boards! She even jumped in a few weeks ago without holding her nose. Big deal for our B. As you can see by the pictures above and below, she also got on a tube in a lake and had a blast! I was shocked when she announced on the second day at the lake that she wanted to tube. We hadn't bugged her and she simply decided on her own to try it. So proud!

She also found out this week that she tested into the Gifted and Talented Program in our school district. I think this will be a great program for her to be in.

Bailey has definitely faced fears this summer and come out better for it. Is she still cautious, yes, but she is beginning to realize when to be cautious and when to go for it!

The Lake House

2009-07-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

We packed up and headed to the Lake House last Thursday for a fun mini vacation! The lake is outside of College Station and Greg and his family have been going since they were young. Greg's Uncle Jerry owns it and was so sweet to let us come out and enjoy the beautiful lake and all the fun water sports. Early Friday morning we ran into College Station to hit the Aggie Bookstore and check out the 7X7 football tourney that was going on. Connor had never been to A&M so we had to get a picture of all three of the kids with the 12th man. All around the lake were deer. They would come right up to you and were not afraid. The only time I saw them run was when the next door neighbors two black labs ran them into the woods.

Of course the best part was the boat and water sports! It was so fun to watch Jack learn to water ski. He was really pretty good for someone who had never been on ski's or even in a ski boat. He had NO fear.

He also loved the tube! First, all three kids started out with Daddy, but very soon, Jack was solo on the tube. He wanted Jerry to give him an "Adult" ride, but Jack is such a light weight that he could not sling him very much.

Watching Connor on the tube was so funny! He wasn't in the least bit scared. He would jump off the boat and jump on and off the tube without any help. Here is my 3 year old who really can't swim on his own yet, all over the lake. He would laugh and laugh the whole time he was tubing.

Bailey was harder to convince, but she did tube. I didn't have my camera with me any of the times she did but Gretchen did and when I get her pictures I'll post them. Bailey tubing was the biggest deal! She is really hesitant to try anything out of her comfort zone. We all were so proud of her. She also was jumping off the diving board and sliding into the lake which is something else she wouldn't normally do. Way to go Bailey!

Our trip to the lake was a huge success. We had so much fun spending time with family and spending time at a beautiful lake. The kids can't wait to go back!

Last Day at the Pool

2009-07-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

We spent the last day in Rockport at the beach that morning and the pool all afternoon! Those swim lessons really paid off for all three kids. Bailey was much more confident and Connor didn't need someone to hold him at all.

Jack had a rough week. He developed swimmers ear the day after we got there. The normal meds we give him just didn't work and by Friday his lymph nodes were really swollen so we took him to a local doctor who gave us antibiotics and very strong ear drops. By Saturday with good ear plugs in he was swimming again.

He loved for Daddy to throw him in the air. He was also very good at practicing all his swim strokes he has learned. He is my little fish in the water.

I love this picture! They all really loved it when their daddy was in the water with them.

We let them stay in all afternoon because we knew we were leaving early the next morning and this was the last chance to enjoy the pool.

Rockport 2009 was an awesome vacation! Now, back to the real world.

Beach Photos Take Two

2009-07-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

After a day of the guys fishing all day and the kids playing in the pool most of the day, we went into Rockport and had a nice dinner then changed and headed to the beach for some family photos. Here are some of my favorites...

Beach Photos Take One

2009-07-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

After a fun day at the pool morning and afternoon we cleaned up and headed into Port Aransas to meet the rest of the family to eat at a yummy Seafood Restaurant. (Actually Jack and Daddy had a fun trip into Corpus to visit the USS Lexington, but since I didn't go there are no pics)
After dinner our family headed to the public beach at Port A and had Tamara take some pictures of us on the beach. I had found some Hawaiian type shirts for the boys and they looked really cute in them.

My annual walking down the beach shot! I've been doing this since Jack was one. It is fun to look at all of them and see how we have added people to the picture and how big the kids are getting.

The French Family- Rockport Vacation 2009

Jack-9 Bailey-7 Connor-3

Corpus Christi Hooks

2009-07-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

Last year we took in a Hooks AA game in Corpus Christi and they were playing the Frisco Roughriders, and it was dollar dog night! This year same dollar dog night but no Roughriders. We actually decided it might be more fun not to have the Roughriders there because then we rooted for the home team. We got our outfield lawn seats and ate some dogs and watch the Hooks play the San Antonio team. Of course, Jack made a friend, as he always seems to do! He also got a home run hit ball. So did Terry, who leaped over a trashcan and a barrier to get it! There were over 6 home runs hit while we were there! Fun night of baseball and dogs!

Vacation Part 1

2009-07-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

When we finally woke up Monday morning we decided to head to the beach. We loaded up our beach toys and towels and beach blanket and drove across the the beach. Our house is actually right on the water, but on a boat waterway not a beach so we drive a bit to the beach. The kids got right to work on a sandcastle. There were many creatures caught in the weeds at the edge of the water and the kids were not fond of them. Too many jellyfish for me. They did enjoy Uncle Terry casting his net out and catching lots of tiny fish and hermit crabs to enclose in their moat at the sandcastle. Connor did so well in the water. I thought he might still be hesitant in the waves but not so! He actually spent more time in the ocean water than the older two.

Jack still loves the water! He loved wearing his snorkel and mask and looking underwater, of course, it was too cloudy underwater to see much. He liked riding the waves out and floating back in.

Bailey, still afraid of the "things" in the ocean! We had a hard time getting her to venture out into the ocean. If daddy carried her or walked out with her she would go but complain the whole time! She did build one great sandcastle/moat thing! She is just not going to love the beach ever.

After a fun morning at the beach we headed back to the house to eat some lunch and jump in the cool pool!

Happy Birthday Jackson

2009-06-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

The traditional wake up birthday picture! We spent 7 hours of his birthday in the car on our way to the beach so when we got there we headed to dinner at his choice, The Boiling Pot. After a really yummy dinner of boiled shrimp, sausages, potatoes and corn that they dump on your table and you chow down on, we headed back to the house to let Jack open some gifts.

Shopping for a 9 year old is so much harder than say a 3 year old boy! Everything is electronic and really expensive. He had a great haul in the gifts department this year. Everything from a personal DVD player to Target gift cards to a giant super soaker!

He had a really special birthday this year and being on vacation made him feel even more special.

Greg and I are super proud of our big boy. He is such a sweet, confident, energetic young man.

Here are some interesting things about Jack at nine:

*loves the outdoors

*great at school

*not a big eater, but we keep trying!

*very friendly

*still a momma's boy

*lots of friends

*really loves his video games

*enjoys thinking games like chess and checkers and card games

*very helpful, would do anything for anybody

*can't wait until he is old enough to go to Guatemala with his grandparents

*loves elderly people, goes out of his way to hold doors or pick up something they drop and loves to talk to them

*loves history, really into watching the History Channel, anything about wars or presidents

*reminds me so very much of his daddy!

Happy Birthday Jack, we love you tons!

Swimming and more swimming

2009-06-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

All three kids took swim lessons at our local recreation center pools before we left for vacation.
Jack took a class that was really the last level they offer and did great! All they do is swim back and forth doing all the different strokes that they have learned in all the other levels. The only new thing that they learned was how to do an underwater kick turn while still swimming. He has really mastered all strokes and was the best in class at the side stroke and back stroke! His freestyle is awesome when he breathes correctly. He tends to just keep his head above water so he doesn't have to take a breath! He is really done with swim lessons, not much left to teach him. Bailey on the other hand...
still lots to learn. She did finally graduate to the 2nd level this year and did awesome in that level. She is keeping her head under water and actually swimming for the first time. She is really good at her back float and gained so much confidence this year. She did graduate from this class and we are so proud of her!

