The Four Swans

Easter Eggs

2011-04-22T12:02:00.003-05:00

The kids and I had a lot of laughs this morning coloring eggs. I love my babies and never want them to grow up!

G man having fun making his blue egg!

Sweet Ande

Coloring eggs in our jammies is the best!

Chocolate Bunnies

2011-04-18T11:58:00.001-05:00

Ande and I made some fun baking Chocolate Brownie Bunnies

My Hunny

2011-04-16T12:00:00.002-05:00

I love spending time with my sweetie. We had a fun time watching the musical CATS together.

G in action

2011-04-14T19:10:00.000-05:00

Gideon in action at his soccer game.

The Aggies

2011-04-13T11:41:00.000-05:00

"We are the Aggies the Aggies are we..."
We took the kids to see the Aggie Baseball team play Rice. We love Aggie sports and we always have fun tailgating and cheering! Our kids always want to go to AggieLand (we've really brainwashed them! ;)) We didn't have to drive far for this game since Rice was hosting. We packed some dinner and desserts and met up with the Austin A&M Club to get our tickets and do a little tailgating before the game. Our fellow Ag friends the Gregorek's joined us for the evening. We had a lot of fun.

Me and a future little Aggie

Three crazy Ags!

Gig'em Aggies!!!
Whoop!

Ande caught the first pitch of the game! Well it came straight for us, we ducked and she ran and got it! It was so awesome. Gideon caught a ball last year in Aggieland so it was neat for Ande to get this one!

Random fun

2011-04-06T11:30:00.000-05:00

We've had some fun around here.
My G man is always making us laugh! I heard him in the kitchen talking as if he was on the phone...he has been known to make some phone calls on my phone, well he was on the phone talking to two different people actually. HA! On his banana phones that is! What a character!

I can't believe another week has gone by. The days are going by so fast! This week I hosted a lunch for a dear friend of mine for her birthday. Happy Birthday Jill!!! Can't believe I didn't get any pictures...what a bad host! ;) It was lovely to spend time with some special peeps!

To add to the fun...kids and I are also excited to see the progress on our tomatoes and basil plants! It is so fun! The kids enjoy going outside everyday to see the plants. We used the basil the other night and it was yummy!! I wish we could say our flowers are looking good. I can't bare to show you a picture. Maybe they need more water??? ;) We'll give them a couple of days then maybe take some photos!

Soccer Season

2011-03-26T11:38:00.001-05:00

My soccer peeps!

Getting a pep talk from the coach.

Stretching on the field.

Go!!!!

The proud soccer parents! ;)

Soccer Season has started and the kids were ready!!! We really have a great time playing soccer. This is Ande's 5th season and she is going strong. We asked her if she wanted to try another sport but she said no. She missed a few of her soccer buddies she had been played with for 4 seasons but she has moved up two leagues and had fun playing with her new teammates!
Gideon has started his second season and had a lot of fun with his first game. He wanted to stay in the WHOLE time but we told him everyone has to have a turn. He scored a goal and was very excited! He loves the game as well and we look forward to a fun season!

Green Thumb?

2011-03-24T13:12:00.001-05:00

Basil

Pretty flowers

The kids have been asking to plant flowers for a while...well for about 2 years now. I don't do flowers, I don't do anything garden and I don't have a green thumb. A couple of weeks ago I took the kids to each pick out a plant. I figured I start with two plants and put them in a pot and see how it goes. We also planted basil and tomatoes. I don't know how to do this planting thing other than what I've read on the internet and what the people at the Garden Center told me so, we shall see! The kids are happy and so far all the plants look normal...I think?

Bunny Ear

2011-03-23T12:37:00.002-05:00

Just a little something Ande learned a few months ago! This was tough for her to learn but she kept practicing and one morning she got it!

Monster Truck and games

2011-03-22T12:26:00.000-05:00

Uncle Daniel came into town for a visit! We don't get to see Uncle D as often since he moved a couple of hours away from us. So, when I told the kids he was coming and staying with us for the night they were so excited!

Viewing the "Monster Truck"

Getting some game time in!

Breakfast with the Alligators!!

2011-03-21T11:48:00.000-05:00

G was tired of photos.

Our friends the Gregorek's were camping for the weekend during Spring Break with some mutual friends at the Brazos Bend State Park. They were sweet and invited us up for breakfast Sunday morning. They cooked a delicious breakfast that was gobbled up by all. We had fun chatting, eating and walking around the lake spotting Alligators!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T11:36:00.003-05:00

Green Beer...

...a girl in a green dress that doesn't take the tags off her boots

...blue and hazel eyes

...DELICIOUS cakes with green frosting

...and of course green spanish rice!

Hope you had a great day!

Mutton Bustin

2011-03-15T11:12:00.003-05:00

Ande Mutton Bustin! I was sad she didn't stay on longer because I thought she would be really sad but she wasn't. She loved it and wanted to go again. I told we'd practice and be ready for next year!

Rodeo

2011-03-15T10:52:00.004-05:00

Everyone knows when March comes around it's Rodeo time in Houston!
That means concerts, bull riding, funnel cakes and Cowboy Burritos! I don't care what diet you're on these foods are a must my friend! ;)
My good friend Jen and her son Gage tackled the Rodeo with the kids. Some of our other peeps were gone or couldn't go for Spring Break, we missed you!
We left at 845am and had a blast until we all hit the wall at 3pm! The weather couldn't of been better and the company was fun and every kids should do some Mutton Bustin!!!! Ande watched the kids do it one night while watching bull riding and wanted to do it. So I couldn't wait until we took them during the day so she could try it. It was 3 seconds of fun!

Ande waving at the crowd after her ride!

Petting zoo...always a hit!

Gideon said he wanted to get a tracker like this to ride with Gramps! So Sweet!

Gideon and Ande on the Caterpillar ride. They LOVED it! Gideon was finally able to ride a few of the rides this year.

Gage with smiles on the carousel!

Say Rodeo!!!

Ready to tackle the farm!

What a wonderful day. We've been coming to the rodeo since college and it never gets old! Can't wait for next year!

Mario and Luigi

2011-03-13T10:47:00.002-05:00

Jammie Day...Wii Day!

Work

2011-03-11T10:36:00.004-06:00

The kids got cleared to go to school this week...so they attended school Thursday and now Spring Break has started. Another week home. Here are a few snap shots of what they've been doing.

Model Airplanes and Cars!
Daddy put together a lot of models growing up. We took them to a local shop and let them pick a model. Now it's time to paint, assemble, assemble, assemble...let's just say this takes time! ;) Gideon picked out a SR-71 Blackbird Jet and Ande decided to test her skills on a '58 Thunderbird Convertible! Good thing Gideon's jet was snap together sort of thing...Ande's well let's just say we are still putting it together! ;)

We also did a little baking...Ande wants to be a chef when she grows up. She LOVES to color and cook. So I figured I better teach her how to cook some of the things her mama loves so she can per-fect them and I might not have to cook them! HA!

What would you like sir?

2011-03-01T10:18:00.004-06:00

Spring is in air and we LOVE it...minus the allergies! Seriously I wish we didn't have them...they suck! Oh well.
I love the cool air we've been having. I love that the kids can go outside and just play play play! Sickness has come and gone and I hope it stays GONE for a while. The kids had pneumonia and we were stuck in the house for about 2 1/2 weeks...but we are well (thank you Lord!) and we are letting the spring breeze get the stink out of the house!

