Palmetto State Park Camping Trip

Palmetto SP

This weekend was our very first Girl Scout tent camping trip! We had so much fun. We packed up my truck and two other vehicles on Friday afternoon, my truck held all the gear, so it was kind of a nice, quiet trip for me! We went to Palmetto State Park which was about an hour away, and very un-Texas looking! There were trees and swamps, and parts of it looked very prehistoric. A nice park actually.

First thing, we had the girls unload the trucks and start working on their tent. We helped very little since this is the Girl Scouts event, so they set it up on their own as much as possible. Then we had them eat their sack-dinner while we set up our tent. We got our bedrolls out and then made a campfire and I proceeded to burn 5 packages of Jiffy Pop! The girls didn't mind, they thought it was cool to pop popcorn on the campfire, so that was good! Then around 10:30 the girls were eager to hit the tent and they were all sound asleep in a matter of minutes.

Then Saturday morning, we got up, made baggie eggs for breakfast, you put eggs, bacon, cheese, etc. in a Ziploc baggie and then boil them all, it makes a small omelet.  We also had fruit and donuts. Then we got that cleaned up, and headed off to earn our Geocaching patch. The girls did a great job learning how to Geocache, they looked up coordinates, and then followed the compass around a hiking trail and we found our Geocache, and left behind some UV beads for the next group. Then we found the river and jumped in for a while to cool off! (that was the best part)

Then we had sandwiches for lunch, and the best Frito-Pie for dinner (probably so good because we were so hungry, or because food outside always tastes better!) The girls did all the cooking and cleaning, and they did a great job of it! We met another 4th grade Girl Scout troop, right across the road from us, so they invited us over for campfires and s'mores and a sing-along Saturday night! It was fun to meet new friends and of course, s'mores are always fun.

Sunday morning, we got up (no showers all weekend too! There were only 2 showers for the whole park and they were not close, so we were all dirty and stinky by this time!) but we let the girls take the tents down, and we loaded up the cars, after a fruit and cereal breakfast, and then we were about to pull out when we realized my battery had died! I think from all the in and out all weekend, my light stayed on too much. But, we managed to get a jump and be on our way, only slightly behind schedule. It was a great trip, and the girls really enjoyed it, and we all can't wait to go again.

TAMU Vet School Open House

TAMU Vet School

I just love the opportunities we have with Girl Scouts! Regan has wanted to be a vet for as long as she has been old enough to want to be something! Every year the Texas A&M vet school hosts an open house, and we finally got in this year! It gets booked up and super crowded, so it's a big deal to get in. We had planned on going up the day of, but since we had to check in by 7:30, we decided to go the night before and spend the night in a hotel, and that was it's own little adventure, let me tell you!

We got to our hotel around 6, and got our room keys, the plan was to check in and take the girls to the hotels indoor pool. Well, I walk into our room, and see a pair of cowboy boots, an open duffel bag, and men's clothes all over the room. We jumped back out as soon as possible, hoping there wasn't a man in there wondering who just walked into his room! Well, we finally got the room situated, but the hotel pool was broken, so we had nothing to do until bedtime, but we watched Princess Diaries, and I think the girls were just having fun being at a hotel!

We got up bright and early on Saturday and headed to the Vet School. We got to sit in on a lecture from a vet who told us what it takes to become a vet, what type of classes you need, how much schooling is required (8 years of college and vet school, yikes!) and what you can start doing now to get prepared. Regan even took notes!

Then we had Teddy Bear Surgery which was the cutest thing EVER! They suit the girls up in doctor scrub gear, gloves, face mask, hair net, shoe booties, paper gown, everything, and then you take your teddy bear to surgery. You tell the vet student ("doctor") what's wrong with your bear, and they will tell you how to fix it. Regan decided at the last minute that she didn't want her bear to have open heart surgery so she gave it a broken arm. They splinted the bear's arm, wrapped some padding and then put a cast on it. She loved it!

Then we got to see some live animals, an owl, a 1 month old, tiny baby warthog, a porcupine, we went to the breed tent and saw all kinds of dog breeds, and then we went to an interesting room. It was the room where they dissect horses. They had tracks on the ceiling with big hooks, and against the wall are giant freezer doors, so they were explaining to Regan how they open the doors, use the hooks to slide the dead horses around over the grates and then dissect them, and then slide them back into the freezer. Surprisingly, Regan was not disgusted like I was! The room had all kinds of animal parts out on display, cow heart, cow stomach, horse teeth, dog lungs, all kinds of parts, and Regan would grab and feel and touch each one. She was very fascinated and asked a lot of great questions.

