Our Shields' Story

2010 Wildflowers!

2010-05-18T22:23:00.003-05:00

God so blessed us with a gorgeous spring. His beauty and grandeur were out in full force, unavoidably obvious to anyone looking! Of course we had to go out and enjoy His creation. One Sunday afternoon, my parents and the 4 of us went out to find just the right spot for our family picture. We did not have to drive but 5 minutes and look at we found!

Don't let all this beauty fool you. Remember that it comes with a price! Here are the behind the scenes details that don't usually get published...sticker burrs!

This Kids Loves Dogs!

2010-05-18T20:21:00.005-05:00

Ainlsey is a dog lover..to say the least. She has not met a dog she doesn't like. Whether it be Tuffy or Scooter or her stuffed animal, the girl just can't get enough.

What Does Your Family Do For Fun?

2010-05-18T20:15:00.003-05:00

Ours tries to eat the small children!

Whitney was modeling her fat suit costume for a What's Eating Gilbert Grape class project. The look on Ainsley's face says it all!

Some Quality Poppy Time!

2010-05-18T19:30:00.003-05:00

My kids have figured this thing out...they love their Poppy. And why wouldn't they! He takes the girl for rides on the tractor...good rides too! Not just sit on the tractor in the driveway kind of rides, but out the driveway and down the road kind of rides. As far as Andrew goes, Poppy has taken Andrew to Academy more times that Josh and I for baseball equipment. And Poppy doesn't just throw one or two pitches and then is done, no sir, Poppy and Andrew do not see the indoors much when the sun is up!

My children are very blessed to have the grandparents and great-grandparents that they do. There is no doubt that each one loves and cherishes them. Shoot, my mom even said if she knew how fabulous grandkids were, she would have started with them! (Now try to figure that one out!)

My Birthday Cake!

2010-05-18T16:38:00.005-05:00

Poor Josh. I have been telling him for like 4 months that I would love to have an ice cream cake for my birthday...going so far as saving coupons for him. When we found out we were going to be in the Panhandle for my birthday, his poor coupon were not going to work for him, as they do not have a Baskin Robbins in Amarillo! But, did He let that stop him? Of course not. My Man came through for me once again, remembering to get my cake even after playing 18 holes of golf with Andrew. What a surprise. He did so good! Be sure to pay extra close attention to the candle he chose for the cake! And yes, the cake did originally have 4 peanut butter cups on it, but a little someone stole one before we could get a picture of it.

First Round of the Season

2010-05-18T16:28:00.001-05:00

What is a boy and his golfing Daddy to do with a whole week off...well, get in some golf of course! Robbie, a gentleman that Josh used to work with at Church Loans, kindly offered to take Andrew and Josh out for lunch at the club and followed up by a quick round of golf. What was supposed to be just 9 turned into a full 18. Poppy went along to be part of the action! A good time was had by all, especially after the nap that followed!

Who Knew?

2010-05-18T16:27:00.001-05:00

Josh and I have been married for almost 10 years. You would think I would be knowing just about all there is to know about him. Well, I learned a new while in the Panhandle. My Banker Boy knows how to operate and run a tractor! I know...pretty surprising for a man who prefers a suit to wearing jeans. Anyway, I was pretty impressed and so were the kids. After commenting to him just how impressed I was, he did remind me that he grew up in Lelia Lake, TX where most people are driving tractors before cars! :)

Little Miss Turns 2!

2010-05-18T11:48:00.004-05:00

This is where she started...

And this is where she is now...

And what a fun journey it has been. She is a true delight! (so is her brother, but this is about Ainsley!) :) Little Miss Ainsley is so full of life. She loves to laugh, play, anything princess (especially her princess toes), and being with her brother...whether that means playing chase with him, fighting over something with him, or playing baby with him. It is hard to not see her and immediately break out in a smile. She is just a cutie patootie who grabs your heart and runs with it. She certainly has all of us wrapped around her little finger, especially her Poppop and Poppy. She just has a thing for those two!

Also while we were in the Panhandle, we had a joint birthday for Ainsley and Jaekob (Josh's sister little girl...our niece). The girls are five days apart. The weather turned out beautiful, a bit windy, but we were just thankful it was not raining. To the park we went for a hot dog cookout and play, play, play!