While we were house bound the kids had fun playing and make believing. Here the kids had a restaurant and invited all of their friends to join them! Gideon took orders, Ande served...it was so much fun!

Here is Baby Tad and Ariel waiting for food.

Even the littlest guys were hungry!

Would you be Mine?

2011-02-14T10:33:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day!

YeeHaw

2011-01-20T10:26:00.000-06:00

We love Toy Story and Toy Story 3 is one of our favorites. We had the whole gang here!

Happy 2011!

2011-01-01T10:24:00.000-06:00

Ready to attack the New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T10:18:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-27T10:15:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T16:23:00.002-05:00

We took a much needed blogging break...we are back.

Happy Halloween

Our pumpkins this year.

Passing the Time

2010-07-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

G likes to listen to his singing cards Grammy sends to pass the time!

(Sorry you have to turn your head to view this video)

Grandma

2010-07-10T08:47:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Grandma! We love you so much! We miss you lots and can't wait to see you!

The Fish

2010-07-09T08:40:00.001-05:00

Gideon got a fishing pole for his birthday and Daddy took him fishing a little while back.

Gideon's first fish!

Daddy made him touch the fish...Gideon though it was gross. haha He told me "Mama, the fish was wiggly!"

Mama's Helper

2010-07-07T11:20:00.003-05:00

Mama has had a headache the last few days. I had a cyst removed from my head on Monday and the headache is normal but I don't usually get headaches so it's not fun. This little sweetie has been the biggest helper. She has been keeping her brother under control....he can be a lot of work sometimes. She is such a little mama and loves to take care of everyone. I also just love this picture, it makes me smile!

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-04T18:27:00.002-05:00

Happy 4th of July

Hope you had a great day!

Summer Fun

2010-07-01T18:25:00.000-05:00

This is what daddy wants to do all summer!

Potty Training G

2010-06-27T18:58:00.002-05:00

Potty Training G is something I have been putting off because this kid is stubborn. He really really surprised me though and actually potty trained in about a week! I was REALLY shocked but really excited for him. He was ready and has done great! The one thing I don't agree with him on though is how much fun he has "shooting" the walls! He was nervous the first few times he tried to go in the toilet but did very well after he knew everything was going to be fine.

A prize we gave Gideon after peeing in the toilet.
We are proud of you Gideon!

Andy's Tri/Memorial Hermann Triathon

2010-06-27T18:38:00.001-05:00

Andy's Tri/Memorial Hermann Sprint Tri

Placed: 11th in age group

Time: 1:08:o9

3ooM swim:4:36 Placed 1st in age group in the swim

10M bike:36

3M run:24:36 5th in age group in the run

I completed my first Triathlon. I have done some before but only the swim portion. It was really a lot of fun. I didn't have a bike so I borrowed my friend Cyndi's husbands mountain bike. Let me just tell you I got passed and had a very slow time! I couldn't move on the mountain bike! hahaha But, it was okay it was my first tri and I wasn't going to buy a bike just for this.

I was slower on my swim than I wanted to be but I will take it. I am not as fast as I was in college but it was good. I was happy with my run but wanted to be a little faster. All in all it was awesome! I felt great. Thanks to my running friends for cheering me on!!! You guys are the best!

And to my biggest fans...I love my family and we love to do lots of activities together. I love that my kids have fun watching these races and hope one day they might want to try them.
Now Benjamin and I are off to start training for our biggest race ever...the IRONMAN. We are doing it next year!

Crossfit Caveman Kids

2010-06-26T18:00:00.002-05:00

One of the ladies I work out with at Crossfit has started Crossfit Caveman kids. We attended Crossfit Caveman's Family day and the kids had a blast.

At Crossfit Caveman they use everyday exercises and they value fitness for youth. I am a big fan of keeping my kids fit and having fun. I think Sharon is doing a great job and we look forward to having our kids attend one of her classes. If you're interested or want to learn more please visit their website

www.crossfitcaveman.com/wordpress/

Warming up with some squats

Ande was nervous in the beginning and frustrated because she wanted to do everything just perfect and if she doesn't she gets very angry...just like her daddy. ;)

(Both Photos above and below by: Noel)

Here is Coach Sharon giving Gideon some pointers.

We played games and worked out. Everything we did was fun exercises that the kids enjoyed doing and they learned exercises movements. Ande and I had fun doing shoulder press together.

A Date, a Trip, a Celebration and a Birthday!

2010-06-18T17:06:00.002-05:00

Benjamin and I out on our date night...I don't know why my picture is like this. I think I messed up our camera.

For our date night we went and saw a play down at the Alley Theatre. We love plays and this one was funny. We saw Boeing Boeing and laughed. You can read about it HERE.

We had a fun time and a wonderful dinner.

We were invited by some of our friends to spend the day at Moody Gardens. We had never been and it was hot but really fun. We didn't realize how much stuff there was to do. We went to the Aquarium, the Butterfly exhibit and then headed over to swim for a while.

The kids checking out the fish.
Us at the Butterfly exhibit.

We had a really fun time and can't wait to go back.

then on Sunday....

we celebrated Father's Day with daddy! The kids got up early and we went and bought daddy his favorite donuts! He was very excited about that. We grilled some delicious food for lunch, had a nap then went and saw Toy Story 3 together.

The movie was so much fun and the best one out of the three in my opinion.

Hun, you're one awesome dad!! We love you!

Then on Monday it was my birthday...

I have always celebrated my birthday with Father's Day and that has always been a treat!

My peeps took me to dinner at Pappasitos, one of my FAV restaurants then we got some ice cream for dessert.

We had a wonderful weekend!!

Open up!!

2010-06-15T17:02:00.000-05:00

Recently Olive Garden opened up by our house...so of course we had to try it! We went up there with Jen and Jesse and the kids and had yummy lunch. Here are my kids yelling at door that they are hungry!

Gymnastics and Dance

2010-06-12T16:53:00.000-05:00

This summer I put G in gymnastics and A in dance...they are having so much fun!! Gideon loves to hop around and does pretty well. Ande loves to dance and is having a blast dressing up and dancing around.

G flying!

Up up and away!

Ande dancing with friends.

Ande and Aly with their teacups!

Happy Birthday G!!

2010-06-07T16:47:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday G!!!

(He reminds me of my cousin Jesse in this picture!!)

G is 3 today and is such a big boy!!!

Gideon shares his birthday with two of his bestest buddies!!! Carson, Gayton and Gideon were all born on the same day! My girlfriends and I weren't even due on this date! It is so much fun to celebrate with people you love! Happy Birthday Big Guy!

G's first Dentist Visit

2010-06-04T16:43:00.002-05:00

Ande got a regular cleaning then helped G not be afraid when it was his turn.
He had many questions!

After they were all answered he let her clean his teeth.

Clean smiles!!

Shades

2010-06-03T16:42:00.000-05:00

The coolest cats around!!

The Zoo

2010-06-02T16:36:00.002-05:00

We love the Zoo. We recently headed over to the zoo to see the Dinosaur exhibit with some friends. The kids had fun seeing these "big guys" as Gideon called them.

Mad Scientists

2010-06-01T16:21:00.000-05:00

Mad Scientists!

