Fun Birthday Dinner!

Cheney picked Clear Springs for his birthday dinner!! YUM!!

He sure was excited to see this gift!!

He got a rifle.....trust me, MeMe & Pop (and Mommy) were not too excited, but Daddy & Cheney are pumped. Is it really fun to get a birthday gift that you see for a minute, then is padlocked in a closet until hunting season? I guess....

Cheney has been saving $$ for a laptop so MeMe created a Jeopardy game that allowed him to earn some more $$$!! She is so creative, but I can't believe that she did use the Cricut to make it. LOL

Cheney won all the categories....WOO HOO!!

Me & My Babies....yes, I know, they aren't babies anymore but in my eyes they always will be!!

Happy Birthday Cheney Bug!

Cheney Bug,

Can you really be 8 years old?

It seems that you were this bright eyed baby just yesterday. You have brought Daddy & I so much pride. We love you more than we can ever tell you.

We love your infectious enthusiasm & your eagerness to learn. We pray that you will continue to grow & learn about God's love for you.

Have a fabulous day!!

Love, Mom & Dad

Bowling Birthday Party

When Cheney was 4, he went to a birthday party at the bowling alley. He left that day asking if he could have a party at the bowling alley. I told him that when he turned 8, he could. Guess what? He is turning 8 this year!! Today was his "Bowling Birthday Party." He was very excited!!

Cheney & Chandler picked out some bowling balls & anxiously awaited the arrival of his friends.

The boys finally arrived!! They were a pretty cute bunch & very polite.

Once again, MeMe made a wonderful birthday cake!! Isn't it adorable?!

Cheney had two great-grandparents attend his birthday party.....isn't that cool? Daddy's grandpa was there and Mommy's grandma was there.

Chandler was the only girl at the party, but she was right in there watching her Bubba open presents. He is saving his money for laptop & today, he got a little closer!! YAY!!

Found The Stash

Chandler loved her paci. We were forced to make her throw it away after she turned two because she wasn't talking. The other day, she was at MeMe's house and guess what she found? MeMe's stash of pacis!! I think she enjoyed trying each one out.

She didn't throw these away though. Her babies need them!!

Spring Break Fun - Day 5 MONKEYS!!

On St. Patrick's Day, we had to head home....no one was really ready, but Daddy had to go back to work. Before heading home, we ate lunch at Carlos n Charlies on the banks of Lake Travis. The weather was sunny, but still a little windy.

We sat by this sign....pretty cute monkeys!!

Spring Break Fun - Day 4

Today was "hang out" day for Spring Break. We slept in & pretty much did NOTHING!! It rained most of the day. But we still had fun!!

It is amazing how much fun you can have with a laundry basket!!

It stopped raining for a while so the kids & Billy took Lance for a walk....unfortunately, they came back soaking wet!! Oh well, it was fun!!

Daddy found this great bakery downtown. It is called "Hey Cupcake." Guess what they sell? YEP!! Cupcakes!! They have two satellite stores & one is right by our campground. So, the kids took a field trip.

And this is what they came home with!! I can't decide if I like carrot cake w/ cream cheese icing or chocolate w / cream cheese icing the best!! They are definitely worth the drive to get them!!

Spring Break Fun - Day 3

Our destination for Day #3 was the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum. Let me tell you....this is an awesome museum. Totally worth it--if you haven't been there, you need to plan a visit. We read about so many events & sites that were important to Texas history. And since many of them were around places that we live, it was even more exciting for Cheney. As we were walking through the exhibits, I was thinking how cool it is that there is an entire museum devoted to Texas history. Texas is such a proud state!!

You can't take pictures inside, but this star outside is so cool.

We saw "Alice in Wonderland" in 3D in the IMAX theater at the museum.

Daddy & Cheney were very excited!! The movie was good too.

After the museum, we visited the Library to see a mural that is painted about Texas history. It was cool. Then, we decided to venture down to 6th Street. It was about a 7 block walk & Cheney acted like his legs were going to fall off. But, it was pretty interesting & definitely not someplace to take the kids later in the evening. At one point, we turned a corner & two guys were smoking something illegal. They said "Kids!" to each other, then apologized to me. We just turned around & walked back where we came from. The kids never knew what happened. We did eat lunch in a old bar.....MeMe, don't worry, it was non smoking & hardly no one was there. The food was YUMMY!! The kids found this poker video game that they had fun "pretend" playing. After lunch we walked about 6 more blocks to Lance Armstrong's bike shop called "Mellow Johnny's." Cheney bought an autobiography about Lance Armstrong. The people who worked there remembered our dog, Lance!! He had been a special guest at the last Tour de France that Armstrong rode in. Then, we took a taxi ride back to our car. The kids thought that was fun. The driver was playing some strange reggae music & Cheney was laughing at the lyrics. We always have fun adventures where ever we go!!