Then we had a tour of the small vet clinic. It was really neat, they had a different "specialty" in each room, so we learned about all the different ways they treat small animals, and Regan even got to perform an endoscopy to remove a penny from inside a dead dog! She got to hold the camera and thread it down, and pinch the thing to grab it, like a claw game. They showed them how they draw blood from a dog, how to use a defibrillator, and then we got to watch a real, live surgery! They were spaying a dog, and they had it's girl parts out for us to see, and a camera right above the action so we got to watch through the window, and get a bird's eye view. Again, Regan was more fascinated than disgusted. It was fun for me to see how she reacted to everything.

Then we headed over to the large animal clinic and got to see all the heavy machinery they use to lift the horses and cows and all the cool things they have there. We got to see some animals too, but Regan and I were really wanting to see the fistulated cows and we didn't make it to them. So, Regan wants to go back next year and do what we didn't get a chance to do this year. It was definitely an interesting trip, and I'm glad Regan got to experience it, and now she has a very clear picture of what it's going to take if she is serious about being a vet. But, I know she can do it, and I can't wait to see her achieve her dreams!

Easter On the Hill with Tim Tebow

Easter On the Hill

Well, it was no secret about Tim Tebow coming to our church for Easter! It was everywhere, in the news, on Jay Leno, online, everyone seemed to be talking about it. And it did not disappoint! It was an incredible event that I'm so glad we got to be a part of.

David served in the volunteer parking lot, that opened at 4:30am, so he got to church around 4am, got the volunteers parked and then was getting buses in and out of the lot all day. He didn't leave the lot until around 3pm, so he was there, on his feet for almost 12 hours straight, and didn't get to see one minute of the event. It's because of him and other people like him, that this event went off so smoothly! I was so proud of him for serving and not complaining, and just doing whatever it took so other people could come and hear the gospel.

Riley and I served in the Kids tent, so we got there around 6:30 and helped set up the tent, and get the face painting going. We did face painting and the eye black tattoos that said "John 3:16" under the eyes. Those were a big hit and we ran out of those before the service even started.

We ended up with nearly 20,000 people there, and over 1,000 salvations! In the end, that's what it was all about, not Tim Tebow, or Joe Champion, but about people coming to know Christ, so I would say it was a success, and all those early morning trainings, orientations, prayer meetings, it was all worth it. I'm so proud of my church, and I can't wait to see what God will do next!

Adopt A Block

Adopt A Block

Today, Celebration Serves had a huge Adopt A Block Party! It was awesome! We had live music, hot dogs, drinks, snow cones, nail painting, face painting, bracelets and necklaces, we handed out Bibles, had the Fire Department bring a truck out for the kids to get in and look around in, had a barber come in to do free haircuts, tons of prizes and a big bouncy house. It was so much fun. I took Riley with me, he loves helping out at Adopt A Block.

It's at an East side apartment complex, lots of kids whose parents aren't around, or are involved in drugs, and our church has just kind of adopted this whole complex. We have picked up trash out there, power washed, planted flowers and grass, as well as monthly trips to have parties with the kids.

So today, Riley and I started off with nails and bracelets. He was so cute painting the nails for the little girls, and helping them with their bracelets. But then we moved over to snow cones and we made 100's of snow cones! They were a big hit, we had a line almost the whole time. Then the concert started, a guy from church, and he was awesome, the kids were dancing around! We passed out Bibles to the kids that needed one, helped the kids get in the fire truck and then helped pick up trash and give out prizes to the kids. It was a lot of fun, and I love seeing those sweet little faces each time I go!

Snake Farm

March 17, 2012

My new favorite obsession is Groupon and the like...Living Social, Adealio, you name it, I'm all for a bargain! I recently bought a coupon for the Snake Farm, a place we've driven by hundreds of times on the way to San Antonio, but never stopped. So, I figured it would make a good day trip. The kids had a friend, Michael, spend the night so we could leave first thing in the morning. Well, they stayed up all night long, so they slept the whole way there, and all the way home!

But the Snake Farm was cool, we got there just in time for feeding the carnivores, and then we walked around, they had a lot of neat animals, zebra, warthogs, monkeys, lemurs, peacocks, hyenas, wolves (Regan's favorite) and a lot of gators and snakes. We spent a little time there, then hung out in the petting zoo area, feeding the chickens mostly, who would crow when they stopped feeding them.

Then we stopped for lunch at Wendy's and then had a nice nap on the way home (not me, the kids) and as soon as they got home, they came in and crashed on the couch for another couple of hours! Fun place though, we will definitely visit again.

Spring Break!