Diving off the board was a big part of Jack's class and he loves to dive and cannonball off the board. He is into trying "trick" dives too. His favorite is the back flip dive off the board. Not mommy's fav.

Bailey would jump off the side into the deep, but off the board was a little more than she could handle just yet. She would get out to where the handles end and panic. Maybe next year...

I have not one picture of Connor at swim class. We were a little disappointed in his class. Because of his age we have to get in with him and after a brief description of what to work on it was just us helping him in the water. Could have done that on our on without having to pay! We were happy with how confident he is in the water and with his floaties on we don't have to hold on to him all the time. I think next year he will be swimming around by himself. All in all it was a very successful year of swim lessons!

Seriously, 9!

2009-06-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that Jack is 9! Seriously, each year just seems to fly by faster and faster.
I have always loved, loved, loved planning our kids fun birthday parties. I guess at 9 that stops! Jack didn't want a "cute" party, "I'm too old for that mom". So, we planned a small sleepover for a few days before his actual birthday, we were leaving town for the beach on his birthday this year. He had three of his best buddies over to play games, jump on the trampoline and watch movies. No cute games, fun crafts or decorated tables!( Well, I did put a few things on the table)

I made cute frog cupcakes and had a few of the boys frogs on the table for decorations. Ok, I couldn't give up the cute completely!

Our Ranger Baseball Player

2009-06-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

Well, the Rangers Baseball season is over, at least our Ranger's season is over! It was a good baseball season but they lost in the playoffs this last weekend. Jack loves playing 2nd or catcher. His fielding is so improved. He threw many players out at 1st this season. Very few balls got past him and he was so much more intense and serious in his playing.

We are going to keep working on batting. Sometimes he would smack it into the outfield and others he just couldn't make contact. He has a beautiful swing to watch, but needs to keep his head down until he makes contact. Next year in 4th grade we begin to have player pitch instead of machine pitch so we will have to relearn how to hit.

Jack was excited, his sweet 3rd grade teacher came to his last game and cheered him on!

Aunt Tamara

2009-06-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

For Aunt Tamara's Birthday this year we had lunch at a fun Mexican restaurant where we ate yummy food and then they surprised her with a slice of cake with a sparkler in it and sang to her! She is very special to all the kids and we love spending time with her. I got a cute picture of her surrounded by all the nieces and nephews.
This is a picture of her cake and special birthday song.
We love you Aunt Tamara!

Last Day of School~ Yes I'm Back Tracking

2009-06-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

I had some cute pictures of the kids with their teachers on the last day of school and forgot about them until I downloaded some pictures today.This was Jack's teacher but Bailey loved her too.

Bailey will miss all her girlfriends so much!

But, she will miss her teacher the most!

Super Heroes

2009-06-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

Connor has made up Super Heroes for everyone in the family. His stories completely crack us up! I am going to try to write them down here so when he is 16 I can show him this and get a good laugh.
Daddy is Mr. Yucky.
Mommy is Dr. Winky.
Bailey is Doggy Girl.
Jack is Strong Boy.
And Connor is Strong Man.
He says that Mr. Yucky is a bad villian! That Dr. Winky is a good guy. Doggy girl is sorta good. Strong boy is ok and Strong Man is a good guy too.
When I asked him what Mr. Yucky did to be a villian he said, "This" and threw his hands up and waved them. He loves to crawl into our bed in the evening and curl up with me and tell all these "wild and crazy" super hero stories. I love our time together making up fun stories.

School's Out

2009-06-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the kids on the first day of school. And, a picture of the last day of school.

I can't believe that this year is really over! It feels like yesterday that we walked into 1st and 3rd grade to begin the year. Here is a recap of the kids year.

Jack has successfully finished 3rd grade. He was commended on both parts of the TAKS which means he did awesome. His final report card showed how hard he worked this year. This was the first year that they give number grades and he maintained above a 95 in all subjects. He even got a 99 and a 98 in two of the subjects. He joined an after school club that met twice a month. He loved it! He was nominated as the "morning announcement" person for the whole school. I always enjoyed the days I was there to hear him do the announcements, he was really good. He finished 5th in the Turkey Trot this year. He won the Science Fair and went on the the Regional Science Fair. He made some wonderful new friends this year. His teacher was the best! We love Mrs. Fox and will miss her terribly next year.

Bailey flew through 1st grade! When we got her last report card today it showed how much she loves school. She had a perfect report card all year. They only get E, S, N, U and she got E's all year in every subject. I don't think I helped her once all year with her homework. Her teacher would have to give Bailey her own harder books to read because she actually tested on above a 4th grade reading level. My kids do get their love of books and reading from me! She was chosen this year to be the "friend"and helper to new students to their class. She took her job very seriously. If her teacher got called out of the room for any reason she would ask Bailey to sit in her chair and read to the class. She really loved playing teacher. She made some great life long friends this year and has plans with each of them already this summer. We were blessed by her teacher too. Mrs. Collins was so wonderful to Bailey. She stretched and challenged her and was patient all at the same time.

All I can wish for my kids is that 2nd and 4th grade be as wonderful as this year was. We were so very proud of both of them!

We Have Moths!

2009-05-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

All 7 of the moths that made it to the cocoon stage have now come out of them and are pretty white moths. It was really interesting when they started to "mate". Lots of questions. Which we were prepared for with good answers! Now they are laying eggs and soon will be with us no longer... This was a fun, interesting experience. It gave us lots of chances to look things up on the computer and to write and draw the cycle. Will I do it again...not anytime soon!

Summer Lovin'

2009-05-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

Our trees have become so overgrown that our poor yard was suffering! So we spent this whole Saturday morning cutting, chopping, and dragging tree limbs to the curb. We all five love spending time outdoors so it wasn't too much of a stretch to ask them to help outside. Our curb is completely full, no room for anymore. And it is piled high. Thanks to the kids who drug most of it. Now my flowers and my grass and my flower beds can get some sunlight and will perk up.

We weren't all work and no play. We worked from 9 to about 2, ate a quick sandwich and then let the kids run around in the backyard in new swimsuits and play in the sprinkler. They love to get on the trampoline with the sprinkler coming up under it and jump.

Summer lovin' had me a blast...

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

This year for Memorial Weekend we had NO sports events in our family so we took full advantage and had a family cookout. Jack and Bailey had gone to Oklahoma with Memaw and G-Dad for a French family reunion so we only had Connor for Saturday and Sunday. It was way too quiet! Connor had a fun birthday party for his best buddy Tedy on Saturday and Sunday we just let him play outside alot. On Monday the kids came back and we had Mimi and Papa and Aunt Tammy and Chris and Larry and Joy and Gretchen over to cook out burgers. After a yummy lunch, several of us headed up to Allen Outlet Mall to fight the crowd for a few things. After that we headed home and played a game called "Washers" that Chris had brought for the kids to play. We had so much fun that we played it out front for hours. Of course, we had to have some more watermelon to help us play better!

Ist Grade at the Dallas Zoo

2009-05-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to go on a field trip to the Dallas Zoo with 1st grade. I didn't have to ride on the bus, Oh Drat!!! I got to ride with a mom of a boy in Bailey's class, and it was fun to get to know her better. Mrs. Collins class had so many parent volunteers that the groups were really small. I only had Bailey, her best buddy Isabella and another little friend. It was such a fun, easy going day with these three girls. We saw what we could see and didn't rush around trying to see everything. The penguins were being fed while we were watching them and they were so cute. They would swim right up to the glass and show off for the kids.

