The Krauska Family Blog

Meet the Jackrabbits

autumn — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 02:05:01 +0000

Tonight was meet the Jackrabbits at our high school. There was also a punt, pass, kick competition that kids could enter in, so Brooke and Luke got to participate. Our next door neighbor Campbell is the Quarterback for the football team so we had to come to the event to support him! Brooke and Luke did really well in the competition and even won in each of their divisions! They were super excited and won sports passes for the year. We loved seeing other friends as well and had a fun evening supporting our Forney Jackrabbits!

Back to School

autumn — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 13:26:08 +0000

Summer is about to be over and school will be starting back up in a week and a half. I absolutely love summer time and the time I get to spend with my kids. This school year Brooke will be going into the fourth grade and Luke will be going into first grade. Time flies by and so do grade levels, it seems like yesterday I was walking Brooke into kindergarten! I told the kids I wanted to take back to school pictures and they did so great. I would pose them and then they would pose themselves. Luke had his own ideas for his pictures, Brooke had ideas for herself but the sweetest ones were the ones of them together. They posed themselves and Luke even asked Brooke to put her arms around him. Luke even came up with the one where they are holding hands walking on the side walk. They aren’t always this sweet to each other but when they are it melts my heart. They are excited for this upcoming school year and I pray that each of them learns, has fun and continues to grow in the Lord.

A Busy Saturday

autumn — Sun, 20 May 2018 02:59:09 +0000

Our Saturday was filled with soccer games. We started off in the morning with Luke’s last game of the season. His team did so good and only lost one game the entire season. We are so proud of our number 12! Brooke then had her last game of the season and they won so that meant they made it to the Championship game that would be played later that day. In between her games, our church had an event at the park so we went over there for a little bit before heading home to rest some. We then went back up to the fields for the championship game and unfortunately lost by one point. The other team got a lucky shot and we missed a few shots but our girls played so hard. They were so sad not winning first place but we are all so proud of them! Brooke got to play forward and some defense this season and I sure love watching her play. We are so proud and love our number 8. Now we get a summer break from soccer!

Easter in Whitney

autumn — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 15:04:33 +0000

My friend Tracey asked us to come to her parents house for their Easter celebration. We all love it out at her parents place, so we of course said yes! The kids were so excited to go, because they too love to play out at Mammy and Pawpaws. We had an egg hunt for the kids and they were super excited. Luke found the prize egg that Jackson hid and put his own money in it! The girls got some nail polish in a couple of their eggs and Luke was excited about the dinosaur bath bomb he got in one of his eggs. I made us spinach artichoke dip for a snack and it so oh so good! Then I made my fun dyed deviled eggs, which everyone seemed to like! Brandon fished of course and caught a nice size bass! We had a great time spending the day with the Porters in Whitney!

Yesterland Farm

autumn — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 13:03:45 +0000

My mom asked if we would go with her to Yesterland Farm for their Bunny Palooza. My kids love this place so I of course said yes. We also asked some of our friends to come along with us, so this made it even more exciting for me and the kids! We all went to church and then drove to Canton for lunch before going to Yesterland. We got the kids ride bracelets so that they could ride as many rides as they wanted. It wasn’t very busy so this bracelet was a great purchase! We started off taking some pictures with the cute backdrops and sets they had set up and then the rides began! Brooke and Luke love rides and rode every single ride possible! Brooke was so brave and rode the spinning circle cage ride with Ava. I thought for sure one of them would throw up, but they didn’t and loved it. Kenna was afraid of almost every ride at first and her faces in the pictures are just priceless to me. Oh Kenna had me laughing all day! I sure love this sweet girl! She got brave though and ended up riding roller coasters with her hands up and everything. The kids also visited the petting zoo, mined for gems, slide down the slide lots of times, caught candy from the candy cannon, went on a Easter egg hunt, rode a hayride and climbed a rock wall. We were there from open to almost closing time! The kids had a blast and so did us adults. Seeing pure joy and happiness from each of their faces was the best part! They were having fun and I got to experience that with them!

Fun Run 2018

autumn — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 12:57:05 +0000

Brooke and Luke had their Fun Run at school today. This is a fundraiser for their school and this year the funds went towards experiences for the kids! Brooke and Luke can’t wait for the experiences to come to their school. This was also Luke’s first year to do the fun run. He did run with Brooke last year but this year it was official! He was so excited! Both kids got some awesome support from or family and friends and we are very thankful and grateful for each of you who donated! Because of your generous donations, Brooke and Luke both earned so many prizes! Their favorite and their goal prize was the light up skateboard! Brandon and I went up to both kids runs and they loved having us there! Even Nana came to cheer them on! We had a great day and a great fun run!