We sure love this little Girlie Girl!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-05-17T11:06:00.005-05:00

Each day I pray that God will reveal Himself to me each day, make me aware of my blessings, and remember to give Him the glory for them. Well, on this particular day, not only did God answer that prayer, He spelled in out for my in sky writing...making sure I did not miss a thing!

I turned 35 this year. Age is not something that really bothers me, but this year I realized I am officially as close to 40 as I am to 30. I can honestly say that fact spooks me a little, but I got over it. Maybe this is why I keep running, unconsciously thinking that I can run the years off...kind of like Ferris Bueller thinking he can reverse the miles off the car he ends up killing!

This birthday was filled with so many blessings...my cup runneth over! For my birthday, we were going to be in Amarillo. My sweet husband secretly contacted my dear friend to organize a surprise dinner for me. Josh e-mailed Janelle we were coming and to ask her if she would contacting some of my other dear teacher friends for a dinner out. Well, that was all it took! Being the amazing hostess that she is, Janelle offered to have a dinner at her house. She contacted some of my very favorite people in the whole wide world, planned a delicious menu (beef tenderloin, baked potatoes with a toppings buffet, cheese bread, a very yummy salad, and homemade creme brulee), and set us all up in fashion at her gorgeous home!
It was a night I will never forget. There were 5 couples. Let me introduce you to the girls! Carey and I were teammates at Westover (the first school I taught at in Amarillo). She now stays home with her 2 girls. Elizabeth and I were teammates at Greenways (the new school I went to in Amarillo after Westover). She now lives in Lubbock with her family. They drove up and stayed in a hotel just to come play with us for the evening! Janelle and I taught math together at Greenways. She has some new, exciting opportunities in her future. Lisa and I taught math together at Greenways. She and her husband just adopted 2 beautiful children! Life has moved us to new and different places then we were originally in when we all met, but these are AMAZING women who have each blessed me and touched my heart. I love I get to call them friends.

All of this was a gift from my wonderful husband. He sure out did himself. It was priceless! Thank you to all of you for making my birthday on I will truly treasure.

Josh Moves On!

2010-05-17T10:33:00.004-05:00

Josh has a new job! Let me be the first to say it, I was surprised as anyone that He would leave the Texas A&M System Offices...it A&M for Pete's sake! (Just kidding my Love!).

A bit of background: Josh is a member of the Texas Society of CPA's. While on their website, he noticed a posting on their job board for a Director of Finance at Scott and White. Scott and White has a health clinic here in College Station. There main hospital is in Temple, about 2 hours from here. It is actually where the Texas A&M medical school is located. Anyway, he went through the whole resume, interview, and wait process. Low and behold, they chose him (not that I was the least bit in doubt...Josh is awesome!).Josh started April 26th. He actually started as a Financial Advisor II and will hopefully promote up in the next year or two to the Director position...you know, the whole make sure we like you and you like us, good fit thing! Regardless, we are so very excited. It seems to be an amazing opportunity for him professionally!

It was with a bit of a sad heart that Josh said goodbye to the Texas A&M System Offices. It was a good job and the reason we came back to College Station. Here we are packing up his old office.

If anyone is in need of some packers/movers, the 2 on the left are all yours!

A Boy and His Passion

2010-05-14T08:39:00.006-05:00

Another t-ball season is upon us and we are in full force. Andrew is in his element! To say that the boy loves baseball would be a gross understatement. He is obsessed with the game. If there is the least bit of sunlight, he is asking to be out front playing, having you pitch to him to practice his hitting, or just playing catch.

The spring season started out a bit more exciting than the fall. Apparently fall ball is not as big of a deal. Spring ball kicks off with opening ceremonies held at Olsen Field (the Aggie's baseball stadium). That was way fun for the kids. They got to run the bases and play down on the field before the ceremony kicked off. (hence the collage at the top!). From there, the season was in full swing...

Andrew is on the Mariners this season. It took him a while to get over the fact he is not a Red Sox anymore (his first t-ball team)...a bit confusing for the little ones, the fact that we switch teams every new season. This season started off well. Here is our first game. It kicked off with a good 5 minute down pour, but that didn't stop us. Andrew is number 4!

