A trip to the lake

This lego guy got to take a trip to the lake! I think he had fun! Although he did mention he got tired of rowing after awhile!

After school swim

With school starting the boys really missed the swimming pool. So we decided to go swimming after school on Friday. We had the entire pool to ourselves. It was great!!

The verdict

Tonight at dinner Andy asked the boys to rate their days on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the best, 1 being the worst). Mason said his day was a 10! Alex said his day was a 12! Alex said when it's library day and he gets to check out his own book his day will be a 13! :) Yeah! I am so glad the boys had a great first day of school!

First day of 2nd and Pre-K

The boys did fantastic this morning. They both woke right up in great moods. They actually ate breakfast this morning (which they don't normally do on the 1st day of school). They were happy all the way to school. As we got closer to Mason's school he said he was getting nervous. Alex and I walked him to his class and he did great! He didn't cry. He gave me a hug and said he would see me after school. I was so proud of him. Alex didn't want me to walk him into school. He said he already knew how to get to his class and he just wanted to be dropped off in car line. What a big boy! So I dropped him off and he did awesome! I picked him up at 11:30 and he said he had a great day. His teacher wasn't there today because her mom passed away this weekend. That didn't seem to phase Alex. He said she would be back after the funeral (no worries!). I can't wait to pick Mason up this afternoon to see how his day went!

Scratch that

...the new shoes don't fit afterall! We made the boys put their new shoes on today so they could break them in before tomorrow. Their feet slip out of them. Hmmm. I think that's what Andy and I were trying to tell them in the store, but they didn't want to believe us. The cool factor took over. They really wanted to have cool looking shoes, even if they didn't exactly fit. So we are back to wearing our old shoes for this week. We will hit the stores this weekend in search of a different pair of cool looking shoes!
My goal was to get the boys in bed by 8:00 tonight (which would be earlier than they have gone to bed this entire summer). They were in bed by 8:25. Not bad. Who knows when they will actually fall asleep though! They didn't wake up until 9am!
Alex has been very excited about school starting. Mason has stuck with the verdict that summer is way better than school. He hasn't been ready for school to start. But tonight when we were reading books Mason said "Mommy I am a little excited about school starting tomorrow." I said, "That's great!" Then he said, "I said a little!" But in my book, a little is way better than not at all. I know they will both have a great year. I am very excited for them! At the same time, I am sad to see the summer come to a close. We have had a lot of fun this summer. Although the boys have done their fair share of fighting, they have also played better together in the last three months then they ever have. They are growing up. I am ready to see what adventures and fun things this year brings. I hope to get back to some normalcy by cooking during the week, trying to exercise, going to bed at a decent time, etc. Baby steps!

We survived..

the mall and the outlet mall yesterday, on tax free weekend. Yes, we are insane! Yes, we love our boys so much we sacrificed our own sanity to get them shoes they really wanted for the start of school. They just wanted plain black converse without the ties. (Check out Kayci's custom made converse here!) The mall was ridiculously crowded! The boys handled it like champs though. Way better than Mommy did!

At one point I was sitting in the running truck with Alex while Andy and Mason were trying shoes on at Academy! He'd had enough!

We have met the teachers (love them!), bought the school supplies, labeled everything, have new clothes and shoes, and fresh haircuts. I think we are ready to go! Now I just need to brave the grocery store today to buy food for Mason's lunch. I am ready to get this first week behind us and settle into a routine. Alex is very excited about school. Mason is nervous and not ready. I feel for him, I used to be the same way when I was in school. I know after a week though he will be settled in. Andy starts class tomorrow and I start class next Tuesday! Here's to a great school year for everyone!

Happy Anniversary to us!

Today Andy and I celebrate our 9 year wedding anniversary! Sometimes I can't believe it's already been 9 years and in other ways it feels like we have been together forever (in a good way!). Our marriage is very blessed. We have so many things to be thankful for, especially our two amazing boys (who are fighting at this very moment! :))

I know God created Andy for me. Only he could put up with my many quirks, OCD tendencies, endless worrying/complaining, etc. We are polar opposites. We are proof that opposites attract and it works! Andy doesn't let things bother him, he never complains & he works very hard so I don't have to. Most importantly though, he makes me laugh, EVERY DAY! I can't imagine my life without him. I know it sounds cliche but I love him more today then I did 9 years ago.