Luke’s 6th Birthday Party

autumn — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 14:11:28 +0000

Luke wanted a ninja party and at first I wasn’t too sure but I love for them to pick their theme so I went with it. I asked if he wanted Ninja Turtles or Power Rangers but he just wanted Ninja. I thought having it at a karate or taekwondo place would be fun and Luke would love it! There is a place close to our home, so I went there and reserved it for his party! He was so excited and could not wait! He got to invite his friends and he decided he only wanted boys. He did however let Brooke’s friends come who had brothers that were coming. This birthday party was so much fun and not stressful at all! The staff at Young’s White Tiger was beyond helpful setting up and running the party! Master Lee was phenomenal and the kids loved it. She had them all saying yes ma’am, listening and working out. They all got to bounce on the bounce house first and then got to take a Teakwondo class and then each of them got to break a board. Luke was super excited about breaking his board. Even Mommy, Daddy, Papa and few parents got t break boards too! We then had pizza, cake where Luke got to cut it with the huge Samurai sword and then open presents. Then to end the party, Master Lee took them down to get ice cream at the ice cream shop. Again, this was such a fun party and one I will never forget!

Luke is 6!

autumn — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 17:31:43 +0000

Today, my sweet sweet boy turns 6! I say it every year but wow it went by fast. The saying that days are long but years are fast is so very true. I am holding on to each day and each moment because each of these are so precious. So today, Brooke and I woke Luke up by singing Happy Birthday to him. He got the cutest smile on his face and then stood up to give me a hug. He whispered in my ear, “I think I grew overnight.” To say he is excited about his birthday today is an understatement, he is THRILLED! He has been counting down the days and today it’s finally here! I ordered him “Luke is 6” donuts, which he absolutely loved and of course they had to be served on the special birthday plate and milk in the birthday cup! I walked him and Brooke into school today, dropped off the cupcakes for him and his class and then waited for the announcements. His name got called over the announcements that it was his birthday and he wanted me to hear it and see his birthday pencil and pencil gripe that he would get. This little boy means the world to me and his sweet spirit is just something I cherish so much. For dinner we met up with our family at Peter Piper Pizza. We had never been there before but it looked fun, so that is what he chose for his birthday dinner.

My Sweet Luke,
Oh how I love you so very much. You make Mommy so proud and happy. Your thoughtfulness and kindness is just so special and I cherish it so very much. You think of others, you know when to say the right things, you make people feel special, you are kind, sweet, stubborn as heck but love unconditionally. You bring so much life to anything you are doing that you are just simply fun and enjoyable to be around. You can bring a smile or laugh to anyone’s face. You are so smart and love to read. You have caught onto reading so fast and are doing such a great job at it. You like school but love being at home with mommy and daddy. To be honest….I love that you desire to spend time with me and Daddy, I hope this never changes. Every year I like to reflect on things that you are doing and things you like, so here we go. You love being outside, if you can be outside you are there! Playing outside, riding your bike, jumping on the trampoline, riding your scooter, playing soccer, playing basketball, playing at the park, fishing, hunting and just exploring are your favorite things to do. You got to go hunting for your first time this year and you absolutely loved it. You were asleep most of the time in the deer stand and even slept through Daddy shooting a deer, but you still loved it and can’t wait to go back and do it again. You are are so very smart and always love to create things. You can find anything and build or create something unique. I always say you love to make gadgets or contraptions of some sort. You tie string, rope, or whatever you can find to objects and create things to function in a way you have thought out in your head. You are so creative and I just love this about you. I love to see the things you create or make. You love your sister and look up to her. You want to be in her room, play with her friends and just be involved and in the center of her world. You sometimes get on her nerves and I am pretty sure you do this on purpose and just think its funny. You are learning the books of the bible and almost have the whole old testament down. You also love reciting the fruit of the spirit and even though you call gentleness “genesis” you continue with great confidence that the way you say it is correct. You are so much fun and I am so blessed and honored to be your mom. As I rocked you to sleep last night, I asked you to look in my eyes and I told you how proud I was of you and that you are so sweet to me and that I love you so much. Tears filled your eyes and you began to cry. I told you that I didn’t mean to make you cry and your words were, “you didn’t make me cry mom.” You have such a tender and sweet heart and last night just showed that again. I sure love you buddy and am so very proud of you. Happy 6th Birthday!

Love,
Mommy

Brooke’s Baptism

autumn — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 17:45:28 +0000

Brooke asked Jesus in her heart last summer (summer 2017) and since then has been asking to get baptized. She has been so excited for this day and I could not be more proud. Accepting Christ as her Lord and Savior is the most important decision in her life and I am so proud that she is not only my daughter but now my sister in Christ. Our church doesn’t have a permanent baptismal so there are only certain dates where they do baptisms, the other dates didn’t work out for us but today did. When I told Brooke that this Sunday February 25th she would be getting baptized, her face just lit up with joy and happiness. This is the day she had been waiting for and her excitement filled the room. She was excited to show others that she put her faith in Jesus Christ ! Our family and friends came to see her get baptized which was so sweet of them to do. Before she got baptized, they gave her a shirt to write a word on it to explain her faith in Christ and what it means to her. Brooke wrote HAPPY. I think this word fits perfectly because her happiness for accepting Christ is priceless and she is just so happy she gets to be baptized. Brooke loved having her family and friends there to support her and so did I. After the service we went to eat at Napoli’s for lunch. We are so very blessed by our family and friends and so thankful for those who support her and came to see her get baptized today. I am beyond proud!

