Harley

Wow what a storm we had Monday night!! We thought the house would blow down but turns out it was just our side fence =) Not knowing the fence was down Jared let Harley out into the backyard in the morning. An hour or so later when we went to let him inside we realized what had happened. What a bad bad feeling!! We threw the kids in the cars and set out in opposite directions to find him. After an hour or so of searching Jared found him 2 doors down under the shade of the neighbors tree just lounging!!! We must have driven by him a million times in that hour! In hindsight we should have walked the street first.

7 1/2 years and 2 kids later Harley has inevitably taken a backseat in our family. Sometimes having to wait a long time to get his breakfast...that is until Andrew started feeding him! But that brief time of fearing that he was gone has put him right back in the front seat with his head hanging out of the window =) We love you Harley!!!!

Guess all the yelling of his name inspired M because she got his name down perfect today! So cute even though she has had the stomach bug the last few days. Ugh!

Ray Michael Bevel

I haven't forgotten that 4 years ago today I lost my cousin Ray in Iraq.

I didn't open a great coffee shop to remember nor did I create a meaningful Moment of Silence. I don't have eloquent words and pictures like my brother Shane nor do I have an incredible video to remind others of his ultimate sacrifice.

I could list dozens of other ways his family and friends choose to remember and honor him. Each are perfect in their own way. This is how we honored and remembered today.

We flew our flag this week and when neighbors asked we told his story.

We wore our pins today and when those we came in contact with mentioned it we told them of our brave Ray Ray.

We visited Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery and left flowers on the graves of Glen Dale Hicks and Jacob Raul Lugo in loving memory of Ray and all of those who gave their lives.

We prayed for all of Ray's family and friends and their still daily struggle to grasp the loss of a dear young man.

And I shared with each of you who took the time to read this blog entry how much we loved Ray and how incredibly sad we were to say goodbye. Sometimes the numbers and news stories are overwhelming and hard to grasp. But this story was personal and I thank you for letting me share.

Godspeed cousin Ray.

Wow! Time Flies! What's for dinner?

Goodness gracious...it has been a long time since I posted. So to take the pressure off feeling like I need to somehow recap the last 6 months let me start with something simple.

Dinner. Whole wheat pasta, avocado and watermelon. Simple, easy and fairly healthy. Still debating if all of this outweighs the mess that follows.

Hope this finds you all doing well and enjoying the new season. We are loving this weather!!

Crazy week of Fun!

Wow!! What a week?! We started the week on Sunday watching the Lady Bears play Green Bay at the AA center. Both kids did great and had fun...oh and looked very cute too! On Tuesday we headed back to the AA center to watch them battle A&M...and lose =( McKinley slept through the second half and I stood up in the back. Partly so she could sleep, partly to keep me calm and partly to avoid the extremely obnoxious A&M fans that happened to be sitting close to us. The Lady Bears won 3 of the 4 games against the aggies. Too bad this was the one they lost. It was super fun to watch and as always...Sic 'Em Bears!

Riding the Dart Rail to the AA center

Cute kiddos!

Legoland in Grapevine had just opened on Wed so of course M, Andrew and I decided to go on Thursday?! Andrew had a blast with his friends from school Grant and Lily.

Waiting for the elevator to take us into Legoland!

4D movie...Bob the Builder

(Grant's shirt says "Lock up your daughters!") Ha!

Lego Ride with Laser Gun. M was a little bit scared, I think...

We certainly couldn't let that be the end of our day so after dropping M off with Papa and Gabby we headed out on a "date" with Andrew. Babe's chicken for dinner, ANOTHER ride on the Dart Rail and Toy Story Disney on Ice!! It was nice to be able to focus on one kiddo, to really take the time to talk and listen and be "tuned in!" Andrew had a blast but was exhausted by the time we got home =) Felt a little bad for his teacher this week, but she said he did great at school even with the late nights! Whew I am tired just remembering this week!!

Ahhh...aren't they handsome?

Riding the elevator up to the train station. Steady....Steady

Watching for the train

It's here! That expression is priceless.