I remember our first anniversary I bought him a playstation and he bought me an anniversary ring. We had a nice dinner and date. Nine years and two kids later we will spend our anniversary at Alex's school orientation! It's a little less romantic, but I wouldn't have it any other way! :)

Happy Anniversary Honey! I love you!

Chefs in the making

The kids were "heating" up the kitchen today making things like spaghetti tacos, star cookies, ice cream sundaes, pigs in a blanket.... you name it, they were making it! The best part is I didn't have to clean the dishes. We just put the play dough back in the containers when we were done! :)

SAT scores

I have had a love/hate relationship with obtaining my SAT scores (and the need for them in the first place)! In order to get into the TEACH program I had to have a certain score on each section of the SAT. I didn't have my SAT scores available to submit with my application. I tried to obtain them from my High School but they would not give them to me. I had to contact College Board and pay $40 to get them sent to Blinn. I had to wait almost 5 weeks for them to arrive. During the 5 weeks I stressed about what my score would be. I couldn't remember from 17 years ago! I didn't think my math score would be high enough so I figured I would have to take a math Accuplacer test in order to fully get accepted into the program. Andy bought me a college algebra book so I could refresh (ok, who am I kidding, reLEARN) college algebra. I strongly dislike math, so I kept putting off going through the book. I did spend about 4 hours on it, but that's all I could make myself do. Then yesterday my SAT scores arrived and I passed the math portion with no problem! I was SOOO excited! Now I don't have to take the Accuplacer and I am fully accepted into the program. Yippee!!

Galveston 2010

We took our annual trip to Galveston last weekend. We always stay at the Casa Del Mar. Although, we scoped out some different places to stay next time we go. I think we are ready to try some place new!

We spent our time at the beach, in the pool or eating! That's what vacation is all about, right?! We even got to meet up with my cousin Josh and his family Saturday evening. It was great to see them! Here are a few pictures of our vacation.

Aunt Nancy's Surprise Party

Last Sunday we had a surprise party for my Aunt Nancy's 60th birthday. It was special for so many reasons. One, our family hasn't all gotten together since, I believe, my grandmother's funeral in 1998. It was great to see everyone all in one place! Second, my cousin Scott and his wife just adopted a precious 3 year old named Hope from India. For the majority of the family, it was the first time we laid eyes on Hope. What a blessing she is. She is so sweet! God placed her with a wonderful family. Finally, it was special because my Uncle Buckie (Nancy's husband) has Alzheimer's and he hasn't remembered her birthday in a couple of years. In our family, birthdays are a big deal! So to have the day come and go is just a sad thing!

A few months ago my mom had the idea that we should all get together and have a birthday lunch for my aunt. I figured we would have some families that couldn't come. EVERYONE that was invited showed up. My cousin Mit and his girlfriend drove in from San Antonio just for the lunch. It was a real statement on how much my aunt is loved.

Aunt Nancy was TOTALLY surprised. She was brought to tears and speechless when she saw us all. It was so neat! I took a video of her first walking into the room. It's priceless! I decided not to post it incase it embarrassed her, but it's a precious memory! Here are a few pictures of the lunch. I wanted to get pictures of each family but I was too busy running my mouth visiting! Here is one picture that cracked me (and my cousin Kelli) up! This is my dad and Kelli's mom, both in their prescription sunglasses INSIDE the restaurant trying to figure out the camera! It was awesome!! We laughed out loud at them! Hope is in the picture with my aunt and her birthday cake. If you want to follow the story on Hope's adoption you can check out my cousin's blog here.

It's the simple things

Three boys + three balloons = lots of fun and entertainment!

Aquatic Center

This summer we have spent ALOT of time in water. A couple of weeks ago Kristi and the kids invited us to the Aquatic center. Everyone had a blast. The pictures don't lie! :)

Thank you!!