We made it to Spring Break! And trying to cram as much fun into one week as possible. I took the kids to Austin's Park and Pizza on Monday to spend the day, but it got so crowded, they didn't stay as long as I thought (hoped) they would. But they came home and the neighbor took them to Texas Jumping Beans and to the park, and then I took them back to APP later, but they were closing. Then on Tuesday we went to the dollar movie to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, Chipwrecked, but they were sold out (oh, darn) so we saw Big Miracle, which we all enjoyed, about whales that were trapped in Alaska. Cute movie. On Wednesday we just hung out at the house and played with friends. Regan went to see The Lorax with her friend, and we went to church Wed night.

Then on Thursday I took the kids to the carnival! We love the rodeo carnival, usually. But I think this year, fresh off a trip to Disney and Universal Studios, the rides just weren't as thrilling I guess. The kids rode all the rides they wanted to ride, we shared a funnel cake and some lemonade, and they were ready to go. We stopped off at the petting zoo before we left, and they were ready, beyond ready, to leave after that.

Shriner Circus

We did this weeks and weeks ago, but I forgot the pictures were on my camera! Jay and Tammy had extra tickets, so we met up with them and saw the circus. The kids got to ride an elephant so they thought that was super cool! Of course I couldn't get them to both look at me at the same time! Anyway, they loved it, there were motorcycles and they did some cool tricks, and Riley was mesmerized. Jay and Tammy then came back to the house and we went to our favorite tea place for tea and scones, it was a fun day!

Random Pictures

Just a couple of cute pics of the kids. David bought a Groupon for Salt Lick BBQ, Regan had never been, and it was about to expire so we took the kids for dinner. Regan thought she had died and gone to heaven when they just kept bringing out beans and meat! She really liked it. And the other one is Riley at Kawaii Ice, eating his blue coconut snow cone. The kids love that place (the kids, yeah!)

Broken Toe

On Saturday, Riley and David were at the park for a father/son small group, and Riley decided to play football with the boys, barefoot. Not one of his smarter ideas and now he knows why. He ran into a pipe and hurt his big toe. We debated about whether we should go to the emergency room or wait until Monday morning and go to the doctor. We decided to wait, thinking they wouldn't cast a big toe anyway, and he has crutches from one of his (many) earlier incidents.

So, we took him in first thing Monday morning, they did x-rays (only our 10th set of x-rays in the past 3 years) and sure enough, it was broken. They had to call the podiatrist and set us up with them, so today we went there, they wanted another set of x-rays, and she said there are two clean breaks on that toe. If the bone had shifted even 1 millimeter, she would want to do surgery right away and put a pin in the toe. Riley was VERY relieved that he didn't have to have surgery! So now he's sporting a nice clunky boot, AND crutches, and we have to go back in 3 weeks for even more x-rays and hope he is healing by then. It's gonna be a fun spring break.

Happy Texas Independence Day!

Riley went home with a friend after school, and David was off for Texas Independence Day, so we picked Regan up from school and took her to the Domain, one of her favorite places! David and I had tea and scones at the Steeping Room while she had her favorite, Bacon, Arugula and Tomato sandwich. Then we went shopping, and visited Charming Charlie for the first time and got her some cute earrings and a headband, and tried on a bunch of hats. It was a fun day for Regan to have all the attention, which is about how she likes it!

Haircuts

Took the kids to get their hair cuts, they said it's been 17 weeks since they've had a cut! Riley always HATES getting his cut, but on the way there, Regan said she wanted hers short, but to hurry up before she changed her mind. I was afraid she would regret it, she's been growing it out for years now, but she was adamant, she wanted it shoulder length. They cut about 8 inches off, about an inch at a time! But it's cute now, and it's layered, and she LOVES it, and has gotten a lot of compliments. Of course Riley wouldn't let me take a picture of his.

Long Overdue Update

I can't believe I haven't updated this blog since Christmas! I'm going to blame it on the fact that I'm still sharing a computer with David and Riley, so I don't get on here much these days. Also, we've been pretty busy I guess.

I'll try to hit the high notes! So, we had our wood floors put in while we were at Disney, came home and started painting, I repainted my red wall to a burnt orange color (I like it!), got a new couch, and then went to Ikea to accessorize and got a new table, a new entry table, wall hooks, etc. Slowly pulling the place back together:



And then...one day at home, I walk from the living room to the kitchen and find water coming out from under the staircase. I totally freaked out, but it turned out there was a hose that broke under the kitchen sink and it went behind the cabinet and down to the stairs and was coming out under the wood floors. Yes, the one month old wood floors. I was sick! I threw down towels, hoping we could get it all up in time, called a plumber who fixed it right away, then called a water drying company, they came out right away and ripped out baseboards, punched holes in the walls, and put in 6 giant fans to dry out the water, and 2 dehumidifiers.