We have a Children's Museum pass and we woke up and decided to head on over for the morning. The kids got the pass as a gift and it is fun to just head downtown for a few hours. We always have fun there.

Today was fun because we got to see a baby chick hatch. We almost didn't make it...after waiting around for 30 minutes the little guy decided to make its way out into the world. The kids really enjoyed it.

Happy Birthday little chick!

Last Soccer Game of the Season

2010-05-28T16:13:00.003-05:00

We love soccer season. Ande really shined this year and connected with the ball. It was so fun to watch her play and have fun.
Ande and Abby! Two-headed monsters!

Blocking the goal...Ande had fun the last couple of game blocking the goal. She did pretty good!

YEAH TEAM!

What a fun way to end the season...a nice pool party! Can't wait to start up in the fall again and this time G-dog will be playing!

End of the School Year

2010-05-26T16:06:00.002-05:00

The end of school is here and summer begins! The kids had a lot of fun this year. Gideon's first year of MDO was fun and he really enjoyed going. Ande just finished her second year and they both will be back in the fall. I am so excited Ande has another year home with me. I am not ready to send her to school!!! I love September birthdays!!!

Gideon getting a hug from Ande on his last day of school!
Gideon and one of his sweet teachers, Mrs. Julie! We love her!

Ande and the wonderful Mrs. Wells! I am so excited for her to teach Ande again next year!

Ande and Gideon getting ice cream with friends on the last day of school!!

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T09:17:00.004-05:00

Mother's Day was so fun. We took the kids down to the beach and had so much fun in the water with them. Ande woke up feeling very yucky..(two days later she came down with Strep...then Gideon followed) but she had a lot of fun in the ocean. The four of us have so much fun together and love to go on adventures! After a morning and afternoon of swimming and eating our pinic lunches, we headed and went to dinner. It was a perfect day with my loves.

These are some cute pictures we took of the kids at church on Mother's Day. Every year our church takes a family photo and we get a copy for free. Thanks for a wonderful day!

Titus Mom

2010-05-07T15:24:00.005-05:00

This is Barbara my Titus Mom at MOMS. I hope everyone has a Barbara in their life because she is wonderful! She is funny, genuine, smart, silly, wise, has a beautiful love for the Lord and one purity Grandma!

Barbara, thank you for a wonderful year! You were always there when we needed you and we had a lot of fun this year! I have learned a lot from you and can't wait to see you again!

Nat's Birthday

2010-05-07T09:23:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Nat! We've known these crazy characters since college and love them lots! It's always fun to celebrate your birthday Natty!!

Mother's Tea

2010-05-06T15:13:00.003-05:00

G's class had a Mother's Tea today and it was so much fun. The kids helped and set the table and we ate donuts! It was adorable. The class had made recipe boxes for the moms. On the boxes were pictures of the kids throughout the year. So precious!!!

Me and my boy!

The kids also gave the moms a book mark. While we were there the moms put their thumbprint on the back and then we used our child's thumbprint for the pedals. So sweet.

G squared!

The Gerber baby!

My friend Shannon and 2 of her babies.

Cinco de Mayo

2010-05-05T15:11:00.000-05:00

The kids stopped for a quick photo before running on the playground with some friends.

Home Bound

2010-05-03T21:08:00.001-05:00

We love you Grandma and Papa!

We had a blast with you.

Can't to see you again!!!

Love, A&G

Warrior Dash

2010-05-01T18:59:00.006-05:00

What the heck is Warrior Dash?
Warrior Dash is the ultimate event for thrill-seeking athletes. This running series is held on some of the nation's most demanding and unique terrain. Participants will conquer extreme obstacles and celebrate their feat with music, beer, warrior helmets and muddy shorts.
B and I had a lot of fun with our Cross Fit buddies up in Dallas this past weekend at the Warrior Dash. The dash was held in Forney, TX and was just pure muddy fun! It consisted of 14 obstacle courses...Texas Tornado, Walk the Plank, Rio Run, Black Forest, Strait Rush, Mud Climb, Mud Slide, Bunker Blitz, Hay Fever, Breathless Bog, Splintering Spools, Cargo Climb, Warrior Roast and the Muddy Mayhem.

A few of us ran off to tried to win the heat...cough cough my husband of course. He didn't want to stay and play around he was out to win! Love ya babe! A few of us had a blast hanging out, laughing and trying to get as muddy as possible!! Grace and I just wanted MUD!! One of the best parts was the mud slide. We had fun sliding down then racing in the water. It was really slippery and we all had a blast pushing each other around and getting dirty.

Here are some CF buddies crawling under the barb-wire.

The Gang after we hosed off.

My brother in Daniel came up for the event. Daniel got 4th in his heat! We don't have the results yet so we don't know which brother won!

Me and Grace

Afterwards we all hung out, drank beer, ate turkey legs and sausage!!

Then we headed back to the hotel, tried to get all the mud off then went to dinner at the Spaghetti Factory. I forgot how yummy that place was. The last time I ate there was in college when Big XII's were in Austin, TX. I had my fair share of bread!! YUMMY! After we stuffed ourselves we headed back to the hotel and hit the sheets! It was a lot of fun.

Warriors heading home!

Pizza Time

2010-04-30T21:28:00.005-05:00

Our Zoo plans were cancelled because of the rain. We decided to try Incredible Pizza. We've never taken the kids there so we thought we try it out. I didn't realize how big the place was. They have a race track, a little put put golf, a pizza buffet and lots of games.

Gideon wanted to drive all day long! Grandma was there just to put her foot on the gas peddle.

We had a lot of fun racing. Gideon rode with grandma and Ande rode with me. We were the only ones on the track and no one in line so the guy let us go around a couple more times. The kids got a big kick out of racing and Ande was yelling "BEAT GRANDMA!" My mom and Gideon won and Gideon was yelling "We are the winners!" Hahaha

Fun Times.

Spring Performance

2010-04-28T20:47:00.005-05:00

The kids stayed home from school last week since Grandma and Papa are here. My parents got to see where the kids go to school and see Ande sing in her Spring Performance.

Gideon and Gayton playing in the pew.
We didn't realize until half way through that there was childcare.

Ande singing "Fire Truck Fire Truck."

Ande singing "Doodley Doodley Doo" with her guitar she made.

The whole school singing.

There two goof balls waiting for the slideshow to start.

Children's Museum

2010-04-27T21:19:00.008-05:00

We had so much fun at the Children's Museum. A couple of awesome gifts the kids have received from the grandparents have been a Zoo pass and Museum pass. We take the kids a lot and it's fun to take the grandparents when they come into town too. It was so fun to go to the Children's Museum today because we haven't taken the kids since they've redone the museum.

Ande in the Science Lab working with atoms. ;) She studied everything very carefully.

Gideon had a lot of fun building, this was right up his alley!

We talked about different cities, shapes, sizes and tried to figure out how to make all the shapes fit in the city.

Ande riding a motor scooter in Taiwan. This section showed different cultures from different countries and things they do there. In Taiwan they drive these scooters around everywhere.
Ande laughed at the picture to her left. The guy has a bunch of chickens stuffed into baskets on his scooter.

Gideon carrying food. He thought he was lifting weights like daddy.