We made it to the new Ghost of the Bayou exhibit and it was worth it! The albino alligators are really spooky looking. Outside of the Reptile House we met up with two other friends and took some pictures.

These girls were all about posing!

Well, here we are at the end of another year. I can't believe my little girl is so grown up. She is more than ready for 2nd grade. I just hope that mommy is ready!

Flashback to the 80's

2009-05-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

In Richardson we have a fun festival every spring called the Wild Flower Festival. It a fun weekend of concerts, food and booths set up in Richardson. We have been several times in the past. One year Greg surprised me with a trip to the festival to see Rick Springfield. Well, he was back this year and we decided to take Jack and Bailey to see him. Here is the flashback part... Rick Springfield was my very first concert in the early 80's. I loved his songs and watched him on General Hospital. A really good older friend took me because I wasn't even old enough to drive. Well, we loved the concert and now he was going to be my kids first concert too. Ok, this guy is 60 years old! He can still rock with the best of them. He was all over the stage. The kids loved the whole experience of a concert. They could even sing along with several of his 80's songs. Of course their favorite was Jessies Girl!

At one point, a girl climbed onto a guys shoulders and raised her tank top over her well endowed chest and flashed Rick. Jack's eyes got huge! Greg covered his eyes immediately. Security took care of her!

Our little flashback to the 80's was well worth it! I had the most fun watching my kids rock out to Rick Springfield.

Fish Dish

2009-05-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite Mother's Day gifts was this cute homemade fish dish that Bailey made in Art at school. Jack made me one too, but his got put into the display case at school and he didn't get to give it to me for Mother's Day. They worked so hard to make them perfect for me and were so proud of them. I think I'll use one of them in the kitchen for my sponge to sit on. Thanks Bailey and Jack!

End of Year Preschool Program

2009-05-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last week Connor had his end of year program at Sunshine School. The theme was "Camping" and the kids all wore their Sunshine school shirts and shorts and the teachers wore these camo t-shirts with camp counselor on them. My kids thought it was funny that mommy had on camo and not daddy for once!

After a cute program of camping and Spanish songs we went to Connor's room to see his work and then to have yummy ice cream sundaes!

This has been a wonderful year for Connor. He loves his teacher, Mrs. Laura, and his sweet friends. He will miss them all this summer and can't wait to go back to school in the fall.

We Have Silk!

2009-05-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

The silkworms have begun to spin their silk. Now, they will try to climb the tub to get into a good position to spin into their cocoons.

Every morning the first thing Connor asks me is if the "wormies" need leaves. Then he asks to see how much poopie they left overnight. It has been an interesting experience for all of us!

Next, I'll get pictures of the cocoons!

Our Silkworms

2009-04-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

We inherited silkworms from Connor's Enrichment teacher at Sunshine School! She told me Connor loved them and we should take some home to watch. Well, I did and we are enjoying watching them grow and grow and grow! They only eat mulberry leaves and we are raiding a neighbors tree daily to keep up with their feeding habits. They started out smaller than our fingernail and have more then tripled in size in a week! You can actually hear them crunching on the leaves while they eat.

When they get large enough they will spin themselves into a silky cocoon and I'll post pics then!

From what I remember of them from teaching 1st grade, I need to make sure closer to spinning time that the box is covered or they will climb my wall to spin!!!

Connor's Neigh Neigh Party

2009-04-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Connor has always loved horses. He yells neigh, neigh every time he sees one and loves to feed the horses at Memaw's carrots. So, when we began to talk about him turning 3 I asked him what kind of party he wanted. Thinking he would say something like Backyardigans or Superheroes, but no, he said from the beginning he wanted a neigh, neigh party. I started looking online for horse barns that hosted parties and found a great one, but it cost a great price too! So, back to the computer. After searching for a while I happened onto this site called Dallas Pony and I knew it was exactly what I had been looking for. They bring a pony, catered to your party, for the kids to ride. We rented Prince for an hour and they actually put blue glitter in his tail and mane and painted his hooves blue with glitter too! Everyone loved riding Prince, especially my two older kids who wanted to ride every time! We invited Connor's preschool class and a few other friends from church and had a wonderful Cowboy party in Mimi and Papa's backyard. It was a perfect day and a perfect setting. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect party for my special 3 year old.

Words can not express how truly blessed we feel each and everyday by this miracle that God gave us. We love you Connor Reid!

We are so Blessed!

2009-04-14T07:06:00.000-07:00

This is not Connor's birthday blog, that will come later. First, I need to praise God and count my blessings as Spring begins! Two years ago we found out our sweet baby had this really random, scary illness. We didn't understand it because he seemed so healthy and happy and it hit him like a ton of bricks! After being in and out of the hospital with him having everything from pneumonia several times to lung infections and ear infections and being severely dehydrated from stomach flu we have made it this whole winter without one trip to the ER or hospital!!! His white blood counts have maintained a "good" level all winter and he was able to fight off several colds that last year turned to pneumonia overnight. We go to the Oncologist next Wednesday and we will know how his blood counts are then.

So, as Spring begins and as Connor turns 3 we are praising God and counting our blessings at our home!

The Aggie Experience

2009-04-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

We packed up and headed to College Station this last weekend. Well, all but Connor, we left him here with his Aunt G to have his own fun. We were going to a Veterinarian Dinner and Fund Raiser/Auction. Since we were going this weekend I got online and looked for sports events to take the kids to. Instead I found a FREE Football camp for Jack. The boys got to watch the Aggie Football team hold their spring Offense/Defense game then they toured the facilities and received a whoop towel. After that they got to run onto the field through the end zone with the band playing. All the players slapped their hands as they ran onto the field. It was truly an amazing experience.

Then the players and position coaches ran the boys through drills. He had a great time tackling the players.

He got to catch some balls too. It was obviously just as much fun for the Aggie players as for the kids! We will definitely try to go again next year.

We also walked around a bit and took some pictures with the 12th man.

And saw where all the Reveille's are buried.

Sunday Papa took us to the Vet school for a quick visit. Our Bailey says that she really wants to go to A&M and be a vet someday. We love to hear her say,"It is so... good to be back in Aggieland!" Maybe someday...

Rock 'N Roll Dude

2009-03-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today was 50's day at Preschool. Connor wore his best Fonzie outfit. Isn't he cute?

More Surprises!

2009-03-20T12:18:00.001-07:00

Friday's surprise was a trip to Dallas Blooms with Mimi. The flowers were amazing this year and they have these cute Storybook houses set up all over the arboretum for the kids to walk through or just hang out in. Each house is based on a famous storybook. It was lots of fun to tour these houses as well as see all the beautiful blooming flowers. It made me antsy to go out and buy flowers for our flower beds. I think our favorite houses were Alice in Wonderland, The Jolly Roger and The Lorax. Here are a few of my favs from this years trip. Each kid wanted to take some pictures also and I let them. It kept them happier and I got more pictures of them by letting them take some too! This one Bailey took right at the end of our trip. These tulips were so bright and beautiful.

This was Jack's favorite he took. He has always liked cactus. I love bluebonnets. He did a really good job.

This walking away pose was Bailey's idea. Just wish there were more flowers in this section.

This believe it or not, was Connor's picture! He needed my help only to find where to push the button!

I like this one the best, I loved the orange tulips, they were spectacular.

Bailey took this one too. I think my kids might be good photographers!

And yes, Connor is bald! You would think after so many boys haircuts that I would know not to ask for a 1 1/2 and 2 inch blade at this time of year. She actually only used the 1 1/2 and it is short!
All in all it was a nice relaxing Spring Break! Now we jump into the rest of school. It is so busy from now on, it was nice to rest a little this week.