The kids hit the ball solely off the tee for the first few games, and then started the coach pitch. Each batter gets three pitches. If they are not successful in getting a hit, then they get to try it off the tee. Andrew bats about 50/50...50% of the time hitting it from a pitch and 50% of the time hitting it off the tee. He loves the fact they get to try to hit a pitch. He sure has his hitting routine. He comes up to the plate, hits home plate a few times with the bat, puts the bat up in ready position, looks at the pitcher and nods that he is ready. It is priceless!

It is amazing how much the team improves as the season goes on. They are really starting to understand the game and the strategy behind playing in the field...where to throw the ball, who is in charge of each area on the field, throwing the ball instead of just running it everywhere!

I attribute this vast growth in learning to the fabulous coaching. Josh is an assistant coach this season. He near ceases to amaze me with just how patient and loving he is with all the little ones.

It has been very exciting to watch, for both Mama and Andrew's biggest cheerleader, Ainsley!

The Aggies at the Bat!

2010-05-13T22:11:00.005-05:00

What would spring time be without a bit of baseball...well, I would be alright skipping it, but my Dad loves him some baseball, so to the ballpark we went!

What a motley crew we keep company with, but they do look good all decked out in their Aggie maroon. No strollers at the ballpark, so Ainsley hitches a ride on Daddy's shoulders. To bad there's no room for me up there...

No baseball game is compete without a bag of salty peanuts to crack open, eat, and then throw the shells on the ground. And of course Poppop can not go alone to buy his goodies, the crew has to go with him.

We were playing Baylor and the Ags actually won the game...a feat not duplicated too many times this season. But when you got your Nana, Poppop, peanuts, and a coke...who cares what the score is. Life is pretty dang good!

Coming into Her Own!

2010-05-13T21:27:00.011-05:00

Ainsley is on her way to becoming a truly girlie girl! She loves all things girlie...which is so funny to me because I was quite the tomboy growing up. She is more girlie girl than I am! :) She loves to be up on her stool, in front of the bathroom mirror, participating in whatever grooming activities the adult monitoring her is partaking in. Whether just brushing her teeth, or putting on lotion, or applying make-up, she wants a piece of the action. She is growing up to be such a sweet young lady, I just love her so much. Let me show you a glimpse into the Wonderful World of Ainsley:

1. She does everything with a touch of style. She doesn't just draw with chalk, she lays on her tummy and kicks her feet while drawing with chalk!

2. The girl makes wearing pig tails and eating ice cream look adorable!

3. She is 2 and already enjoying Southern Living magazine, but we are going to have to work on her reading while driving!

4. She is already a little mama. Ainsley's baby dolls are very well taken care of. Before putting her babies down for a rest, she swaddles them and sings them "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!

Once asleep, she lays them down in her new baby bed (with bedding made exclusively for her by her Nana Rohr - bed, pillow, and baby quilt!).

5. She has many wonderful women in her life, that share with her their wisdom and love...and push her on a swing (pretty easy to make this little girl happy)!

6. Ainsley has many wonderful men in her life who help show her how a little lady should be treated...and take her for walks to the park!

7. Ainsley has a brother whom she just loves and often imitates! Here is her latest Andrewism:

8. She loves her "princess toes". I painted her toes for the first time several weeks ago, and now she is in love with what she refers to as "princess toes"!

The Wedding Season!

2010-05-13T20:57:00.004-05:00

We have had two weddings in the past two months, hence two trips to the Panhandle of Texas. Aside from the million hour round trip, we so enjoy going back to visit! It is safe to say that both of these weddings were unique! The first it snowed for and the second took place in Palo Duro Canyon. Not much else will top them.

What fun, what fun...a big time was had by all! Who doesn't like to go to weddings? Everyone gets cleaned up, dressed up, and parties down! Not to mention all the yummy cake. Speaking of cleaning up, boy do we do it good! Not only did Ainsley get a new dress (as modeled below), but Andrew got his first suit!

Boy does he look sharp. And what first suit is not complete without a puppy playing ball tie? He and his Daddy...the suit men.

Regardless of how many weddings we attend, I am still glad to be where Josh and I are in our marriage! It makes me very thankful and reminds me of just how blesses I truly am.

Spring has Sprung!