One of the new sections in the museum consist of a T.V. station, Bank, Vet Clinic, Grocery Store, Diner, a Bank, art studio and a few more. They were all life size for kids. Here Gideon is cooking us dinner in the Diner. It had a soda fountain and full kitchen. He had a blast.

Ande had fun being our waitress.

Ande had a lot of fun being a checker at HEB. She would check out little kids that had just went shopping. There is an actual touch screen and you select what you bought, ie..fruit, bread etc.. and it gives you a total. We all had fun shopping.

Gideon probably enjoyed the outside the best. They have a big Water Works station. It had a lot of components, pipes etc...and a long river. There were toys for the kids to put into the water and watch it float down stream.

After lots of playing and learning we ate lunch and the kids fell asleep before we exited the parking lot!

Discovery Green

2010-04-26T20:43:00.007-05:00

Picture from Discovery Green Website

A friend of mine told me about the Discovery Green.

The kids had fun playing and running around. We packed a lunch and ate in the park. My parents really lucked out with some beautiful weather. It was gorgeous out.

Great place to tire out the kids before nap time! We had fun walking around the park, playing, eating and getting wet in the spray park.

Aggie Baseball

2010-04-25T20:27:00.005-05:00

Grandma and Papa flew in on Friday! We are excited to have them here. They got to see Ande play soccer on Saturday and that was such a treat. My mom cried when she scored a goal...too funny and so sweet. hehe

Sunday we headed down to Aggieland for a baseball game. We had plans to go earlier in the season with some of our good friends but we didn't get to go. So Benjamin bought tickets to see the Aggies play Oklahoma and surprise my parents. My parents have never been to an Aggie game so we were super excited to take them. The game was Sunday at 1pm and it couldn't have been a more beautiful day. The sun was shining bright, there was a cool breeze and it was only 72 degrees. We even got red!! haha Great day for some baseball and.....

some LAYNE'S!!!!
If you've never had Layne's chicken fingers you're missing out. They are DE-LISH!!
My little AG's.

Benjamin and I ordered food like we were back in college! What were we thinking??? My parents looked at us and started laughing. We didn't finish it at all but we had a lot of fun trying!

Daddy and G-Dog

The Swan Family

When we arrived at Olsen Field, Ande and Gideon were chosen to run on the field and stand next to a player for the national anthem. They were the littlest Ag's to be chosen, Ande was super excited. Gideon was excited at first then started crying until...

the Diamond Darlings came and took him from Benjamin. Carly, was holding Gideon, held him the entire time and the girls got a kick out of him showing off his Gig'em thumb!! Daddy was proud!

The parents couldn't go on the field so I tried to zoom in as close as I could. Gideon (black arrow) is with third baseman Matt Juengel and Ande (pink arrow) was put with second baseman Adam Smith.

We had a lot of fun at the game. The Aggies lost but, the highlight was Gideon landed a fly ball! WHOOP! All he talked about while he was at the game was " Dad, I want a baseball!" Well, a ball happened to land right where we were sitting and rolled right to Gideon's feet! It was so awesome. There were a bunch of 10yrs olds sitting next to us with their gloves on and they started to charge for the ball, their moms held them back and let Gideon get it. It was so sweet! The moms knew he wanted a ball because he told everyone! He was grinning ear to ear and was showing the boys his ball. He was a happy boy!!

A&G

Class of 2028 & 2029 WHOOP!!

Bayou City Competition

2010-04-17T20:10:00.004-05:00

I survived my first CrossFit competition. I say survived because I was scared out of my wits to compete. After my husband pushing me and me finally giving in, Grace, one of the coaches put me on a team...not any team but on one of the STANDARD teams. I about flipped out. After everything was said and done, I was very happy with myself and glad I did RX. The difference between a Standard and Scaled division is the amount of weight you use. Standard is harder (for me), but it was an amazing experience and I had fun.

Bayou City Crossfit hosted a team event, I thought they did a great job hosting. The only thing missing from the event was my biggest fan, my husband. He had a trip planned since January so he wasn't able to be there. But I could hear him in my head cheering me on! And he was texting up my cell phone.

Here are the 2 Work Outs we did:

CrawFish MegaFest Team WOD
Hosted by Bayou City CrossFit

WOD 1:
“If you can move it you can pull it”
Move weights from start position to Lifting position
30 Deadlifts (as a team) every one on the team must do 1 clean lift. M 255/W 165 (Scaled 225/135)
40 Wall Balls (as a team)
50 Clean and Jerks (as a team) same as above M 135/W 95 (Scaled 115/65)
60 Wall Balls (as a team)
70 OHS (as a team) as a above M 95/W 65 (Scaled 65/45)
80 Wall Balls

Move the weights back to start box

WOD 2:

“Team Sand Bag Relay”
One member will run 400 M w/Sandbag while the other members are at their stations:
KB Swings 53/35 (Scaled 35/25)
Box Jumps 24″ must jump (Scaled 20″ can step)
Row for Cal.Once that person comes back they will rotate.
Final time is when the last person gets back add up all reps, then subtract that from over all time.

The Skull Crushers!!

I was very nervous to compete RX because of the weight. I am an endurance girl who is getting stronger and have done a handful of RX workouts since I started CrossFit. My 1 Rep max deadlift is 165, that was the weight in the competition. I had only done 90 pound clean and jerks the week before this competition, the weight for the competition was 95.
So needless to say I was scared and felt that I was going to let my team down. My team was awesome, not to mention they are all amazing athletes. They told me to just have fun and to only do 1 deadlift and they'd do the rest. LOL It's funny, a couple of days before the competition I went over to Bayou City's website and was looking around. I love to check out other crossfit sites and see how they work compared to Atomic. I found one of the coaches blogs, Katie Russell blog. I've seen Katie compete before and she is awesome. The one thing that stuck out to me though was the heading on her blog...it read, "Being the best is not about beating everyone else. Its about beating who you were yesterday."
Being competitive person, of course I want to win but, this statement calmed my nervous down. I went into the competition and just tried to do my best. Well I did, I did 4 deadlifts, which means I know I am on my way to lifting more weight. (I have no hamstrings though...I am really trying to work on this. Being a swimmer I didn't need to use my hamstrings. This is probably one of my weakest areas. hehe) And I did 10 clean and jerks at 95!!! I had only done 90 the week before so I was super excited!!!! I really did beat who I was the day before, and that was an awesome feeling. I didn't get a chance to tell Katie that her blog heading inspired me. Hopefully I will get a chance in the future. Thanks Katie!

The Atomic CrossFit Gang.

Our team did well. I really enjoyed the second WOD a lot more. I love anything that has running in it, I can run all day. But we had four good runners on our team so this helped a lot. All in all it was a great experience and a lot of fun.

Spring Soccer

2010-04-15T20:10:00.002-05:00

Soccer has started again! Ande has started her 3rd season and having fun. This is a picture of her at her first game. She actually played with her purple flower the entire game. We are now into accessorising, thanks to Crystal Jill and Miss Sheree! I don't know what I what I am going to do with them. ;)

Ande with her buddies Will and Carson.
Ande has been really playing well and she is a pretty good runner. She has a hard time kicking the ball at an angle but her coaches are really working with the kids on that right now. It has been so fun to watch her grow and see how much she has learned over the last two seasons.

Benjamin and I can't wait to see Gideon start playing in the fall. This boy has been ready and is always out on the field at every break and any chance he gets. Keep up the good work G-dog!