Spring Break Surprises!

2009-03-20T12:03:00.001-07:00

This year for Spring Break all kids were out at the same time so I planned a few surprises for us! Last Saturday we met Memaw and G-Dad in Greenville and dropped off the older two kids for a few days of fun on the farm. We also let Aunt G. take Connor home with her and mommy and daddy had a little Spring Break for ourselves! We took in a fun Clint Eastwood movie and dinner. Wednesday afternoon Aunt Stephanie traded her kids for mine and delivered them to me in a McDonald's parking lot. From there our adventures began. I took them to see Race to Witch Mountain. An awesome movie, all three kids were mesmerized. And I like looking at The Rock!
The next morning we packed a lunch and headed to the Dallas Zoo. Yes, we go there a lot. Not much of a surprise, but the zoo had gotten several new animals this month. A new cheetah family, two new giraffes, a new baby monkey, and two new albino alligators. Here are a few of our favorite pictures from our Zoo day.

A Quick Recap!

2009-03-05T18:42:00.000-08:00

The month of February really flew by. This month saw 4 of us sick, 3 Valentine Parties, 1 of us with a new job, basketball and cheer leading finally end, soccer for 2 of us begin, 1 of us very busy with PTA stuff, 1 of us taking a gifted test at school, numerous play dates and sleepovers, lots of tears and lots of smiles! Bring on March...

Valentine Concert!

2009-02-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

Our three wonderful kids planned a fun "rock" concert for us after dinner. They made a poster and taped it to the front window so daddy would see it when he came in. It told us the time and music that they would perform. All the songs were ABBA songs! A favorite around our house. They really thought out the costumes and each instrument.

Bailey was the singer/pop star!!! She really dreams about being a pop star, too funny!

On guitar, Connor Reid! He told us, "I cool, mommy, I cool!"

On drums, Jack. He is crazy!!!

What a fun way to end our Valentine celebration.

Valentine's Parties

2009-02-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

We started our holiday with a party at Connor's pre school on Thursday. I am the room mom and had a fun little party planned for our sweet kids. First, I needed to take a picture of each child's face up close for our craft. These are what I got from my "sweet" child! "cheesy" and "grumpy"

I actually chose the grumpy because that is the face I see all the time.

We had yummy valentine donut holes, strawberries and blueberries, sunny D's and a red rice krispy treat. Our craft was this fun picture frame that all the moms helped the kids glue red and pink buttons on. I took the pictures, had them developed and ran back up to put them into the frames. They turned out so cute!

Here is Connor's fun class. Really sweet kids and we are so blessed to have our Connor surrounded by wonderful kids and families.

Friday I got up and took Connor to Mimi's for a fun day and I headed to pick up lunch for both the older kids teachers. I just hung out in Jack's class until party time. I love, love, love Jack's teacher, she is a wonderful young lady. And, she loves Jack, which helps when he is in trouble!!!

For Jack's party the other two room moms and I got together and planned all the parties this year. It helps to have others to bounce ideas off of. We planned an ice cream sundae bar for this party. We lined tables in the hall and had tons of toppings for our ice cream. The kids loved it! All third graders want to do it eat and talk! So, we gave them what they wanted, it is their party after all. I only got to be at Bailey's party for 10 minutes at the end, but she seemed to have a wonderful party too. After school we ran to Jack' old school to visit with his first grade teacher. We still take her treats and visit her often. She was a great influence in Jack's life and the only good thing we remember from our days at the old school! We are thrilled for Ms. Cannon she is getting married over Spring Break! Then we grabbed Connor from Mimi and ran to Chick fil a. They were having free snacks all last week and we wanted a brownie! After a yummy snack, we ran into Target and did our annual Valentine shopping for daddy. Our fun tradition we started 3 years ago. Each kid picks something out for daddy for V-Day and we make him a fun dinner too. This year Connor picked out some boxers with puppies on them, Bailey got him a new book to read, and Jack found a vintage Rolling Stones t-shirt for him. We decided to have our dinner Friday because daddy wasn't going to be home Saturday so I cooked sausage, homemade macaroni (kids fav), baked beans, strawberries and more brownies for dessert! It is one of daddy's favorite meals and he really loved everything the kids got for him...

Our after dinner entertainment in next blog!

Mommy's Scientist

2009-02-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

Jackson won at his school's Science Fair for the second year in a row! Jack and his buddy Luke were both picked out of his class to enter the Science Fair and they both came away with a ribbon. Jack loves science and all things science so this is right up his alley. Mommy and Daddy were so very proud of our little science man!

My Little DJ

2009-01-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

At 8:30 this morning, standing in a line of around 400 children I thought I'd lost my mind! But, no I hadn't. I was doing something with Jack that we could always laugh about later!
This year at school Jack is the morning announcement person. He loves his job and many, many teachers have commented to me how good he is at it. One day a few weeks ago a teacher at his school sent me an email and told me to take Jack to the Radio Disney tryouts. I just laughed at her. Then another teacher told me I should do it and several others agreed. It stayed in the back of my head but not considered very seriously. Then when we got up this morning Greg asked me if we were going to go. I quickly asked Jack and he was excited about the idea. So, off we headed to stand in a line. We were about half way in the long, long line. We were actually in group 23. Each group had 10 children in it and there were at least as many behind us as in front so I figure around 400. As we registered I quickly realized how serious some of these people were. They all had head shots of their kids and resumes!!! Head shots for the radio, really??? So, after waiting for quite a while it was our turn to get our script and practice to head into the audition. We found a seat and he read through the script a few times. It was really short blurbs and info type sentences that they actually use on the show. He was really pretty cute reading them and didn't seem nervous at all. Then we headed into the audition! He was number 2 and a lady had them introduce themselves and then tell their age and then she chose a number off the script and asked them to read. All of a sudden I could tell he was a little nervous. Not too bad but he didn't read with as much expression as he had to me. He was the youngest in his group of 10 but he held his own really well. After we walked out of the audition a DJ was there asking kids questions and letting them "audition" for him on the radio. He asked Jack to "audition" and let him pick the number to read. He actually tried to talk Jack out of #8, Jack's favorite one. I think the DJ thought it was too hard for Jack. Well, he showed him. He blew it out of the water! People clapped and the DJ and another Radio Disney personality were very complimentary. They asked me if he got his talent from me, to which I quickly answered "Absolutely Not".

Do I expect a call back? No, but this is an experience Jack will always remember. Hey, mom, remember when I got to talk on the radio? Yes Jack, and I was so very proud of you!

We're Playing Basketball!

2009-01-19T16:01:00.000-08:00

Our basketball and cheerleading season has officially begun! Jack is playing for Upward again and Daddy is coaching him again. We really enjoy Upward, it is a Christian based league that emphasizes fair play, teamwork and has scriptures and devos at the games. A nice change from some of the leagues we play in. This year Bailey decided to cheer for Upward too. It was so fun because Jack's first game Bailey got to cheer at. Sort of a two for one deal for our family! Her cousin Emma is cheering too so we get to see all our family at one time. Brooke and Connor just seem to enjoy each other's company more than the games!

Here is our wonderful basketball player. He loves, loves, loves to play and is in the driveway shooting baskets whenever he can. He has shown lots of improvement this season already and his daddy is really proud to be coaching him.