Puddles!

autumn — Sat, 24 Feb 2018 14:58:25 +0000

It has been raining here a lot lately and yesterday it got warmer, so I told the kids to put on their rain boots and go outside to jump in some puddles! I love the simplicity of this yet all the fun that comes out of it. I love watching them make a huge mess of themselves, getting wet, kicking water at each other and seeing how big of a splash they can make. What I loved most though is seeing their smiles, hearing their laughs and them just having fun together. Puddle jumping was super fun and I love watching it all!

Brooke’s 3rd Grade Program

autumn — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 14:33:49 +0000

Tonight, Brooke had her 3rd grade music program and open house. This girl loves being on stage and loved when she found out that she had a speaking part in the program. I am so proud of Brooke and can’t believe she is in the 3rd grade already. Her teacher this year is Mrs. Cottongame and is just the sweetest teacher, we have truly been blessed by her and have watched Brooke learn so much. Brooke’s music program was super cute and she did such a great job! We love you baby girl and are so very proud of you!

Monster Jam

autumn — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 02:31:38 +0000

My kids went to Monster Jam last year with Grandma and Papa and had so much fun, so I knew we would have to go again when they came back. Well a year has passed and they are back! I bought tickets months ago and didn’t tell the kids till a few weeks ago that we were going. They were super excited and couldn’t wait to show Mommy and Daddy the cool trucks. Before the show, we had pit party passes and got to go down on the field to see the trucks up close and do some activities they had set up. Our seats were awesome and we had such a fun time watching the monster trucks. The kids even made it on the video board a few times! Our favorite trucks were Grave Digger and Son-uva Digger. It was super cool when they crashed and also when they did back flips! We had an awesome night and I am sure will be back again next year!

Kids Valentine Party

autumn — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 14:35:53 +0000

After school today, I picked up 17 kids from school to walk home to our house for a little Valentine party. Luke invited 6 of his friends and Brooke invited 11 of her friends. We walked home and even though its not a short walk the kids seem to really love walking home. When they got to our house they first got to eat a snack. I had brownies, popcorn cups with m&m’s, fruit, heart cheese and crackers. Once they were done with their snack they got to paint a valentine canvas. The boys were done with this activity way faster than the girls so they went up stirs to play while the girls kept working on their paintings. We then went out side and had a heart candy relay race. They had to get candy hearts on their spoons and run down to the other cup. The first team to fill up their other cup was the winner. All the kids seemed to have such a great time and I loved having them all over!

Old Man Luke

autumn — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 14:11:35 +0000

Luke got to celebrate 100 days of school today. I can’t believe 100 days have already come and gone and he is in the end stretch of his kindergarten year. To celebrate, he got to dress up as an old man. We borrowed a cane from our neighbor, I put baby powder in his hair to make it grey and he wore a plaid shirt with suspenders. He looked so darn cute and even had the old man walk down, which made me laugh! He loved celebrating 100 days of school and thought it was so much fun!

Utah – Chalk Couture Leadership

autumn — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 13:58:59 +0000

So I decided to go to leadership with he company I just started with in September of last year. This is a new company as of July 2017 so I was even more excited to be apart of a company just starting up. I made it to a leadership level and was able to attend the leadership conference in Utah. At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to go but then decided it was something I really wanted to do, so just do it and boy am I so glad I did! I arrived in Utah thursday night, Sheri had a cute surprise for me on the bed and her and I just chatted and then went to bed for us to get up the next morning for our first day of leadership conference.

Sheri and I were so excited! Going down stairs and seeing all the faces that we have seen on Facebook so was exciting. It was so fun meeting everyone and making new life long friends! We got to hear our CEO talk about the direction for our company, learn about new products and then got to do a make and take with the new ink that they came out with. This ink is permanent and sets when heated, it was so cool!!! We of course got some Chalk Couture swag and my favorite thing was the Chalk Couture water bottle! I am pretty sure I used the heck out of it! We also got to meet, chat and take our picture with Tara, the founder of Chalk Couture! She is just the sweetest and it was such an honor to meet her! That evening they opened the Art Gallery and we got to see all the new things that are coming out and things they created using the new products. It was so much information that day but so incredibly fun and we just had an awesome time! WE ended the night with a “bee” slumber party and so I had shirts made for Sheri and I and she got us bee slippers. Again, what an incredible day!