2010-05-12T21:46:00.007-05:00

What a beautiful spring God has blessed us with. The weather is absolutely lovely...and we have had cabin fever! What better cure than to get out and work in the yard? And work we have done. Last year, we were not so on the ball. We had a garden, but kinda started it late, so it was just a tilled up corner of the back yard. Well, College Station is not known for its good dirt, so we (Josh) decided to build some raised beds in an attempt for more veggie success. He constructed 3 beds, with the help of his lovely assistants! We ordered some good dirt and it was delivered to our front door...literally! From the dirt pile, Josh hauled many a wheel barrel full to the back. I was purely the wheel barrel filler and the dirt pusher arounder, while Josh was the wheel barrel mover. Also, our friend Jeff came and helped too...which was greatly appreciated by me!!!

Once the beds were prepped and ready to go, we were ready to plant. This year, we planted most of our veggies from seed! The tomatoes, broccoli, and basil we started from plants, but the carrots, peas, green beans, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and cantaloupe all from seed. We are anxious to see how everything does! The kids really got into the planting! It is fun to watch them...they have loved this whole process. What kid wouldn't love to play in the dirt and the water? Now, from that list of items planted, let me say that I am the only one who will eat everything! the neighbors will be on the receiving end of many free home grown items!

Not only did we work on the veggie garden, Josh also put together an arbor we moved down here. We made the mistake of putting it all together before getting where we wanted it. Now let me tell you, this thing is one heavy hunk of wood. We ended up having to hoist it over the fence. Glad the neighbors were not out, because I am sure it was quite a comical sight! But after a short eternity we got it over and it sits in front of our gate waiting for some pretty vine to grow up it and be beautiful!

After the veggie garden and the arbor, Josh redid the front flower bed for me. Of course I did not like what was planted there when we bought the house and of course we riped it all out, only to start all over! He built a little retaining wall for me and filled it with the same good dirt we put in the veggie garden. Next, the garden fairy (aka. my mom) brought us a ton of plants from her and her neighbor's gardens. It is now so pretty and everything is growing and filling in!

In between helping move dirt, plant seeds, and building an arbor, the kids have so enjoyed being outside and soaking in the sun.

Easter 2010

2010-05-12T21:30:00.002-05:00

We sure had a big time this Easter. Andrew has really started to grasp the real meaning of several religious based holidays. We have had several conversations about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, being buried in the tomb, only to rise again 3 days later...hence the celebration of Easter. He has decided the eggs and their hunting are just an added bonus. Ainsley has not quite grasp the whole meaning of the cross and resurrection, but boy can that girl hunt an egg!

In case you didn't quite hear it, she says "Egggg" in her low, husky voice as she finds hers on the table. Not only has she caught on to finding them, she has realized they each have something in them, which she has to immediately look into before moving on to the next.

Here we are in our Easter Sunday best. Ahhh, when did these babies get so big?

A Big Day For Josh!

2010-05-12T21:17:00.004-05:00

I have come to decide that after 30, birthdays are pretty well done. I mean really...who wants to admit one more year? All the important milestone birthdays are behind you and the next important one is like 65 when you can retire. Anyway, they are a reason to celebrate and eat cake. I am all for eating cake.

Gammie and Poppy (Josh's step-mom and Dad) were in town for this blessed event, Josh turning 32. We went to Texas Roadhouse for a celebratory steak. Who knew that they would put our boys on a saddle and have them imitate a chicken with 2 take out boxes for wings and 2 paper cups for a beak.

Like I said earlier...who wants to admit another year AND then get put on a saddle? But when your 5 year old son can take part...it makes it all worth it!

Finally a Party

2010-05-12T19:35:00.005-05:00

My sweet Andrew turned 5. Can you even believe it? It happened back at the beginning of December, so one would think I'd be a bit more able to grasp the fact than I am. Crazy...just crazy how time flies. His party was on the 6th of February and I was actually our 2nd attempt at his birthday party. We had originally scheduled it in December, had invitations out, family coming down from the Panhandle, everything in order...right up until the Friday before his party on Saturday when he decides to run 104 fever. Bummer! We canceled and tried it again.

One can never tell what the weather will be doing in February. We have had LOTS of cold and rain, so scheduling a party a the park seemed doomed from the beginning. Well, my little family prayed the sun to come out and it did...for 1 day, the party day. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Our sweet friends and family gathered at the park to help us celebrate!