Christmas Lunch

2008-12-30T07:48:00.000-08:00

After playing with our new toys and letting Connor sleep for a few hours we headed to Mimi's and Papa's for lunch with our Granny! My mom never lets me take pictures of her so this is special because I got her and granny in a picture. Granny is the only grandparent left between Greg and I and we like for the kids to get to spend time with their great granny.
Here are the kids giving Granny our gift and watching her open it.
After gifts we had a yummy enchilada lunch and visited for a while. Then it was time to head out to Sulphur Springs for one last Christmas event.
When we pulled into Memaw's and G-Dad's house Connor's ear was draining gunk! He was crying again and holding his ears. He was coughing and now so was Jack. After a long fever and cough filled night we decided to take both boys back to Dallas to go to our Doctor. Our Doctor doesn't like to mess around with Connor because of his illness and we are so glad we took him back. He had nasty blisters on his eardrums and one had burst. He put both boys on antibiotics and a strong cough syrup. The worst part was Connor had a strong shot of antibiotics only a week before and it should have covered him for a while. Of course, this is Connor we are talking about...
So, the pictures I took at Memaw's and G-Dad's all turned out too dark. So, no pictures of our fun times here. We love all that we got and had a great time in Sulphur Springs.

Christmas Morning

2008-12-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

Did he come? Asked my three children on Christmas morning. They all three slept until after 8 then tiptoed into our room one at a time to wake us up. After Daddy went to the playroom to see if he did indeed come we let them all into the room to see for themselves. We told the kids that this year we really needed them to cut back their wish list for Santa and they all did a great job of what they asked for so Santa was able to get everything on their lists.

Jack is really into checkers and so he got a new game to play. The night before he had gotten an electronic Battleship game from Terry and Nicole and I think it is his favorite. He also got a few new games for his DS, some new lego sets and many odds and ends.

Connor was not himself Christmas morning. He was not interested at all in any of his new things! He cried and coughed all morning. He also tugged at his ears all morning! Yes, illness to come!

Bailey loved it all! She got a new sleeping bag with a flashlight and water bottle and can't wait for a sleepover to use it. She got this really cool fashion design book that has a figure and ideas and you design the outfits for it. She is really into creating and designing clothes. She also got a Nintendo game for Fashion Design.

Connor did stop crying long enough to look at his new sleeping bag. It glows in the dark and has bugs all over it. He also asked for a Go Diego Go game for the DS. No, he doesn't have his own DS but the other kids are going to let him play on theirs while they are at school so he got his own game. He also got a new wild animal set and some new little people things. After he saw his new things he went back to crying and crying and crying... illness blog coming later.

Christmas Eve 2008

2008-12-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Eve this year started with a Brantley Family get together in Kaufman. Papa's family has always gotten together around Christmas and this year my Aunt Jennifer put together a wonderful fun time. She rented a very nice banquet hall on the square in downtown Kaufman and it was big enough for all the kids to run and play. After a yummy pot luck lunch we let the kids open their gifts. They all got something perfect for them and also a very warm blanket my aunt made for all the kids. It is so fun to see all my cousins and remember playing as we grew up and now to see my kids playing with their kids is a treasure. The low point of this event I forgot my camera! No pictures of the fun we had!
After we left Kaufman we headed to Mimi's and Papa's to have some more Christmas Eve fun. First, Papa read the poem, The Night Before Christmas to all the kids. Well, he read to three of them, Connor and Brooke didn't last very long. Bailey and Emma enjoying the poem!

Connor got so excited to play with his "Brookie" that he forgot to go on the potty!

Earlier in the day all three kids got haircuts. I couldn't go because Bailey asked to get her hair cut and I didn't think I could watch. Yes, the long hair that took 7 years to grow out is now short. Greg said they cut 4 inches off the back. It has made such a difference and I really do love it!

All three got wonderful presents and were so grateful for everything. They got fun things to play with and many wonderful books to read and some much needed clothes for winter!

Here's my "cheese" boy. He really really enjoyed everything about Christmas this year. He loved Ho, Ho. He loved ripping open presents. He loved our tree and only moved the ornaments that he thought needed to be moved!

All five kids love to take silly pictures with their Aunt Tammy.

After some of Mimi's yummy cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate we took a few pictures under her tree and then we headed home to open gifts from each other.

All three kids got a special movie from mommy and daddy. Then they opened a few gifts from each other.

I was so grateful that Jackson had such a giving spirit this year and we both noticed how much he has grown up in the last year. He is such a blessing to us.

Bailey is so kind and has such a tender heart. She really was very thoughtful in all her gifts. She always wants to please everyone. That new haircut really makes her look older.

Connor, my sweet. I am so glad his health is holding steady. The excitement in his eyes all during the holidays was truly a blessing.

Finally, around 10:30 we got all three into bed for Santa to come. But, not before we put out cookies for Santa and sprinkled the reindeer food in the yard!

Who is That Amazing Photographer?

2008-12-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

Who took all these amazing photos? It must be an amazing 2 year old photographer! Yes, Sunday morning Connor was still sick and running a fever so daddy stayed home with him. While daddy was in the restroom our creative 2 year old took a few (18) pictures of very interesting things (to him!) First, we have the back of his chair.

Followed by his place mat and his cup.

Next, was his cereal bowl, empty of course.

And last but not least his important potty seat! We are in the middle of potty training and he pulled it into the kitchen and snapped a quick shot of it.

I guess daddy can be grateful that Connor didn't decide to snap a quick shot of him in the rest room!

Hot Chocolate and Christmas Lights

2008-12-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

Last year we started a new tradition at the French house. We put on Christmas PJ's and make a stop at Starbucks and then we drive around and check out all the decorations around town. Connor had gotten pretty sick Friday morning but by Saturday night we felt ok letting him in the warm car so we could keep up this fun tradition. I really wish this picture had come out better. This yard was so fabulous. They had a life size sleigh with a Santa inside it. Lights all over the yard and house. It was mommy's and Bailey's favorite.

This is a yard full of snowmen. Connor found this one and he loved it. We always have fun driving around looking at all the decorations in our neighborhood.

The Starbucks hot chocolate was wonderful and this year NO SPILLS! Not even Connor who drank his perfectly from the cup.

A Few of Our Favorite Things...

2008-12-20T12:20:00.000-08:00

It's time for Mommy's annual Favorite Things lists. I used to have time to Scrapbook this but now I blog it for us to look back at year after year. These pictures are the kids school pictures for this year. Connor at 2 1/2 really likes-
*pizza and Honey buns
*the color blue
*Santa (Ho Ho)
*Backyardigans and Max and Ruby
*singing Hannah songs with Bailey
*playing animals with Jack
*Neigh Neighs
*play dough
*Sunshine School teacher and friends
Bailey at 7 really likes-
*All things Hannah or High School Musical
*books, books, books (Magic Rainbow, Little House on the Prarie, Junie B. Jones, Cam Jansen)
*hot dogs and pizza
*the colors purple and pink
*school
*singing to her Ipod songs
*Playing Nintendo DS games
*makeup and painting her nails
*LOVES Texas A&M

Jack at 8 1/2 really likes-
*pizza and carrots
*the color red
*reading books (Goosebumps, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Magic Tree House)
*Playing his Gamecube and Nintendo DS
*playing Basketball and Soccer
*watching football and throwing the football with Dad
*playing with his friends
*drawing
*science
Some things change and some things stay the same!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to All!

Ho Ho Ho

2008-12-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

Today was another busy day for the French's. My day started off very nicely. My sweet kids and my wonderful husband let me sleep in this morning while daddy made breakfast and made school lunches. Then they brought me breakfast in bed and a few homemade cards and a new book I have been wanting. After getting all three kids to school Greg and I spent some alone time together. After lunch I went to the kids school to watch/teach Jack's Third Grade class to give his teacher a fun lunch out and some shopping time. I had a blast teaching 3rd graders and we even made a cute book to give his teacher for Christmas. As soon as we picked the kids up we headed to North Park for our Annual Santa Visit! We love this Santa. As my kids say, "He's the REAL Santa mommy!" And yes, we made it through another year and my sweet 3rd grader still really believes!I love this picture! They all enjoyed telling Santa everything they want this year and even told him they were really good this year. Glad he didn't ask me!