Day 2 is here and oh man we were just as excited. We got to go in the art gallery again and then we got to do another make and take with one of the new transfers! We also got one of the new 10×10 metal boards to chalk on along with 5 pastes! The project was super cute and so much fun to craft together! We got done with conference early, so Sheri and I drove up to Park Cities Utah to go see some snow and also to ride the alpine coaster. This was so much fun and something I want to do again! I loved calling the kids to show them that I saw snow! After the coaster, we drove to down town Salt Lake and visited the Mormon temple and then met up with some friends we made for dinner. On the way to dinner I saw that Toby Mac was playing at the arena so I started freaking out. My friend Josh is Toby’s stage manager so he was so awesome and was able to hook Sheri and I up with some tickets! Sheri was awesome and just went along with everything that I came up with! She was such a roommate and friend to explore Utah with! So after dinner, Sheri and I went to Toby’s concert and had such a great time. After the concert, like that wasn’t enough, we went to the UP house and oh my gosh I freakin fell in love. I want this house so bad! It was the cutest thing and I want to go see it again in the day light!

Our trip to Utah was fast but so much fun! We jam packed it with activities and simply had the best time! I love this company I have the opportunity to work for and love the people I got to meet and gain friendships out of! This weekend was one I will never forget!

Daddy Daughter Dance

autumn — Sun, 21 Jan 2018 01:19:46 +0000

Brooke looks forward to this night every year! She loves getting her hair done and getting dressed up in a cute dress and then to go on a date and to a dance with her daddy. This year she picked a really cute pink dress and found it several months before the dance! She of course got a corsage to wear to the dance too! They chose to go eat at Napoli’s again before the dance. I told Brooke she could pick anywhere and she said she wanted Napoli’s because that is where they always go! I love her heart and the traditions she remembers /makes! Brandon sent me a few pictures while at the dance. They had a confetti gun that shot confetti all over the dance floor, she got to play nerf wars and also got to do sparklers. They had a great time and while he was with her Luke and I went out to eat and had a fun time together! I am sure she is counting down the days till her next dance!

Brooke’s 1st Basketball Game

autumn — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 16:46:49 +0000

Brooke just started playing basketball and absolutely loves it. She has been asking for a couple years to play and Brandon wanted to wait till she was in the 3rd grade to begin. We signed her up with the Little Dribblers league for this year. Brandon was really hoping to be the coach but there wasn’t enough girls/teams where they needed another coach. He was pretty bummed and still has a hard time just watching and not being down there to coach. Brooke got the number 8 and this was given to her without us even requesting that number, we were all pretty excited! So, today she had her first game and before the game Brandon went over a few things and practiced with her so she would be prepared more! She did great and scored 6 points! The best part of this game is when Brandon told me, you know how you get teary eyes when you see pictures of the kids little, well i got teary eyed when Brooke got her first basket. This of course then made me teary eyed. Who knew basketball could bring tears to your eyes, lol! Brandon loves basketball and loved to play so seeing Brooke play brings him so much joy! She had a great game and they won 27 to 4. I can’t wait to continue to watch her this season and see her grown and learn as a player! We are so proud of you Brooke!

Mom and Son Night

autumn — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 02:11:04 +0000

Luke was so excited to attend his first mom and son night at his school. Last year I went up there to help set up and he was with me and so bummed we couldn’t go. This year though he got to go and man was he pumped! We dressed in camo shirts to match and then when we got there got there, he put some eye black on. He loved seeing his friends and being able to play Nerf war with his friends against the moms. He said I never shot him but it was so much fun! They had black light bowling, Nerf wars, inflatable archery and skee ball and a dance dance house. We also ate pizza while we were there. We had such a fun night and I loved it even more because Luke loved it! Spending one on one time with my boy is something I will never forget and always cherish!

Christmas 2017

autumn — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 14:10:42 +0000

I LOVE Christmas, like everything about it! First and foremost I love that I have a Savior that was born and saved me from my sins and we get to celebrate His birthday! I also love the kids excitement, family and friends coming over and filling our house with laughs and good times, I love the food, I love cooking for everyone, Christmas lights and all the decor that fills my house with Christmas cheer. Christmas is just so special and I cherish each moment we get to celebrate and spend time together as a family. Te kids were super excited to get a trampoline this year. I finally convinced Brandon to let us buy one for them and so we surprised them on Christmas morning with it. They had no clue and were so excited! They also liked getting Nintendo Switch’s, Hatchamals, Star Wars sword and a camera. They got much more but these were the highlights! After we opened presents as a family, my mom came over and they opened presents from her, then Grandma and Papa came over and we did presents with them. Around 2 is when we ate lunch and everything was so good! I din’t get a picture of everyone at the table but we did get a picture of everyone outside before anyone left! We had such a wonderful day and we loved spending the day with our family and friends.