I went to see a surgeon this morning expecting to get a biopsy. However, he did another bilateral ultrasound and said he wasn't concerned with this new lump. He said it did not have abnormal features so he didn't feel it was necessary to do a biopsy. He wants to see me back in 6 months to make sure it hasn't changed. Thank you to everyone that said prayers for me!!

Prayers

I debated putting this on my blog, but I know the power of prayer so I decided to go for it! A few weeks ago my OB found a new lump in my breast (I have several cysts that I have been watching for the last few years). I had an ultrasound done and the doctor said it didn't look like the cysts I already had. He said he couldn't be positive it was benign so he suggested I get a mammogram and a biopsy. I had the mammogram done today. This was my second mammogram. Let me tell you, it's WAY different then a routine mammogram. I had to have 9 pictures taken. I won't go into all the details because I am not sure who my blog audience is! I have a biopsy scheduled for Monday morning. The radiologist from the ultrasound said it would need to be a vacuum assisted core needle biopsy. This may change once the biopsy doctor reviews things. But so far, that's what I know. So, please keep me in your prayers that this new lump is also benign!

School...it's almost here!

I cringed when I turned the calendar to August 5 days ago. I wasn't ready for school to start. I have been trying to convince myself it's time to get back into a routine! We have really enjoyed ourselves this summer (several mini vacations, LOTS of swimming, visits with family and friends, etc). But soon it will be back to waking early, working hard, and meeting those every day challenges.
There will be several new changes this fall. One, Alex will go to school 5 days a week (8:30-11:30). He is super excited to start school. We found out who his teacher will be and which friends will be in his class. He is going to have a GREAT class this year. He has several good friends in the class. I am very excited for him.
Second, I will start my Treasurer role for Krause (Mason's school) PTO. I am looking forward to getting more involved in Mason's school. We should find out his teacher next week, hopefully! The next big change is that everyone in our family will be in school this fall!! Andy will be finishing his last two classes in order to sit for his CPA exam. I will start the TEACH program at Blinn to get my teaching certificate! I found out Wednesday I was accepted into the program. I am excited to use my brain in an academic way again! Wish me luck!

It's hot!

I thought I would do a better job blogging during the week but it still hasn't happened! Last week was busy, yet again! We spent a good portion of it swimming, as usual. Friday I had my interview at Blinn for the TEACH program. When I first walked into the Student Center to check in for my interview I noticed it was really warm. The lady checking me said the A/C on the entire campus had to be shut off as they repaired a leaking A/C pipe. NICE! I had an interview with a panel of 3 people. One of them was my finance tutor (from A+ Tutoring in College Station) when I was at A&M! Small world! After the interview I had to write a composition about what led me to a teaching career. The interview wasn't bad because there were fans inside, but the conference room where the 20 of us were using 20 heated lap tops with NO fans was HOT! I mean, really hot. I could barely concentrate on what I was writing. Mine was short and sweet! I should find out in about a week if I was accepted into the program. Cross your fingers for me!
After the interview I ran errands in the 100 degree weather. When I got home about 3:00 the house seemed very warm. I kept turning the air down but then realized it wasn't blowing cold air. I checked the breaker box and saw that the A/C switch was off. I tried to move it to ON but it gave me this small shock and flipped back off. Not good! By the time we called someone it was after 5:00 on Friday. Thank goodness a friend of Andy's owns an A/C service. He came out the next morning to inform us that we pretty much need a new unit. The bad thing is we knew we needed a new unit from the time we bought the house. So we were excited about the home warranty. We thought for sure it would have to get replaced within the first year and it would be covered under the warranty. We used the warranty 5 times for the A/C in one year. They replaced small things every time they came out. Our warranty expired last month, with the grace period to renew ending last week. Perfect timing huh?! I guess we better get to watering our money tree! Hopefully we will find out tomorrow when we can get the new unit. In the meantime the front of our house (kitchen, laundry room, two living rooms and a guest bedroom) is heating up! Thank goodness we have two units and the back unit (for the bedrooms) still works fine. I shouldn't complain, because it definitely could be a much worse situation. But I'm just saying, it's hot!