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T20:21:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter!

He has risen!!!

Me and the kiddos at our church, River Pointe, for the annual Easter Egg hunt!

Ande going for a dive. The kids had a lot of fun finding eggs, or should I say collecting eggs as fast as they could.

Memorial Herman Hospital was a sponsor and they had a ambulance and firetruck there that the kids could go on and look around in. Gideon of course had to see all the trucks. He is so in LOVE with trucks, backhoes, cars basically anything with wheels. The kids also had fun in the bounce house and running around chasing each other.

We had a wonderful Easter. It was such a beautiful warm sunny day. A perfect day!

Train Conductor

2010-03-27T20:04:00.006-05:00

I had to post this picture of my little Gideon, doesn't he look so cute as a Train Conductor??

While he was sick Jill and the kids brought it over to cheer Gideon up. He wouldn't take it off for anything, he insisted on wearing the outfit with his Buzz Lightyear jammie pants. Gideon would rather wear his costumes than he real clothes, such a boy.

Thanks Friends!!!

Rough Times

2010-03-25T16:43:00.002-05:00

We're alive and well now. It was a crazy 5 weeks of sickness in the Swan House.

(A recap of February and most of March. Warning...Long post ahead. Memories for Mama.)

At the beginning of February Gideon and Ande had double ear infections. Along with that they were both coughing bad and Benjamin battling a virus also. We had seen our allergist 4 times in 2 weeks and Gideon's ears hadn't healed since November (constant ear infections and one ear drum rupture) and his tonsils had been so inflamed our ENT said, "It's time to take the tonsils and adenoids out and put the tubes back in." We found a week later on a Friday afternoon, that the doctor had scheduled his surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids and put tubes back in for the following Thursday.

As the middle of February approached on a Friday, Gideon started not feeling well...nothing to be worried about, but he started running a fever on a Saturday. I gave him Tylenol then put him back to bed and Ande was fine. The next morning...1230 AM to be exact, Ande woke up and started throwing up...4 hours later we heard Gideon and ran to his room and sure enough he started throwing up. There was vomit all over the house...it was our first vomit attack and we didn't like it and hope it doesn't hit us anytime soon. ;) All that fun lasted until about 230pm on Sunday. That night Ande was able to put down some food and slept Sunday night. Gideon on the hand, continued to run a fever and started a nasty barking cough and didn't sleep well that night. The vomiting stopped and Monday he was still really lethargic coughing like crazy and wasn't himself at all. After being up all night with him and since he looked like a train hit him I picked him up and took him to our pediatrician. We were suppose to see the ENT that afternoon for Gideon's pre-op visit. I had a feeling we wouldn't be going to that appointment. The doctor said they seemed to have had a 24hour virus that has passed, Ande was weak but she seemed to be on the mend. Gideon on the other hand had RSV. What?

After a long talk with my pediatrician and calling the ENT, both doctors decided to cancel the surgery until he is well enough. We were home bound until the following week to prevent him from getting any other sickness. That was not fun. During that time we also found out that his milk allergy had returned! ARG! That was not news we were expecting to hear from the tests our allergist had run. So needless to say I am back making separate meals again. We are having him tested in 6 months to see if the allergy is gone.

(We missed a birthday party while Gideon was sick and my girlfriend brought over two goodie bags from the party to give to the kids along with a meal. So sweet!! The party was a monster truck party and Ande wrapped up the monster truck and gave it to Gideon. So sweet.)

(Ande reading to Gideon, she did that a lot. He loves to hear her tell (make-up) stories! Again, she was such a big help while he was ill.)

As Gideon was recovering we tried to stay as sane as possible. We are blessed with friends that brought us dinners and treats for the kids. THANK YOU!!!

(Gideon on an off day post surgery. Poor guy fell asleep in the middle of the house.)

After 10 days at home...Gideon was cleared for surgery. We actually went up to Methodist Hospital 36 hours later to have the surgery. After waiting 45 minutes the doctor came out and told us he did great and he removed so very LARGE tonsils that needed to come out. He did have a hard time coming out of the anesthesia but once we got him home he was okay. Our ENT, Dr. Devorkin said his recovery would be 2weeks and be a yo-yo affect. Boy was it ever a yo-yo affect! The first three days he was yucky, tired, didn't eat or drink and just cried. We felt so bad for the guy and tried our darn est to keep him comfortable. We almost had to admit him back into the hospital for dehydration. But finally after forcing him to drink he got better. The next couple of days were awesome. He was drinking, eating, playing and being himself again. We thought "what a speedy recovery!" Then the next morning he woke up he didn't eat, didn't play was running a fever and didn't even move all day. Yo-yo recovery it was! After about 10 days he seemed pretty much fine has been.

During this whole time (for about a month) Benjamin was really sick as well. Benjamin's asthma was horrible. He couldn't even walk from the house to the mailbox without coughing up a lung. He got a nasty virus and it just sat inside him for a month. He missed the Cross fit sectionals, he couldn't workout and he wasn't eating. I had never seen him so sick and exhausted in the entire time we've known each other and I've know him for 13 years! My poor hunny took a while to recover. His asthma is still lingering but he is doing A LOT better.

We laughed because usually spend all of our grocery money before the month is out. We actually had half of our grocery money left because no one was eating for a while around here! Well, the savings didn't last, we're back to spending the money all before the month is over. I guess that's okay and that means no one is sick. HAHA

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T16:56:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Busy week...

2010-02-08T16:42:00.001-06:00

Last week was a crazy week. Sick kids...my poor babies. We went to the allergist not once but twice! After being up all night with Ande we took her in on Monday. She had two ear infections and had a yucky cough. She is on meds for 15 days, a steroid for 6 days and she is on a new inhaler. She is doing much better now. Friday we took Gideon in because he was up all night...he had two ear infections, (both tubes fell out last summer), on meds for 15 days, he had a yucky cough and she said he probably will have to have his tubes put back in and his adenoids taken out soon. But, he's doing fine.

Friday night we attended the Hearts and Hammers Gala for the Fort Bend CORPS with some of our dear friends. Barkley was being honored at the event for all the hard they do for the Fort Bend community. The food was yummy, everyone looked so great and the company was awesome. Thanks for a wonderful night friends!!!

Sunday we went to church at Joy Lutheran Church with our dear friends The Leike's. Their youngest, Emma Rose was being baptised. The service was wonderful and Emma Rose was such a sweet girl the whole time. (She is always is ;)) Here we are at the end of the service...everyone but Gideon was happy. After the service we enjoyed some delicious BBQ at The Leike's!! The kids played and we had a great time visiting. Benjamin had to leave early because we were having someone come out and fix our tile. We've had some cracked tile and it needed to get fixed. It has been a thorn in our side for a while.

Side note...Mom here is our new sink! We also have had a leaky faucet for a while and it needed to be replaced. We ended up getting a new sink also. I love this sink and it reminds me of the one my grandma had when I was little...you know the kind you can give babies a bath in. I can probably wash Gideon in it! HA!

Our friend Juan helped us and we took the tile up and he laid the new ones down. It's fun to live in a home until you have to fix things. ;)

It's nice to walk into the

bathroom and not feel the tile move anymore. Now we need to fix the other tiles...ARG!