The King

2008-12-10T17:18:00.000-08:00

In the midst of all the Christmas Craziness we headed to the DMA to view the King Tut exhibit.
I was in charge of the Northrich Teacher Luncheon this morning and was at the kids school from 9 until 2:20 when I checked the kids out of school and we all headed downtown. The kids were so excited to see all Pharaoh and Egyptian "things". I was afraid Greg and I would need to go back later without kids to really see everything but I was wrong. They were really good and Jack and Bailey had the audio tour and really listened and could tell us what they learned. Connor just tolerated it! Poor thing was stuck in his stroller while we all looked at and read facts. He couldn't even eat or drink in the exhibit. He got a little fussy as we entered the last room. Actually the Egyptians were a really fascinating civilization. I think we all really enjoyed our tour of the King!

A Parade and Santa's Village

2008-12-06T18:01:00.000-08:00

All five of us bundled up early this morning and walked up the street to watch the Annual Richardson Christmas Parade. We haven't been for a few years but since it was just one block from our house we decided it was a good year to go and check it out. It was a little chilly but ended up being a perfect day for a parade. All the kids took their warmest blankets and bundled up.

Connor loved everything we saw!

This is my oldest son! Hiding under the blanket. He inherited his mommy's dislike for cold weather. He did come out in time for all the floats and bands and cheerleaders! Jack does love a cute cheerleader. We saw lots of people we knew and the kids loved all the candy they got. We even saw our cousin, Emma. She was riding on an Adventure Guides float.

Later in the evening we all headed up to City Hall to walk around the Richardson Santa's Village. We try to go every year it is a fun little village with lots of Christmas spirit.

The kids with Sparky!

Connor and Bailey rode in a sleigh. Jack played reindeer and pulled a sleigh, but we didn't get a pic of him.

We also visited with Mrs. Claus and she gave the kids cookies. While we were in line to see the Animal Shelter puppies (a favorite every year) I noticed a little boy walking around us looking really scared. Then when he said, "Where's my mommy?" with tears in his eyes, the mommy in me jumped to help him. This sweet little boy told me his name and his mommy's name and that he was 3. I sent another mom to find a policeman. I held him until the policeman came and talked to him and told me he would take him to the Police post. The little boy didn't really want to let go of me, but eventually the policeman took him with him. I couldn't leave the village until I saw him with his mommy. She was so scared!

I was so fearful for this sweet 3 year old and I so hope someone else would do the same for one of my kids if they were lost. I think that this has to be a mommy's worst fear, to turn around in a crowded place and your child be gone.
All in all it was a really wonderful, winter day!

Good News!

2008-12-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Connor had his regular check up with his Oncologist. I had decided to go into it with NO expectations because last August I assumed and banked on his numbers being high since he hadn't been sick for a while and his numbers were at a low for more than 8 months. Not good news. Well, yesterday his numbers were at an all time high for the last 8 months! This is really good news heading into the worst time of year for our little man. It gives him more cushion when he does get sick for his body to fight, fight, fight. This is Connor very mad when mommy wouldn't let him run in the Turkey Trot with his brother and sister. By the way, Jack placed 7th in all of 3rd grade, a big jump from last years 12th place. Way to go Jackson! Bailey was really disappointed in herself and we were not in the least. She didn't place really high but she ran the whole way and never gave up and we think that is what is truly important.

Counting Our Blessings

2008-11-27T18:37:00.000-08:00

On this beautiful Thanksgiving day, I encouraged the kids to "count their blessings" and here is what they told me...
Jack says he is thankful for family, friends, food, and our house.
Bailey says she is thankful for God and Jesus, water, Grandparents, makeup, flowers and LuLu the dog.
Connor says he is thankful for mommy, daddy and the neigh neighs!

I loved the perspective of each child. It had a lot to do with their ages and personalities.
Jack just says it like it is. NO Elaboration whatsoever.
Bailey is more detailed and would have gone on and on and on...
Connor is thankful for the things he thinks are most important right now. I was surprised I ranked above the neigh neighs.

I guess if I am counting my blessings then here is my list.
My faith, my husband, my three children, my family, my friends, my preschool Spanish students, our health, our home, my kids teachers... I could go on and on too!

Our Little Bear

2008-11-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday we had Connor's first Thanksgiving performance at Sunshine School. It was an exciting event around our house. Bailey had a performance at her school but told us she didn't want to go so she could see Connor as a Bear. All month long I have tried to get him to sing his bear songs and all month long he has told me "No, I not a bear!" so we were a little nervous as to how much he would actually sing. Here is my cute bear walking in with his class. He looked so big. Well, no need to worry about this little bear. He marched up on the stage and sang really well. We were very proud of him.

Here he is leaving the stage. I was in charge of pictures. Not such a good idea. Somehow after I got the one of him walking down the aisle I hit a button and shut off the flash. So the next picture is of him leaving the stage! The pictures weren't great but I do have great memories of my sweet little bear.

Date Night with 648 Screaming Girls!

2008-11-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

My sweet husband knew how much I wanted to see this new movie that was coming out this weekend. He knew it would mean listening to lots of screaming girls, but he got passes from my wonderful sister and he took me anyway! I started the book a while back and something came up and I had not gotten back to it to finish it, but I was hooked and knew the movie would be amazing too. We arrived 1 1/2 hours early, yes really! Even that early we were in the second section third line for waiting. In front of us in line was a really nice couple with three kids also. She had loved the book and drug her husband along. He kept telling her they could go see Bond and still be in time for this movie. ( he did go to Bond and she saved him a seat) In back of us were about 12 teenage girls who kept bumping us and screaming. It was a peek into our future!
When they let people start going in people were running and yelling and saving seats. I have never seen anything like it at a movie. Well, maybe Star Wars when I was much younger. This theater seats 650 people and there was not an empty seat! Finally the movie started and it was well worth the wait. The first time, and really every time Edward comes on the screen all 648 girls screamed. I have to admit there was something about this vampire! I loved it and Greg really liked it too. Just maybe minus the screaming girls!

The Leaves are Falling...

2008-11-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

This is what our backyard looks like all fall! Some mornings you can't see any yard or concrete for the amount of leaves that fall. And, this picture is the day after Daddy and Connor raked them! Connor has found his favorite new "job". He is really good at bagging leaves for daddy after daddy blows them into a pile.

There are times when I think wow, this kid is just like his brother. Sometimes I even think he acts like his sister. But, just lately his little personality has really become all his own. We all laugh so much at this little monkey. His new favorite saying is "That Kooky!" He got it from his favorite show, Wow Wow Wubbzy. We passed a loud car one day, he says That Kooky! His brother and sister have a fight, he says, That Kooky! He doesn't just say it, he holds his hands up and wiggles his fingers as he says it. So cute. He also works his mommy all day long. He will walk up to me and grab my face and say "I wuv you mommy". Usually just after he has broken something or eaten candy he wasn't suppose to have.

Several people lately have asked me how my baby is doing. He fought a cold all last week and I am so happy to say nothing serious came of it! We know his blood count numbers were down last time we had them taken and we know this is his hardest time of year, but we feel so blessed to have him stay as healthy as he has. Please continue to keep Connor in your prayers, we know that it has made a difference!