Christmas Eve

autumn — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 14:15:09 +0000

Christmas Eve is already here and I think I am just as excited as the kids are. I love Christmas and one of my favorite things about it is we all go to church together on Christmas Eve. Nana, Grandma, Papa, Allison, GG, and Aunt Susan and us four were all together, and I just loved it! Allison got a new job this year and we typically always go to the church where she is working. So this year we got to attend Highland Park First United Methodist Church. After the service, Brandon and I both agreed this was our favorite Christmas Eve service we had been to in awhile. We loved the traditional service, the pipe organ that played the Christmas carols beautifully and the simple message that God is alive and with us today! After service, we all went out to eat at Elfenix and then went home to get ready for Christmas morning. The kids baked Santa chocolate chip cookies and left those out with a glass of milk for him to eat and drink. They were so excited and could not wait for the next morning. I also finished my reindeer cake before going to bed and thought he turned out pretty cute! I can’t wait for the kids to wake up and see all their gifts and the big surprise (a trampoline) from Brandon and I. They are going to flip! (literally)

Forney Ice Skating

autumn — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 13:55:33 +0000

Our town put a outdoor ice skating rink at the park and both of my kids could not wait to go skate there. Brooke has been ice skating a couple of times but Luke has never been so he was super excited and I was curious how he would do. I got both of their skates on and they both took off. Brooke is more cautious and Luke just goes! He was skating/running all over the rink. It was cracking me up because the boy just caught on with no help and just went for it!Our friends, The Arden’s, joined us ice skating, which the kids absolutely loved. It was also nice to get Luke out of the house since he had been cooped up for several days with the flu. We skated for awhile and then all went out to dinner afterwards. We are so excited about Christmas break and can’t wait to do more fun things while the kids are out of school.

Christmas Party and Sickness

autumn — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 14:47:57 +0000

Today is the kids Christmas parties at their school. Luke has the flu so the poor guy has to miss his party. He has missed so many fun things at school this week and was not happy to hear that he would be missing his first Christmas party, it was so sad to see. I had shirts made for Brooke and Luke’s teachers and friends to wear today so that they could all match. I was unable to get a picture of everyone but did get a couple good pictures of the shirts! Brooke’s party was so fun, they made snowman ornaments, ate brunch and played some games. Brooke and her friend Aubree won the drawing game which was so fun to see! I gathered all of Luke’s goodies from his party and he was so excited when I got home to give them to him. After the parties, we had a little fun with some filters on my phone and took some funny Christmas pictures! We are so excited for Christmas and Christmas break! I love when the kids are out of school!

Santa

autumn — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 23:58:34 +0000

I waited longer than usual this year to get a ticket to see Santa. Yes, we have to wait in line to get a ticket and then come back to wait in line to see him! We see this Santa every year and have to have our picture with him. Well, this year Brooke had to go alone with Daddy. I was super sad but Luke was diagnosed with the flu this afternoon so he was unable to go and see Santa. He asked for me to stay home with him so of course I did, we snuggled in bed and watched movies while they were gone. I did think about taking him even though he had the flu but Luke was the wise one and said he couldn’t go because then Santa would get the flu and then who would deliver all the presents? So we stayed home and got to see the pictures Daddy took of Brooke and Santa. She is growing up so fast and is such a beautiful young lady! I sure love both of my kids so much and am blessed to have them as mine!

Gingerbread Train

autumn — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 04:09:54 +0000

When we were at ICE, we stopped in the gingerbread store and bought the kids a gingerbread train to make at home. So tonight, they got to make it and it fell a few times but they never quit and they worked together really well to accomplish the finish train! Luke liked to eat the candy as he was building and I had to remind him it was for the train not for him to eat. Brooke was doing the icing and placement of the candies very carefully to make the train beautiful. The kids had a great time and loved the train they created!

Christmas Dance Show

autumn — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 14:04:28 +0000

Brooke loves Dance class and loves Mrs. Kristie. I love watching my girl dance not only because she is my daughter but because you can see it on her face that she loves what she is doing! Tonight, they had their Christmas dance show and she did such a great job! Mommy, Daddy, Luke, Nana, Grandma and Papa all came to see Brooke perform! All the girls did great and we sure are proud of Brooke and the hard work and practice she did for this show!

Zoo Lights

autumn — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 03:00:38 +0000

The Dallas Zoo closed early today and then was open for just members for their Zoo Lights. I have been wanting to go see all the lights, so this was the perfect night for it! We asked Tracey, Kenna and Landry to go with us and we all had such a fun night! We went and looked at some animals before the Lights cam on and played with the crazy mandrills that would hit the window and jump at us, which was very entertaining to watch! We then went over to the lights and happen to be there at the right time because Brooke was chosen to turn the Lights on to the Bridge to open Zoo Lights! We then explored in teh children’s zoo, made ornaments and then got to see the rest of the lights around the zoo. The kids also rode the train and we all got fun flashing light Santa hats. We had such a fun night together and loved seeing all the beautiful lights at the zoo!