Gideon had a lot of fun watching and wanting to help. He loves to help clean, fix and take apart things.

Thief

2010-02-04T16:53:00.004-06:00

Isn't this thief cute? I think so.

I was looking for my camera the other day

and when I found it, I also found a lot of other stuff.

This little thief loves to take pictures.

Loves to take pictures of herself too!

This is what I found on my camera...

Her picture she has hanging on the fridge... another picture of the thief...
another coloring page...
the color page finished...
the thief said she made her partner in crime pose for this shot...
and last but not least one of thief's favorite dresses.

Lumber Jack

2010-02-01T16:36:00.003-06:00

It's been cold around here lately and Gideon has

really enjoyed wearing his rain boots EVERYWHERE!

He just melts my heart!

2010-01-31T20:29:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Uncle Pete!!

We love you and miss you!

Love, Ande and Gideon

solar system

2010-01-30T14:17:00.004-06:00

we finally used the

Outer space pancake molds

we bought the kids.

they are really cool and the kids each picked

which one they wanted for breakfast.

Saturday morning has become our skillet

morning. ;)

Gideon wanted the moon

Ande wanted Saturn

and mama ate the sun

daddy wanted all three when he

got home from the gym.

Ande said "dad, you're eating the

whole solar system!"

haha

we just laughed.

she is really into space right now.

the last couple of times we've been to the library she has

got books on outer space.

here are the pancakes cooking.
the kids had fun helping
me pour the batter
into the molds.

then the fun part,

flipping them.

I need to master

taking them out of the molds

better.

they stuck to the molds pretty

good...I might have to spray the molds

next time with pam.

anywhoo, they turned out great! the

kids loved them.

swimming test

2010-01-29T14:13:00.004-06:00

well the end of G's

2-week swim

session is

over.

here he is jumping out

to ms. megan
he did very well and
passed his guppy
test!

the kids getting a ride on the

fun mat.

gideon about to jump

to ms. megan

thanks ms. megan!!

we are so proud of gideon

not only did he have

fun...he didn't cry this whole week

he had fun and asked

everyday to go

"to my swimming lessons"

he can float very well and

he is not scared of

the water like he use to be.

what a fun day

we had!

great job gideon and gayton!!!!

profile

2010-01-28T19:23:00.012-06:00

Benjamin was featured on

SIC FIT

"Sic Fit is SICFIT is a resource for affiliates and athletes driven by media content. It is an online platform created to raise awareness, inform, and educate in the community. SICFIT was created for all affiliates to share videos, articles, pictures, and capture the movement of the elite fitness community." (Sic fit website)

Benjamin is just one of the many athletes that will be

competing in March at the Cross fit sectionals.

We have a few athletes from Atomic that will be

competing and Beth is one of them that was featured

on the site as well.

check out Beth Spearman.

She has become a good friend and is such an amazing athlete.

I love when she coaches, she brings the best out of us! I am so excited for our buddies at Atomic and all of the

other athletes that are competing. We have met some really

neat and special people in this sport.

All of these athletes are amazing and very talented.

check out

Central Southern Texas Sectional

website

for more athlete profiles.

chalk fun

2010-01-27T14:11:00.002-06:00

kids drawing

their

masterpieces!

chalk time is so

much fun!

reflection time

2010-01-27T12:34:00.001-06:00

after a fun time playing

the kids and I sat

down by the fire.

I told them them mama was going to sit

for a minute and reflect.

I have been working on really trying to listen to the Lord

more.

I told them I wanted

them to sit nicely for a few

minutes and think about all the things

that God does for you.

I was very impressed that they both sat there

so peacefully and didn't say

anything. maybe they were quiet

because they were tired. ;)

I love that my kids are understanding so much

about the Lord at an early age! It makes

me so excited and fills

my heart up with JOY.

FYI: reflection time lasted 2 minutes.

Haha

hey it's a start!

playtime

2010-01-25T12:29:00.003-06:00

playing in the candy land play

area is always fun!

ready...set...hike!

2010-01-23T12:10:00.005-06:00

ready...set...hike...catch...run...

we've never been to Velocity

Sports before until now.

we had so much fun celebrating Logan's

birthday there.

the only sad thing about this place is

you have to be "5" to have a birthday

party there.

I know G would crazy over this place!

the kids played football, basketball, ran up and down the field,

jumped off the boxes, tried to lift weights and just

had some old-fashion good running around time.

Logan has always been into sports...seriously.

since that boy could hold a ball

in his hands he hasn't looked

back.

this was the perfect place for his party.

Logan we had fun celebrating with you.

books

2010-01-22T08:31:00.003-06:00

swimming lessons have been going well.

yesterday was the first

day Gideon didn't

cry at all!!!

I feel we are slowly making progress

and he is slowly getting it.

It's funny how kids pick things up.

we are very proud of our little fish!

at our MOMS meeting yesterday

we had a wonderful woman speak.

Anne Beecroft, she is our

Early childhood pastor

and is such a wonderful

lady!

I just love her!

her talk was on

behavior modification vs. real life Christ change

is focused on the Proverbs 18:21 message

"the tongue has the power of life and death, and those

who love it will eat it's fruit."

I basically think of it has, think before you speak,

your words can get you in trouble or send

a different message.

It was a wonderful talk and I got a lot

out of it.

I wanted to post some resources

she recommended because

I love to pass information on

because you never know who might

be needing it.

"the power of words" by Nancy Leigh Demoss

"shepherding a child's heart" by Tedd Tripp

I have not read either of these

two books but look forward to sitting

down with some coffee and reading them.

Enjoy!

full day

2010-01-20T20:03:00.003-06:00

happy birthday to Jackson!

this morning we met our little boy group for

a play date. it also happened to be

Jackson's bday...so

we stopped by the and bought

cookies to celebrate.

can you believe how nicely

all of these boys...oh and my little Ande

are sitting?

it's because they all had a nice

chocolate chip cookie to eat!

we had fun meeting friends

this morning...then meeting more friends

later at our other playgroup...then

continued to play...ran errands...came home

took a nap...had swim lessons...

went to the store...made dinner...bath time...

then went to bed.

it was a very productive day! most of all we spent

time with friends. they are special

and make us happy.

night night!

swimming lessons

2010-01-18T18:44:00.003-06:00

Todaywe started Gideon in swimming lessons

he wasn't happy

not at first.

Then he saw his buddy Gayton

and

I saw the smiles.

Benjamin and I didn't want to wait until
summer for him to get "acquainted"
with
the water.
This one is going to give us trouble.

So, we enrolled in him lessons at Houston Swim Club.
He has to do a two week everyday course and pass a float test before
he can move to the next class. Ande did this two summers ago.
I can't believe G is the same age
when Ande started her 2 week session.
Where does the time go???

He was fine until it was time to enter the pool.
He cried for the first 10 minutes
then he seemed to be okay.
He cried again when
it was time
to lye
on his back.
Then cried again when they put him
on the mat.

They say he will be just fine
after a few days,
I know he will, he doesn't have
a choice but to get use to it.
This is why I am so glad I didn't
put him in mommy and me.
It would of been waste of money
because he would of been
on me like white on rice!

His buddy Gayton did awesome, he cried for a second
and I think that's because of
one of the other students in their class.
This poor girl cried, well screamed actually the entire time.
Hopefully she'll be okay tomorrow.