Long Overdue Praise!

2008-11-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

This is so... long overdue, but here goes...
My sweet friend Traci has this wonderful talent for blog design and is now using this talent to start a business. She redesigned my very boring blog and made something spectacular for me. I went on line and picked a blog template and told her what I knew I wanted. She put this wonderful looking blog together for me and I love using it. It is so bright and cheerful and the colors and design are so me. You really should check her site out. She has lots of templates and sample designs to look at. She is also having a free blog makeover in the month of November. So check it out,
sweet cheeky designs.

Ouch!

2008-11-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

We had an injury tonight! Jack was helping mommy unload the dryer and he dropped some socks. When he came back to get them he jumped up and hit his head on the corner of the counter. He immediately fell to the ground crying. A sure sign that Jack is really hurt. When I got to him he looked at me and asked,"Is there blood?" Yes, there was lots and lots of blood. So much that I screamed for Greg to come and helped him to the table to put a cloth on it. We really couldn't tell how bad it was for all the gushing blood. And when the blood spurted out at me I really started to panic a bit. We called Papa to come over and access the situation for us. Greg held a cloth on it for over 5 minutes and the blood had already started to clot. A really good sign. And after all that blood the gash was really rather small.

Papa taped him up. Then all night long we laughed at his funny taped up head. When daddy ripped the tape off (he tried to do it gently but that just didn't work) a good bit of hair came out too!

My Brown Eyed Girl!

2008-11-06T06:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my sweet Bailey's 7th Birthday. It amazes her daddy and I that she is already 7 years old. It really seems like yesterday that she was this little toddler with NO hair. I think this year I'll post some little known facts about Bailey for her birthday not the usual stuff everyone knows.
*Bailey has a very sensitive heart. She gets her heart hurt so easily.
*Bailey as girly as she seems loves to play in the dirt and mud!
*She is very Patriotic and took this election loss for "her" candidate very hard.
*She is a BIG pack rat, nothing like her mommy who tosses everything.
*Loves to lay in her bed and read, just like her mommy.
*Does all her homework by herself, no help, and does it all the first night when it should take 4 nights. Can you say Overachiever!
*Loves all holidays! Counts the days to the next person's birthday.
*She likes broccoli and squash!
*She never forgets a name or fact. We find ourselves asking her when we can't remember something.
*Finally, she has the biggest brown eyes and beautiful smile of anyone I know!

We love you Birthday Girl!

High School Musical 3

2008-11-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

What a fun day at the movies! Today was Bailey's big birthday party. She loves HSM and wanted to see it for her party. We couldn't have asked for a better party. Several of her good friends came and we headed up to the movie singing HSM songs the whole way. Those girls know all the words. After purchasing tickets and our movie meals we got our up close seats! (up close chosen by the girls not the mommy) The movie was better than the other two. I think I liked it in the theater more than the little screen. A really cute movie with really cute songs. Thanks Mimi and Tamara for going with us! After HSM was over we headed home for pizza and cake.

Bailey opened all her fun gifts and took pictures with all the girls after she opened their presents. This is Bailey with her best school buddy, Isabella, and one of her gifts.

This is Bailey with a "Soccer Sister", Alondra, a friend from school. She got her a Hannah purse, perfect for B.

This is another "Soccer Sister" Nancy a school friend. Who gave her two Hannah shirts. How well do these girls know my Bailey!

This is Bailey with her sweet friend Kayla who got her a purse, wallet and bracelets. She was just telling me the other day she wanted a wallet to keep her allowance in. So, thanks Kayla!

This is B with her Mimi and Papa, who got her a new American Girl Doll, Julie. Bailey loves her!

She also received a wonderful gift from her Aunt Tamara, a purse filled with HSM things and a gift certificate to The American Girl Doll Store! One of her sweet friends also gave her a gift certificate to AGD Store so she has lots of money to spend later!

I couldn't have asked for a better Birthday party for my little girl. As I tucked her in tonight she told me it was the best party ever. If you know Bailey you know she will tell me that next year and the next year and so on... She is a truly appreciative little girl.

Big Girl-

Mommy and Daddy are so proud of the young lady you are becoming. We are so happy you had such a wonderful day with your friends. We can't wait to see what God has in store for you because the first seven years have been so much fun!

Halloween Night Frights

2008-11-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

This Halloween night Mimi and Papa invited us to eat a special "spooky" dinner. Before we tricked and treated Mimi's door we went across the street to find a really scary graveyard their neighbors set up. It was full of headstones, vultures, bones and lots of spooks! My three little pirates were not scared in the least of the really bloody zombies we found behind the tombstones.

After visiting the graveyard we tricked and treated the neighbors houses then headed to Mimi and Papa's door.

The kids Papa has a tradition of trying his hardest to scare the kids. He has been a skeleton and a camouflage man in the past so we were not sure what to expect. The kids rang the bell, except for Bailey who hung back from fright, and to the side of the bushes came a "tooting" sound. So, of course they thought he was in the bushes. But no! The pumpkin man sitting in a rocking chair on the porch was none other then Papa! I do believe they all jumped a bit.

After a truly "gross" dinner including heart parts, eyeballs, fingers, mummy's favorite veggies and other things Jack enjoyed trying on the pumpkin head.

Sunshine School Party

2008-11-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

We had a fun party at Sunshine School for Connor's class. I am in charge of parties this year for Connor's class and we started off with a fun Halloween Party. After yummy Halloween donuts and mini muffins they all drained their Sunny D's with their pumpkin straws. We also decorated funny face pumpkins, made spooky spiders and played toss the orange "pumpkin" in the cauldron.

Connor and Tedi are showing off their spooky spiders. These two have become great pals.

This little class of theirs is so cute! They really got excited about everything we did. Connor loves to go to school and play with his friends. Until this picture I didn't realize how tall my baby is! He is taller then everyone in his class. I guess he gets that from his daddy!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2008-10-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

We have a little Pumpkin Patch up the street from us and we love to visit it this time of year. Bailey loves her holidays and decorating and I think she gets it from her mommy.

*side note--Connor had to sit on this pumpkin for this picture, no matter how many times we said it's going to fall. Just after the click of the camera-- you got it, the pumpkin and Connor rolled right off the hay!

. My kids love fall and Halloween as much as their mommy so we always have fun dressing up in our Halloween clothes and playing in the pumpkins. I couldn't even believe how well all three of them posed for pictures. Connor was fine as long as he could sit on a pumpkin! Bailey had a great time "modeling" for me.

Connor decided to lay down for some pictures and it was so cute that all the other two decided to try it too!

I have to admit that this year we didn't buy any pumpkins because mommy has already decorated the front yard to the hilt. We don't need anymore pumpkins. I absolutely love this time of year. The smell of cool , crisp fall nights. The sounds of Friday Night Football. Warm clothes. The colors of fall. Eating soup on a cold night. Cuddling up with my kids under a fluffy blanket to watch a movie. Mums all over the porch and yard.

Friday Night Lights

2008-10-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

Bailey attended the Pearce Cheerleading Camp a few weeks ago with several of her friends. She loves "pretending" to be a cheerleader and for that weekend she was! One of the perks of the camp is that the girls get to perform on the field at one of the Pearce games.
She also loved getting to cheer with her big girl friends, Ellery and Avery. They are on the Varsity Squad and helped with the camp.
The night of the performance, mommy, daddy, Jack, Connor, Mimi, and Aunt Tamara came to watch. We also sat with several of Bailey and Jack's friends and families from school. Bailey and her best buddy Isabella had so much fun cheering even in the stands. We live just two streets from the High School Stadium and on Friday nights our lives revolve around football. Greg and all three kids have gone to nearly every game this year. With the weather cooling off now I might even join them for the fun!