ICE

autumn — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 23:16:46 +0000

We love going to the Gaylord Texan every year to their exhibit ICE. This year I forgot my camera, so we were limited to our i phones and to be honest, I didn’t really capture too many pictures. The kids started off with tubing down the snow hill and loved that so much. Once Grandma and Papa got there we went to see the ICE exhibit. I am pretty sure they made it even colder in there this year because it was freezing and all of us only wanted to stay in there the shortest amount of time possible. Usually the cold doesn’t bother me but this year it was really cold in there! We then went and ate dinner and tooka few pictures around the hotel. We had a great time and will be back again next year!

Brooke’s 9th Birthday Party

autumn — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 21:59:26 +0000

I love throwing birthday parties for my kids. They always have great ideas and I love making their dreams of a party come true! Brooke decided she wanted a spa and sleepover this year for her party. She invited 15 of her girl friends to come over for spa treatments and to spend the night. We started the night with matching pajamas, pizza, cupcakes and a few games of telephone. It was then time for the spa! They partnered up and washed each other feet and then painted each other toe and finger nails. They all loved it and we heard lots of giggles, funny conversations and simply watched them have so much fun. After the spa treatments were over, they played for a little bit and then Brooke opened her presents. I am so thankful for so many great girls she has as friends. They are all so sweet and with 15 of them in the house they all did great and got along so well! Most of them were asleep by 1am but a few I had to tell to stop talking and go to sleep at 2:45am, that included my daughter who was still wide awake living up her party, lol. We had such a fun night and it was such a fun party Brooke chose to celebrate turning 9!

Windsor Open House

autumn — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 14:18:02 +0000

Tonight, Windsor had their open house. My kids look forward to this every year and love going. Their favorite part is visiting with Santa because not only do they get one on one with with him they get to go talk to him all night. They always make him some kind of card or picture and always bring him food and a drink. It is so cute to watch. One of my favorite parts is our friends who come and see us at the shop. Brooke and Luke love this too because their friends come as well. At the end of the open house, the kids got to help the police officers gather up the toys and load them for Santa Cop which donates to children in need. My kids learn a lot about this and love to help. We had a great night and loved being at Windsor’s open house.

Fam Fest

autumn — Sun, 08 Oct 2017 03:14:49 +0000

Our church had Fam Fest last night and it was so much fun! The kids have been talking about going all week so they were super excited when it was time to go to Fam Fest. The kids rode ponies, jumped on bounce house’s, got their faces painted, made sand art, played games, won tickets and just had a great time with family and friends! Luke loved the tire race and all the games where Brooke loved riding the ponies and playing games with her friends! We had such a wonderful time together and loved Fam Fest 2017!

School Pictures

autumn — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 13:12:05 +0000

Today the kids had school pictures. It is still so strange having both kids in school. I told them that on picture day, Mommy got to pick out their clothes and fix their hair how I wanted it to be done. Both of them were fine with that since it was only one day! Luke loves to match Brooke at school so I choose the same colored shirts for them to wear in their pictures. When I dropped them off at school I reminded them to smile pretty. When the pictures came back, Luke’s eyes just made me laugh. He smiled correctly but he sure did keep his eyes open, lol! I love these kids so much and am so proud of them. So far they are loving kindergarten and 3rd grade!

Soccer Day

autumn — Sun, 17 Sep 2017 13:16:10 +0000

Today, both kids had soccer games and we were ready to make some goals and win both games! Nana, GG, Grandpa and Grandma came out to watch them play as well today. Luke did great and made a goal and Brooke played her heart out and score two goals. It got pretty hot out today, so they did really good in the heat. Both kids scored during their games, won both of their games but more importantly they both had fun! We love soccer and enjoyed our morning and afternoon of it!

Rodeo

autumn — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 13:11:28 +0000

It’s Rodeo time again and so we of course have to go! Luke loves dressing up like a cowboy and Brooke and her friend Carley got matching dresses for them to wear to the rodeo tonight. Luke and Cutler got to do Mutton Bustin and ride the sheep again. Luke gets all excited to do this and then when its time to go and get in the shoot he gets scared and doesn’t want to do it. He ends up doing and loving it but a few tears are shed. Those tears do go away though when he gets his trophy! GG came with us too this time and he had such a great time. We love our time we get with GG and the special bond he has with my kids. We had a great night with Nana, the Ardens and GG and I am sure will be back again cheering on the cowboys!

Autumn is 35

autumn — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 13:07:35 +0000

I am turning 35 and to be real honest I still think sometimes I am in my 20’s, lol. I love birthdays and celebrating them is so much fun. This year I chose to go to my favorite restaurant, El Chico to have dinner. We did something low key and had our family and a few friends join us. My sweet friend Tracey brought cupcakes for me and they were just delicious! I had a great birthday and am looking forward to this year and what it will hold!