Mommy and Andrew

Love this picture

Fall Fun

Lots of fun this fall! The pumpkin patch, state fair, Baylor Bears, Rangers and much more. Miss McKinley has become a roly poly! You don't always find her in the same place you left her. She is enjoying her rice cereal, oatmeal, avocados and bananas. She sometimes sleeps from 8 until 8 but there are still plenty of nights she wakes up at 1am or 3am or 4am or all 3!! She loves her brother and will watch him and laugh like crazy. But she definitely has moments that aren't as fun. She isn't a fan of the car seat at times or the bouncer or the floor or the jumper for that matter....she's what Daddy calls "Moody!" McKinley is very strong and is close to sitting up on her own. I think when she can she will be even happier than she is now =)

Andrew is loving preschool and his new friends. He has learned lots of new songs and does multiple crafts to bring home each day. He enjoys gymnastics and is getting pretty good at the balance beam. We are still working on using his "inside voice!" (I am seriously thinking of having his hearing tested but I think it is just a typical 3 year old behavior to yell everything) He was quick to point out that I wasn't using my "inside voice" while watching the Baylor game. Ha! His favorite foods are peanut butter waffles (which have recently added jelly and a top waffle to make it a breakfast sandwich), macaroni, PBJ, chocolate milk, any kind of fruit and chicken nuggets. He is still a pretty good eater but is definitely into the typical "kid" foods these days! He loves his computer time www.sproutonline.com and will negotiate like a pro for just 5 more minutes. He has a little concept of time and realizes that the bigger the number the more time...you will often hear him asking for just 50 or 90 more minutes! He is a wonderful big brother and loves to play with his sister. He is pretty gentle with her and loves acting crazy to get her to laugh. No jealousy here...yet!

Jared is filling in at a new station for a captain that is out after knee surgery. It is a slower station and so he has been able to do some studying for the Captain exam. He is gearing up for this seasons holiday lights. Check out our website www.lonestarholidaylights.com He was recently hired as a substitute teacher, still teaches paramedic school at the college, works overtime when its available and teaches fire academy at the Argyle fire department. Sounds like a lot but he is still finding time to spend lots of time with his kiddos and wife.

And me? Well, staying at home is definitely still an adjustment. The lack of schedule and adult time can be trying. I have been going to a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at a local church. It is fun and nice to visit with other adults. Learning to fold a tee shirt, organize a housecleaning schedule, stop gossiping and decorate a clipboard are not exactly what I am used to =) But there are a lot of great women and I leave a little more relaxed, knowing another name/face in the community, and having another tool to handle these little ones! I am still working for Hayli Bugs (Shelbi and Shannon's baby goods business) and they are having a great year so far. So there is lots of inventory, packing slips, invoicing, filing and finding ways to get these ladies set up for success through marketing and finances. I am still learning all the products and such but I am grateful to have a way to keep my brain stimulated and contribute to the family's finances in small way.

So I guess that's it for now...except for the part you have been waiting for. Pictures!!

Roughing up Andrew

Sic Em Bears!

What are those boys doing back there??

I'm Done =)

Feeding the animals at the State Fair

Dog Show at the State Fair

Chewing on EVERYTHING!!

Awww! School Pictures!

All you grandparents and great grandparents I have a picture I will be giving you but if you want a different size or pose you can order online. The information is below:

https://www.images4kids.com/ProductCustomerLogin-Images4Kids.asp

Access Code W5AP-10

Password 71201

Class Number 122

T-ball and a 4 month old

Andrew is having lots of fun playing t-ball with Jared as his assistant coach. These kids are a riot and lots of fun to watch. After listening to some of the Dads I am super thankful for Jared and his patience and well rounded view of sports and life =) I mean come on they are 3 or 4!! Our little man is the smallest guy on the team but has plenty of "chatter" When they got their uniforms a little boy told his Mom look I'm a baseball player and Drew said me too. The boy said "No you aren't you are a little boy!" and today he told me 2 kids in his class called him "little kid" *Sniff Sniff* Jared said to me he may be little but he's a heck of lot smarter than the big guys! =)

Miss McKinley is doing well. She has had a pretty bad cold she got from her big brother for the last few days so neither of us are getting much sleep. She did smile a bit for the camera today! Her stats from her 4-month well check were height - 24 1/4" (52%), weight 12 lbs 13oz (33%), head circumference 16 1/4" (64%)

Busy Boy!!

Andrew loved swim lessons and became a pretty good swimmer! I learned to deal with unruly parents (who happened to have an unruly child)...ignore them =) One day the Dad said his son should punch Drew in the face!! Oh my!! Granted our prince pushed their little one but he really had it coming. Of course that is not what I told Andrew and he apologized the little terror ooops I mean little boy =)

Now we are taking gymnastics every Tuesday and it is a GREAT group of parents and kids!! He loves it of course and it really wears him out which I love!

Our little guy started preschool this week. He goes MWF. He enjoyed music class, painting, taking his lunch on Wednesday, going to the "big"sanctuary for worship and lots more. He really seems to like his teacher Mrs. Riggs and so do I. And today he told me Scout is the most beautiful girl in the world...she is in his class. Oh No!!!