So, right now we are insurance limbo. The adjuster came out, gave us a quote of around 6K, and the dryer people gave us a quote of around 13K, so I don't know what we're doing at this point. The floor is discontinued or we would just get a couple more boxes and replace what was damaged. But now we might think about putting tile down in the entry area, and leave wood in the living areas. Who knows at this point. I'm still upset when I think about it! All that hard work down the drain! Anyway, so for now, our house that we were finally enjoying fixing up and decorating, looks like a war zone, with holes everywhere, flooring ripped up, baseboards torn out. UGH!!

And then, cookie season hit. I'm the cookie mom for Regan's Girl Scout troop, and we sold just over 1000 last year so she wanted to sell more than that this year. Well, for a while, our house looked like this:


But last night we had our very last cookie booth:

And can you tell she was pretty excited! All total, and we're not quite done, I haven't added them all up yet, but we should be right around 1117 boxes sold! Woo hoo! She will get $300 in cookie dough (which she will use to pay for her summer camp) and a ton of prizes, including a day trip to Six Flags. So she's pretty excited.

A few other things that have been going on...my brother Donnie called out of the blue and stopped by last week with little Donnie. It was good to see him, even if it was just for a short visit.




Regan had 70's day at school, Riley had to go to the doctor (again) for x-rays, thankfully he was fine, he had jammed his finger pretty bad and torn some muscles in his leg. Just being a boy, nothing more.




And I guess that about wraps it up. It's been a busy couple of months with all of this going on and our regular stuff, school, church, Girl Scouts, and birthday parties every weekend! I will try to be better about keeping everyone updated also!!

Merry Christmas!

We had a pretty low key Christmas since we did the whole Disney thing this year. On Christmas Eve we went to Dave and Pam's with the rest of the family and had a yummy Christmas dinner of Rudolph roast, I mean, deer roast :) and tamales, and all kinds of goodies! David had parking work at church, and Riley was not feeling well, so we just had an easy day. I did however, decide to go on a baking-palooza, and made Paula Deen's toffee butter bars, mint chocolate chip cookies, gingerbread rice crispy treats, pumpkin spice rice crispy treats, mint Oreo cookie fudge, chocolate chip marshmallow pillow cookies, and cranberry nut bars. Makes me tired again just thinking about it all! But, I wrapped most of them up and sent them to all our friends in the neighborhood, and still had plenty to bring to Christmas dinner!

So on Christmas morning, the kids each had a gift from Santa, and one from Monty and Princess, and one from each other. Not much, but it ended up being a really nice day. They liked what they got, and there wasn't a huge mess. We had put the tree upstairs before we left since we had to have the downstairs empty, but we didn't have time to decorate it until the night before when the kids realized Santa wouldn't want to see a naked tree! They didn't even put all the ornaments up, just enough to look okay, so at least taking it down should be easy this year!

House Update

So here are some before/after pics of the house with the wood floors! Some of them have spots since I used my flash. But you get the idea :)

Of course, the floors look so nice, we can't put any furniture back in until we paint, so we're working on that now! The last picture is the new paint color. New house by New Year's!

Today is a Very Sad Day

Caribbean Beach Hotel

Last day at Disney, we are all sad. But, I think we are all wiped out also. Even the kids asked if we could skip Hollywood Studios and sleep in and take our time heading out. Sounded like a good idea to me!

The kids slept most of the morning while I packed all our stuff. David brought our bags to the lobby and got us checked in for our flight, and they take care of the bags (awesome). Then we loaded up our backpacks and went to the food court for lunch. We still had 2 quick service meals each, and about 13 snack credits left! My plan was to use our snack credits around the World Showcase in Epcot, but that didn't work out so well.

So, we had lunch, then took our leftover fries to the sea gulls outside by the lake and fed them. They were funny, and Riley would put a fry on his hat and the birds would swoop down and grab it! After we ran out of fries, and any other food the kids could find that birds would eat, we hit up the gift shop, getting all our last minute gifts and letting Riley spend the last of his souvenir money. Then we went to the bakery and got brownies and cookies for the trip home with our leftover snack credits! I was NOT going to leave money on the table!!

Then we headed to the front to wait for our Magical Express bus to take us to the airport. Somehow it seemed much faster going back than coming in. We had a direct flight, with a quick stop in Houston, so that seemed to take forever. We finally got home around 9PM, and picked up Princess and Monty from Mimi and Papa and headed home to our new wood floors! It was so nice to come home to!

Overall, it was a great trip. I'm glad we could go while they are young enough to appreciate the "magic" of a Disney vacation, but tall enough to ride everything! It might be a while before we get a chance to go back, but we certainly had a great time, created a lot of memories and it's something the kids will remember for the rest of their lives.