A Day At The Zoo

2008-10-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

The kids had two days off this week for Fair Day and instead of fighting the crowds at the Fair we decided to head out to the zoo for a fun day. It was definitely the correct decision. We drove right past all the traffic headed to the Fair and we drove straight up to the front parking lot of the zoo and waited in NO lines.

If you asked my kids their favorite place to visit in Dallas I am pretty sure the zoo would be their first choice. The weather was amazing and cool. All the animals were out roaming around because they love the cool weather also. Having daddy go with us was a treat too. We spent alot of time at the birds of prey area. We have never really paid much attention to these animals because they are across from the lions area. Since the lion died last Spring we headed over to check the birds out. This huge Harpy Eagle would not take his eyes off my baby Connor! He seriously followed Connor everywhere he went. He was a truly magnificent creature. His claws were as large as a grizzly bears. He can eat an animal as large as a sloth in the rain forest! Come to think of it Connor is about the size of a sloth.

I call my two boys my monkeys and they really enjoy acting like them! All in all it was a perfect day at one of our favorite places!

Soccer Sisters

2008-10-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

This is the cute face of one happy Soccer Sister! Bailey's soccer team, The Soccer Sisters, has been together now for several years and our Fall season began a few weeks ago. Our coach also got the girls new fancy lavender uniforms this season. On this Saturday, Bailey scored two goals in their 8 to 1 win and was rewarded with an ice cream sundae!

She plays all positions but loves forward the most. Of course she would, she gets to score that way. Here she is waiting to kick off to the other team.

Bailey is such a girly, girl so we are really proud of her aggressive play in soccer.

Way to Go Soccer Sisters!

The New Look

2008-09-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

We have known for a while now that this was coming. A year ago we went to the eye doctor and he told us Jack was "borderline" nearsighted. We put it off as long as we could but he seemed to be getting a little worse. The eye doctor we see goes to our church and is wonderful with Jack. He was not only more nearsighted but has developed astigmatisms in both eyes! Now we had no choice, glasses it was. Jack made the comment, "Well, I only have to wear them until I'm 13 then I can get contacts." He has been a trooper about it. He claims he is excited about wearing glasses. So, now he has worn them for 2 days and he is adjusting. If you see Jack soon tell him how handsome he looks!

Connor's First Day of School!

2008-09-05T05:50:00.000-07:00

This was one happy boy! Finally, after weeks of mommy being up at church planning and helping it was time for pre-school to start. Connor was really excited to "go to school like Jack and Bailey". Our 10 minute car ride was full of "will Tedi be in my classssss...." "will Broobie be in my classssss..." (Broobie is how Connor says Brookie, we laugh so hard when he says it!) After we got there Connor passed out some first day treats to his teacher and directors and Chapel teacher. Then it was off to class! His teacher is Mrs. Carey and he already likes her tons.

When it was time for me to go I have to admit I had a hard time leaving him. I know he is becoming a big boy, but he is still my last baby. He loves to tell people, "I mommy's baby!" Then he follows it up with, "but I a Big Boy too!" I don't start Spanish classes until Monday so I had a day off. I spent it by myself, in the quiet house! I was in need of a recharge day and I got it.

When I went to pick Connor up he was still fast asleep on his nap mat! I was shocked, I really figured he wouldn't take a nap. I was quite proud. He soon woke up and saw me and I helped him pack up. His teacher actually called him her ray of sunshine. I guess all the other sweet 2 year olds had cried alot! No crying for Connor, he was so excited about his day, he told Jack and Bailey and Daddy all about it!

Connor Update

2008-09-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't given an update on Connor's health in quite a while. I haven't needed to. He has been doing really well. Since summer started he has only had two fever spells and one cold. Actually the other two kids have been sick more than him! That being said... we went for our regular visit to the oncologist today. I assumed that since he has been so well that the blood counts would be great too. No such luck! His white blood count was down somewhat but his ANC (total neutrophil count) was way down. Not such good news going into the winter sick times. What I tend to forget is that Connor appears on the outside so... well but on the inside he is just not so well. I feel completely blessed by the wonderful healthy summer we have had and will pray hard for a healthy winter.

Our Little Ballerina

2008-08-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

Bailey took a tap and ballet class this summer at our city Recreation center. She has taken ballet several summers in a row but this was the first time she took tap. After a few weeks she informed me that she still loved ballet but wasn't in love with tap. I think it was just something new but she insisted it was boring. I thought getting to stomp her feet and make a lot of noise would thrill her.
This is B with her sweet dance teacher. We have had her several times and we have actually had her mother one summer too.

Monkey 1 and Monkey 2

2008-08-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

The last week before school started Bailey went away on a quick trip with her Aunt G, so the boys and I found ways to entertain ourselves. We enjoyed the cooler weather this last week and played in the backyard. Connor rode around on his little Diego bike. He has just begun to pedal and loves to ride.
Jack enjoyed running through the sprinklers and jumping on the trampoline. He also loved making Connor laugh by standing on his head in the sprinkler on the trampoline.
I love this pic. Connor looks up to his big bro so much. I am constantly telling Jack to be careful what he does because little monkey is watching him all the time.
The boys had a great time just "monkeying around" in the yard!

Here We Go Again!

2008-08-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school here in Richardson. We had finally gotten the kids back to bed at 8 after a summer of staying up really late. We all dressed and after our yearly pics in the front yard we headed to the donut shop for our first day breakfast. These pictures are out of order we actually took Bailey to class first then dropped off Jack. Here is Jack with his 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Fox. She was Ms. Kees last year but got married this summer and she is an Aggie, which Jack thinks is really cool.
Here is Bailey with her very sweet 1st grade teacher. Bailey told me all last year she really hoped she would get Mrs. Collins and she did! She also has several of her Kindergarten friends in her class.

Don't they look so grown up? For some reason Connor didn't want to be in the pictures this year. After we dropped off the kids he cried and cried and actually sat down on the outside sidewalk and cried that he wanted Jack and Bailey. He is going to miss them so much. And so will mommy!

Sweet Prayer

2008-08-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Jack has now lost his 8th tooth. He was getting into bed tonight and said it was loose. I reached in to wiggle it and it fell into my hand! After we got him all tucked in and tooth into tooth pillow the boys said their prayers. Connor's is pretty much the same every night. Mommy, Daddy, Bailey, Jack, ... Jack's tonight was pretty normal until he got to..."God, look after my friend Lane and my cat Chester." We had a rough week around here. A friend of Jack's from his 1st grade class was killed in a tragic accident last Sunday and Jack has asked Greg and I many questions this week. Then Thursday night our 19 year old cat Chester died in his sleep. I still think of Jack as so young but then he says things that make me realize he is truly growing up. He finished his thoughtful prayer with, "help Bailey and I to have a good year at school." That is exactly what I was going to be praying tonight!

Beach Pictures

2008-08-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

After dinner one night we headed down to the beach to snap a few fun beach pictures!

The Aquarium

2008-08-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

After Hurricane Dolly hit the coast it rained for about two days and so after spending the first day indoors we decided to head to Corpus to visit the State Aquarium. We have been many times but this was Connor's first visit. The kids really enjoyed looking at all the different fish and turtles and sea life. The best thing we did was go under the dolphin show area to the underwater viewing area. Connor loved the dolphins. He ran the length of the glass yelling at them and they would come right up to you and show off.
This was a fun little fish tank that you could go under and come up inside it.
My three sweet children up on the viewing deck in the really horrible wind.