Meet the Jackrabbits

autumn — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 16:20:34 +0000

Tonight is meet the Jackrabbits at the high school. Our next door neighbor is playing football and our friend Kylee is a senior cheerleader so we went to see and support them. We sat with Misty and her kids and Tracey and her kids. We are looking forward to a great season and sitting with the Porter’s at all the games. After the event, the kids got to go down on the field and I am pretty sure this was their favorite part. They ran around, took a picture with Campbell and Kylee and then I took a few pictures of them on the field as well. Our future little jackrabbits looked so cute tonight! Let’s go Jackrabbits!

First Day of School

autumn — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 02:26:39 +0000

Today is the first day of school and the first day that both Brooke and Luke are in Elementary school together. Before school we took some pictures, had pancakes for breakfast and then made our way up to the school. I have this cute board and totally forgot to put how tall Brooke was on it. Luke is starting Kindergarten and Brooke is going into the third grade. They are excited and a little nervous. I am so glad that Luke has Mrs. Shaw because he knows her and feels comfortable with her. I think this helped him on his first day because there were no tears and he was fine with us leaving. Brooke has Mrs. Cottongame and is so excited to have her. She too is a little nervous because she doesn’t know what to expect but I know she will do great! I didn’t cry at drop off, which I think surprised Brandon. Since Luke didn’t cry, that helped me more with the transition of starting school. I hope they have a great first day and I can’t wait to hear how it went for them both!

Back to School

autumn — Sun, 20 Aug 2017 02:56:45 +0000

My sweet boy, my baby, is about to start Kindergarten in 2 days. 2 days!!! Oh how time has flown by so fast!! I have had the amazing opportunity to stay home with him most of his life and it has been such a blessing. I am not sure if I will be a basket case on Monday when I drop him off or not but he is excited for school to start so I hope that helps me out! It is going to be so weird and a big change having both kids in school and not having him home with me every day. I am sad but also happy. He is going to make new friends, learn so many new things and have a great time in school. He will have Mrs. Shaw for kindergarten. He knows her well since Brooke had her for kindergarten as well. I think he feels pretty comfortable in her class and with her so it should be an easy transition. I am looking forward to watching him and grow and learn but boy am I sure going to miss my boy at home with me!

While I was taking pictures of Luke, Brooke wanted to jump in with him so I of course said yes. I also captured one of just my sweet girl! She is going into third grade and is just growing up so fast. I just love her to pieces and am excited for her year this year as well with Mrs. Cottongame! So as this school year is about to start, my prayer is that each of them will have a great year and that God looks over and protects them daily!

Baker’s In Training

autumn — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 16:32:24 +0000

We have done bakers In Training at Panera Bread for the past couple of years and every year my kids love it. I always worry we won’t have enough kids sign up but we always do and all the kids love it. They get to take a tour of the bakery, make a loaf of bread and have it baked, decorate a cookie and of course eat either or both! This year Luke made a Mickey Mouse out of his dough and Brooke made a flower. Only small pieces of their bread came home because they both ate most of it before getting home. We are so thankful for our friends who could join us at Panera and make fun baking memories together!

Papa’s Birthday

autumn — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 13:39:07 +0000

Reunion Tower

autumn — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 15:37:38 +0000

We are loving summer time and love doing fun things so today My mom and I took the kids to Reunion Tower. They have passed by “the ball” many of times but we have never taken them up there. When we told them we were eating lunch up in the ball they were so excited! Before we ate though we went out on the observation deck and looked at Dallas from above. The kids thought this was so neat and loved spotting different things! One side was really windy and both kids acted like they were getting blown away! We then had lunch and got dessert that was shaped like the tower! Today was such a fun day at Reunion Tower!

Pet Store

autumn — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 12:18:32 +0000

My kids LOVE animals and when I heard about this pet store that you can pet all their animals I knew I had to take them. Ok let’s be real I really wanted to go too. I think I was just as excited as they were. We got to pet hamsters, guinea pigs, bunnies, cats and dogs! They even let you pick a dog and then play with him in a little room. This was the kids favorite part! It was so much fun and a place we will ahve to come again. it was tough but we left without buying a pet, shocker I know!

Fire House Tour and Lunch

autumn — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 22:22:17 +0000

My mom won a lunch at the Mesquite fire station for my kids, so we thought this summer would be the perfect time to use it. They got to invite a few of their friends to come along as well. When we got to the station, they did introductions and then gave them a tour of the fire station. The questions and comments that were made by the kids were hilarious! After the inside tour was done, we then went outside to look at the trucks and engines! Once we looked at one of the trucks, we went inside for hamburgers and hot dogs that the firemen cooked for us all! The kids thought it was so cool to eat at the fire station but were a little sad they didn’t sit down and eat with us, lol. After lunch we went back out to the trucks and each kid got to sit in the driver seat. They also got to see in the back of the ambulance but as we were looking at it, the ambulance got a call and had to leave. The kids loved the tour and learned so much about firemen, firetrucks and the station!