Spring Break Fun - Day 2

Day 2 started bright & early because we lost an hour of sleep. The first thing we did was drop Lance off to spend some time with Ray. Lance was Ray's foster dog & he was very excited to see him again. Chandler on the other hand, CRIED!! It was so cute, but sad at the same time.

Lying on the couch.....waiting for mom & dad to get ready.

Our 1st stop was the State Capital. We were there just minutes after they opened the doors & we were some of the only ones there.

Visiting the Texas House of Representatives

Found Edmund Kuempel's office

One day, this girl might have the world or state on her shoulders!!

Playing with the Texas schoolchildren statues

It was a great day to walk along Lady Bird Lake. All the people who were running or riding their bikes made us want to join in!!

Before sundown, we boarded a boat for a Bat cruise. Chandler was a little nervous about seeing the bats.

Cheney, on the other hand, was pumped about seeing bats.

The colony has just returned from their migration to Mexico so it wasn't too active yet. However, we did see about 750,000--way too many bats for me.

Spring Break Fun - Day 1

We decided to get away for a few days for Spring Break!! We are staying at a RV park close to Lake Travis. We have plans to visit a few Texas history places in the next few days.

Thanks to Granny Nette & Papa Jim for letting us borrow their trailer.

It was pretty warm today & the pool is heated!! We had our 1st swim for 2010--both kids remember how & didn't drown.

Daddy made us an awesome dinner-grilled chicken & sausage, baked beans, & mac n cheese. YUMMY!! THANKS DADDY!! WE LOVE YOU!!

And just so you know.....no time spent in the camper is complete without a princess!!

Tomorrow we are visiting the Capitol & taking a Bat Watching Cruise. YAY!!

The Red Alien

Cheney's DI team was invited to perform their skit at the monthly PTC meeting at school. His school had three DI teams. There was a 1st grade team, 2nd grade team, & a 3rd grade team. I think that Cheney's group was the loudest....I could hear MOST of what they said, but not all. They seem to really enjoy it.

The Red Alien in action!!

Cheney is pretty much a ham!! Everytime he does his alien act, I get tears in my eyes because he is just so funny!!

Today marks the start of Spring Break....stay tuned for pictures from our adventures!!

A Field Trip

Daddy has been working on his deer lease Jeep. The other day, he made a trip to the junk yard to look for parts. Daddy was so surprised that the kids were so excited to visit the junk yard. Cheney wanted to bring home a car axle but Daddy convinced him to bring home a hubcab....of course, Chandler had to get her own.

Maybe you should visit the junk yard for fun!!

Buckets Of Hope

Last night, Cheney & Chandler were invited to MeMe & Pop's church to assemble Buckets Of Hope. These buckets will be sent to Haiti to help the earthquake victims. I am proud that they were so eager to help!!

Working intently

Chandler definitely got involved!!

The buckets had to packed a certain way...with specific items.

After the each bucket was assembled, they were all prayed over....

THANKS C & C for being so willing to help others!! I am proud of you!!

Also, thank Tammy for the pictures!!

Spring Soccer!

Cheney decided to forgo the annual Little League season. He just didn't like it that much. We told him that he didn't have to play if he didn't want to....but if he started he had to finish the season. He found out that he can play soccer in the spring too! So soccer season started yesterday!

It is really fun for him because there are only 5 kids on a team so they get tons of playing time. He really likes soccer.....and he seems pretty good at it. He isn't afraid to go after the ball. I know in our competitive world, kids are picking "their sport" earlier & earlier....it will be interesting to see if soccer sticks around for him!

I Wanna Be A Big Rock Star!

Cheney started guitar lessons. He has learned two chords. He told me that he feels like a rock star now!!

Soccer Fun!

Cheney loves soccer.....the other night, he was invited to play an exhibition game at halftime of the Matador boys game. He was sooo excited!! It was fun to watch him, but I wasn't too excited about the temperature. Soccer season is outdoors in the winter....oh well, I will always be there to watch him!!

He did score one goal!!