2010 Houston Half Marathon

2010-01-17T12:34:00.003-06:00

Benjamin- 2:01:03 Katie-1:48:51

(Nat, B and Katie before the race)

Today Benjamin completed his first half marathon.

It was kind of sick actually, he didn't even train for it!

I am so proud of him though even if he didn't train for it...he's just that good.

Still makes me sick though. ;) This race was so fun. For me it was not my fastest but it was the best I've ever felt. And that made me feel good. A lot of it has to do with the fact that I continued to cross train through the entire season. A lot of my training has been more with Crossfit and less at "regular weights." I love it and it's addicting! Since starting Crossfit last June, I have never felt so good! I love to run and workout it makes me feel good. It's my stress reliever. And, I need it.

Nat did great she's a good runner. We trained with our friends Dawn, Cyndi and Sherry. They're good runners also and a lot of fun to be around. They're funny, sweet, beautiful women. I like that they like to run. Every time I do a race I LOVE watching the runners.

There are always so many that run and each person is running for their own reason.

Maybe for a cause, a goal, for someone, for themselves, to make a difference or they run to just run. No matter what the reason may be, it is inspiring to me.
When you start a race
everyone is a crowded together, huddled close, anxious.
There is so much energy and strength in the crowd it just pulls you in,makes you want to go. And that's a good feeling.

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

Expo

2010-01-15T13:44:00.003-06:00

we had some errands to run.

aunt nat had to stop by

one of her sights

downtown.

so we carpooled to the Expo at the

george brown convention

center.

the kids were really good

and let me pick

up my packet quick

and get home.

we did get to look around

buy a few things, then

we headed home.

headed home with some new

running shoes.

that made the rainy day seem like it

was a nice sunny day! ;)

Jammies

2010-01-11T13:28:00.003-06:00

popcorn is good at 10am.

jammies are toasty roasty to watch a movie in.

pancakes are good for lunch.

jammies are nice to

a nap in.

it's fun to color in jammies too.

leftover taco soup is yummy.

bedtime is easy when you've been

wearing your jammies all day!

wear your jammies all day with your mama

and you'll have fun too!

french toast and coffee

2010-01-09T14:14:00.007-06:00

it's the best thing in the world when your kids

want to help you make breakfast, lunch and even dinner!

ande loves to take charge of

the grill and

help daddy with

making

yummy french toast. G loves to

help me make

coffee.

he hasn't had a

chance to really help

until now.

our coffee maker

broke and good

thing we kept our old one.

since we were

out of diet coke

coffee was NEEDED!

it was a little

strong thanks to G's

measuring skills.
;)

some of my favorite peeps.

they're my favorite because I didn't have to cook. I usually don't

cook when daddy's home. I love it that he has his little helper that is at his side

at the drop of his hat to help. it's the best! it really is!

dynamic duo

2010-01-08T13:53:00.004-06:00

deep in the living...under

a burrow of a blanket

there were

two small shooters

yelled...

ready...aim...fire!

there lied

one duck

who didn't get

away.

then hours later...

three different

colored trains

couldn't escape.

poor trains they never

had a chance

against the

dynamic duo.

2010-01-01T20:30:00.000-06:00

Happy 2010!!

2010 is here...we hope you all have

a blessed year!

The End of 2009

2009-12-31T09:53:00.002-06:00

Was celebrated very casually...you can't get any more casual than Chuck-E-Cheese.

The kids spent most of their break

up until now, sick. So it was a low key day and night.

We had a fabulous time watching

daddy shoot the deer,

Ande tear up the skee ball machine,

G-dog kick the heck out of the soccer ball and I had fun taking

in all the laughing and memories.

That night we were very low key, dinner and games with some friends.

The kids getting ready to sing

Happy Birthday

Michael!

G&L

Happy New Year!

Thing 1 & Thing 2

Happy New Year!

Love,

The Swans

Mr. The King

2009-12-30T16:28:00.004-06:00

I lost my phone for quite a while today. It was not fun. My son was playing with it then the next thing I knew...it was gone. Come to find out later I had my ringer on low so I couldn't hear it ringing very well while the search was on.

I looked all over the place, the normal hiding spots I actually found some other items during my search that had been missing, funny how that happens. I ended up emailing the last two people I had been talking with and told them to call my phone a few times thinking I might hear it. No such luck, like I said earlier the ringer was on low. After an hour I was not happy. I even went through the trash! Yuck! I can't wait until Gideon is out of diapers! I went back through the toy room again and when I saw his favorite rig sitting under the train table I thought surly it can't be in there...I opened it up and VIOLA my phone! I don't know why I didn't check all of his car stuff first since that's the ONLY thing he plays with these days. All is good and at least my phone didn't end up in the trash smelling like poopy diapers.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T13:55:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas

Witten, we will see you next year!

We always enjoy opening our stockings Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T13:38:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve and Gramps Birthday!

We've had a very lazy day today and loved every minute of it. We went to church this afternoon (pictures below) then came home and had our tamale dinner then opened gifts.

Grammy loved her bag Ande picked out.

Gideon was in love with his backhoe he got and didn't care about anything else he opened.

Uncle Daniel loves his new shirt.

Daddy decided to wear some of his new hunting gear.

Merry Christmas

Love, The Swans

Happy Birthday Gramps

2009-12-23T13:31:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Gramps.
Gramps birthday is actually tomorrow Dec. 24th but we are celebrating it tonight. This is first time we've been out since Gideon has had bronchitis and the sickness has gone around. Gramps wanted some BBQ so we headed over to Pappa's BBQ for dinner. It was yummo!!! We all left stuffed and happy!

Our Hats

2009-12-20T12:36:00.003-06:00

Little Pink Granny!"Paging Dr. Swan!"

Christmas Party

2009-12-19T18:10:00.004-06:00

Tonight we had our company Christmas Party! It was so fun and turned out great. Leah and I had fun putting this party together and we hope everyone had a good time. It was held at Maxim's Banquet Room which use to be Pappa Mia's Restaurant. The food was catered by Pappa's and was DE-LISH!!! You can't go wrong with Pappa's food can you? The place was decorated so beautifully and everyone looked fabulous!

Thank you Leah for all your help, it's always fun to work with you. Doesn't she look so beautiful!!!

Here is Uncle Daniel (the youngest of the three Swan boys), me and Benjamin.
Me and my Hun.

Grammy's has landed in Houston!!

2009-12-17T18:01:00.006-06:00

Where's Grammy??

Grammy and Gramps will be visiting us this year for Christmas. Grammy flew in a few days early from Oregon to watch the kids while daddy and mommy go on a short one night trip. The kids were so excited to see Grammy! Of course they have to tell her everything the minute she walked through the door...but Grammy's can hear everything so we know she heard all the good news! ;)

Still feeling the pain

2009-12-15T15:53:00.004-06:00

The picture you are staring is the famous Snuffers Cheddar Fries! After the competition on Saturday in Dallas we headed over to Snuffers for dinner before leaving town. Our good friends told us to go eat there and try their famous Cheddar Fries. Let's just say I think I am still feeling them even after 5 days! The fries are made from Idaho potatoes topped with lots of cheddar, bacon, chives and jalapenos. We only ate a few before we felt like up chucking them...they were SSSOOOOOOOOO good though. If your ever in Dallas their is a Snuffers right by SMU University. Just tell'em the Swan's sent ya! HA!