Exotic Zoo

autumn — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 15:27:27 +0000

My friend Lacey loves animals as much as I do and for her birthday so took a few of her friends to an exotic zoo. This place was so cool and you got to get up close and personal with so many different kinds of animals.

Avery’s Mermaid Party

autumn — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 15:02:42 +0000

Brooke’s friend Avery had a mermaid birthday party and all the girls got to be mermaids! They had to do a swim test and then learn how to use their tails. Once that was over they got to swim all over and through hoops and just be mermaids! Brooke was so excited to be a mermaid and had so much fun. Of course at the end of the party she wanted a tail. I will admit they were pretty cool! She had such a fun time and we are thankful for great friends!

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch

autumn — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 14:51:04 +0000

On our way home from San Antonio we decided to stop at Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. We weren’t in a rush to get home, so we thought this would be a fun stop. We bought several bags of feed and began our journey through the ranch. At first the animals just wanted to food thrown to them and the kids didn’t get to touch many at first, but they eventually started coming closer and the kids fed them and touched them. Some of the animals had really long and sharp horns so I was hoping that they didn’t get too close or if they did to not scratch my new car! We got out with no scratches so I was thankful! The kids really loved this place and seeing and feeding all the animals! Our trip to San Antonio was short but so much fun!

Sea World

autumn — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 14:36:37 +0000

Today we are making our way to Sea World. We ate an amazing breakfast at our hotel. Which by the way our hotel is amazing. It has it’s own little water park, pool, water slides and lazy river. The kids loved it last night and can’t wait to go to it again after we get done at Sea World! The crowds were light so we didn’t have to wait in any lines for roller coasters except the new one which we waited maybe 10 minutes for. The kids got to meet the Sesame Street characters and then wanted to sit in the splash zone in the Killer Whale Show. Since I had the back pack with all the personal items, my mom decided to sit down there with them and they got drenched. They thought it was so cool though to get splashed by a killer whale! We saw all the shows, fed the sea lions, rode lots of rides and went into the water park area to touch the sting rays and walk through the aviary. Before we left, the kids got a picture with Shamu and then we went to dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant for some delicious beef fajitas!

Waco and San Antonio

autumn — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 23:07:10 +0000

My mom and I took the kids to Waco and then San Antonio for a little getaway! Brandon had to stay home and work so we missed him being with us! Our first stop was Baylor of course. We went and saw the bears and then shopped at the book store. Luke picked his back pack for Kindergarten and it’s a Baylor back pack! I am so excited that is what he picked but I am not too sure what his Daddy will think! After Waco we stopped in Gruene Texas. We had never been here before so it was fun to explore. We then made our way towards San Antonio and stopped at the Snake Farm. They had snakes but lots of other animals as well. The kids loved this place except Brooke wasn’t too fond of the goats since she recently got “attacked” by one a few weeks ago. The kids also did gem mining at the snake farm and got lots of cool looking rocks. I think this was their most favorite part! After a fun time at the snake farm, we made our way to San Antonio and ate down at the River Walk. We are excited to be in San Antonio and spend a couple days here!

4th of July

autumn — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 22:59:43 +0000

On the actual 4th of July, Brandon and I took the kids to the Dallas Aquarium. We had a fun time looking at all the sea animals and touching sting rays. We also went to a show sale and bought several pair of shoes that we got great deals on! The kids also had some cute 4th of July outfits, so I snapped a few pictures of the two of them in our backyard!

4th of July Party and Brandon’s Birthday

autumn — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 03:33:16 +0000

Brandon doesn’t like celebrating in a big way for his birthday so we decided to have friends and family over for dinner and to watch the city’s fireworks. Brandon smoked his award winning BBQ and it was so good! I made some desserts and my popular mac and cheese! Our friends brought sides to go along with our dinner and everything was just delicious! We went swimming over at the neighbor’s, had dinner and then went over to the community pool for a little bit to swim. We then came back home to watch the fireworks and eat some dessert. I wasn’t so great at taking pictures so I really didn’t take many. The fireworks were great and our evening celebrating the 4th and Brandon’s birthday was awesome!

Gentle Zoo

autumn — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 03:23:23 +0000

We are loving summer and trying to pack in some fun activities! This morning we went to the gentle zoo and had such a fun time. We bought some animal feed to feed the animals and all went well until Brooke and Luke decided to go in the goats pen with the goats. The goats ended up jumping on Brooke, scaring her, scratching her back and making her cry. She then exited the pen and left Luke in there with his food so he was then scared and just ran around the pen away from the goats screaming. I of course got this all on video and was laughing. I do feel bad since she did get scratched but at that time it was quite funny. Brooke was done for a few minutes because the goats traumatized her but she was back to herself in no time. We filled our time with jumping on the air pillow, feeding more animals but on the outside of the cage, riding the train ride and seeing the educational animals inside. It was a fun day for the most part and memorable for sure!