It's fun to work out with friends

2009-12-14T17:13:00.001-06:00

L: "Ande watch. This is the right way to do an overhead squat."

L: "Arms up, abs tight!"
A: "oh!"

L: "Keep those abs tight and back straight you see?"

A: "back straight, got it."

L: " Don't bring your arms forward this like okay."

A: "k."

L: " Now, give me 4 burpees and let me see your squat again."
A: "4?"
L: " Yes, look it's 4 for your age or you can do 5 like Grace says, you choose."

A: " Alright 4 it is!"

L: "Get your arms all the way up! Good that's one, 3 more!"

Lounge around

2009-12-13T09:22:00.000-06:00

Today we lounged around and watched a lot of Football after church. It is so fun to sit with your hunny and watch football. The kids ran around like crazy playing, they stopped to say "Go Cowboys" then left again. (We won't talk about the Cowboy loss though.) We love Sundays!

I tried to get Benjamin to let us stay in Dallas another night so we can go to the Stadium and take one of the tours they had going on today...it was a no go. Dang it! lol

Polar Express

2009-12-11T09:02:00.005-06:00

After stopping by the famous Cracker Barrel in Conroe for an early lunch...we took our time up to Palestine, Tx for a ride on the Polar Express. This weekend was the perfect weekend for us since Benjamin had a competition up in Dallas the next day.

Arriving at the train station...Gideon and Ande were so excited when the train was parked there. They were able to get an up close view of the 108 year old train.

The Family

Waiting at the train station.

The train pulled back so it could make it's Grand debut! As we were waiting in line in the cold the kids decided to play in the leaves.

And make funny faces..

and growl like a tiger!

After some loud growling the train made it's debut!!

It was so fun to hear all of the kids cheering.

These two sweet ladies were our servers. They served us hot chocolate and cookies.

They even did a lot of dancing for us...the kids enjoyed the entertainment.

The conductor came around and took our tickets and punched them. Ande remembered this part from the movie.

While we were on our way to the North Pole the story was being read over the loud speakers. It was a little hard to hear with everyone talking. They also played lots of Christmas music.

And we made it...the North Pole.

They announced that Santa had boarded the train and all when that happened all the kids screamed on our car...it was so cute.

Santa came around and he and his elves handed out bells and Ande asked Santa to sign her ticket.

We had a wonderful time on the Polar Express we made it back to Palestine. Next stop Dallas, Texas.

Like Mama like son

2009-12-09T13:18:00.006-06:00

Today I had great day with my two little ones. We had a fun filled day of stuff to do with just the three of us. We had errands to run in Houston and also at the Galleria, the Galleria is a large shopping center in Houston.

The kids had fun watching people skate in the ice rink and Gideon was amazed at the Christmas tree they had in the middle of the rink. We went for a train ride, we finished getting a few gifts, we at lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe and we got our pictures taken with Santa! Ande was very excited to see Santa and told him what she wanted to for Christmas. Gideon on the other hand tried to top me by crying at the top of his lungs when Santa held him, but as you can see from the photo below of me and my sister...I think we still take the cake! I love the photos...I don't think you can ever take a bad photo with Santa. You will though always have fun memories!

The thing that could of made our day better is if Daddy had been with us. So I just told the kids we'd have to do this all over again with Daddy! They didn't object!

Deja Vu!

2009-12-08T08:10:00.000-06:00

Ande 10 months old

Ande 4 yrs old

I got Ande was sneaking around in the fridge after breakfast, I guess she was still hungry. As I saw her standing there I knew I had seen this before. So, I went into my saved photos and I found the photo of her at 10 months playing in the fridge! She's a little bit taller now and her hair is longer, but she can reach the top without my help now! And she didn't make a mess like she did 3 years ago. Fun memories

Tamales

2009-12-07T17:54:00.003-06:00

I'm too tired to post all my photos and talk about them. ;)

Every year growing up we always went to my Grandparents house and made Tamales at Christmas time...it is a Ramos family tradition of mine that I LOVE and have the best memories from! We'd all get together one evening, get our seats, spoons, Grandma would prepare our assembly line and we were off. Even when we were infants, we were sat at the table with a spoon full of masa and a hoja and put to work! When I started having kids of my own I wanted to make sure and continue the tradition. We've done it again this year and love it. Mine aren't anywhere near as good as Grandma's but I figure with every new year I can try and make them a little bit better. ;)

Every time I make them it makes me think of my Grandparents and being together with all of my family.

180 Tamales later and one stuffed mama=A very Merry Christmas!

The kitchen is closed until next Christmas.

Lunch on the floor

2009-12-06T07:59:00.001-06:00

We have really enjoyed the cold weather here and hope it will stay for a while. We won't hold our breath though! After we got home from church on Sunday, Daddy started a fire and it was nice and toasty in the house. Ande decided to make herself a little bed and bring her books and read. She stayed in the same position for a while and ended up watching the entire football game with us. We knew she was really comfy in her spot because she kept asking us to bring her food! What a turkey!!!

No Chairs?

2009-12-05T07:53:00.000-06:00

Breakfast counter style! I remember sitting on the counter when I was little and eating breakfast with my brother and sister, it was so much fun. Gideon and I decided to sit on the counter and have breakfast this morning. We had so much fun talking, drinking coffee and milk, eating waffles and laughing.

Snow!

2009-12-04T13:11:00.004-06:00

What an eventful morning we had here...snow snow and snow! Only if it would stick for a loooooooong time!! It is rare that Houston gets snow but when it does the town goes crazy! It really feels like Christmas! I personally wish I could live where it snowed I just love it! Here are the kiddos all bundled up and ready to go to our last Moms meeting of the season. Little flurries were starting to come down at 830am.
Today's meeting was a treat. All of our leaders also known at Titus Moms, spoke about their family traditions. It was absolutely lovely! I love these women, their love for the Lord, their giving hearts and the warm smiles they always greet us with.

After we enjoyed stuffing our faces with the delicious food that was brought and listening to the wonderful traditions...our table went outside for a group picture. We miss all of the ladies that couldn't make it. I hope they are all safe if they are out and about today.

Sheree, Jill and I snuck outside for a group photo. Doesn't it look like a blizzard outside???

This cross is located right outside the sanctuary and right by the lake. Isn't this an amazing picture?

This is how I found my car...burrrrrrrr.

My reindeer have snow!!!

We ran across the street to say hi to baby Gage!!

Everyone enjoying the snow falling down.

My lovely boy!

My palm trees have snow on them!!

The Griswold's

2009-12-02T16:42:00.003-06:00

We always start the month of December off with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! This is one of my favorite movies and I always watch it in the beginning of December! Clark Griswold makes me laugh so hard I usually cry.

What better way to start the holidays and get into the Christmas spirit!!!

Now go grab some popcorn and sit on the couch and watch you some Griswold family traditions!!

Click on the link below and watch one of my favorite scenes....

Christmas Dinner Scene

Caution: Be ready to laugh!!

No peeking!

2009-12-01T15:14:00.001-06:00

I have a little munckin around here that has already started peeking and shaking some of the presents!!

I told her Witten (our Elf) was watching her...she told me "Mama I peeked when Witten was napping with Gideon!"

What!!!

Where does this child come up with this stuff?