Andrew wanted a Scooby Doo party. So we Scooby Doo'd, complete with a mystery! To kick it off, the kids made a set of Scooby Doo ears. While they were working, someone stole the birthday cake!!! Thankfully, they left a clue. To find the cake, the kids had to drop Scooby Snacks into a jar until they came across the next clue. While dropping his Scooby Snacks, Elan found us the next clue hidden in his bone!

After the Scooby Snack drop, we got a clue about mummies. The kids had to wrap Caleb and Jasmine into toilet paper mummies in search for our next clue! After wrapping, and wrappping, and wrapping, Andrew found our next clue!

The mummy wrap led us to the body parts laboratory! The kids had to reach into a sack and decided what each "body part" really was. We had witch's fingers, werewolf intestines, bat brains, eye balls, and a Frankenstein's brain. They ended up being carrots, spaghetti, raisins, pelled grapes, and cauliflower! Luke found our next clue hidden in the bat brains.

After the body parts laboratory, we headed off for a scavenger hunt. Each kiddo was responsible for finding 2 ghosts, a bat, and a Frankenstein. Emily saved the day by finding a ghost that revealed that cake was hidden in the trunk of our car!

Sure enough...these meddling kids solved the mystery and everyone enjoyed some Scooby Doo cake. What a fun time we had and what beautiful weather to go with it!

Happy Birthday Little Man. (2 months after the fact)

The Game the Wasn't!

2010-03-13T20:36:00.001-06:00

Gammie and Poppy came to visit. They wanted to see Andrew in action on the basketball court. They arrived on a Sunday, the game wasn't until Tuesday, so we had some time to play.

Monday we ran some errands. Gammie has 2 weddings she is planning, so we helped with some wedding shopping! After errands, we decided to play Putt-Putt (I bet you can guess whose idea that was...Mr. Andrew). College Station has an indoor, black-lighted, western-themed course that Andrew just LOVES. Well, who knew the dark horse of the group would be Gammie. She gave Little Man a run for his money, with Poppy close on their heals. Ainsley was purely along for cheating purposes. She was kind enough to help your ball in if she deemed it close enough to the hole!

While on our wedding errands, we went by Hobby Lobby. Andrew does not care for Hobby Lobby...he says they have "borrrring" stuff. Poppy told Andrew they would go look for the young men's aisle. Look for and found! Poppy treated Andrew to his first model care kit. A Lamborghini...Poppy informed us Andrew has expensive taste! Here is the final product:

On Tuesday, Josh took off work and we all took the trip 45 miles south of here to Brenham...the home of Blue Bell ice cream!!!! No one had ever been, so we decided to take a tour of the factory. What a neat experience. We would recommend it. You get a cool hat like Andrew has on in the snowy picture, plus you get a huge scoop of your choice at the end. On the way home from Blue Bell, it started to snow. Let me say that again...It started to snow. It is February, in College Station, and it is snowing big cotton ball flakes. Well, it didn't take long and everything in College Station was canceled for Tuesday evening...including the ball game Gammie and Poppy had come to see! BITTER, but we did get some good snowy pictures out of the deal!

You can't be in the Shield's house long without one or both children bringing you a book to read. Andrew has started reading some on his own! There is a series called Bob Books. They are great for beginning readers. Here Andrew is reading TO Poppy! And little Miss Ainsley has stacked her spot at Gammie's feet, looking at an I Spy book!

Game or no game, we sure had a good visit! Being 8 hours away, we do not get to see them that often, so we treasure the time we do get! Thanks for coming Gammie and Poppy!

Beg, Steal, and Borrow!

2010-03-13T20:13:00.002-06:00

I am, by definition, a teacher...through and through. There is no mistaking it, despite the fact I am on sabbatical from the classroom! Now, teacher friends, please call me on this if I am mistaken, but a true teacher is one who can beg, steal, and borrow from the best of them. Of course after the begging, stealing, or borrowing has taken place, you always have to tweak it a little to officially call it your own.

I know feel it is time to pay it forward...to pass on what treasures have been shared with me:

Here are 2 fabulous blogs that are AWESOME for finding coupons and great deals. They both have multiple posts a day, so you want to check them frequently...sometimes the deals are time or quantity sensitive and you don't know what you might be missing! One is called Steals and Deals and the other is called Freebies 4 Moms.

In addition to Pioneer Woman that my wonderful, intelligent, beautiful, glamorous, fabulous sister-on-law showed me, another fellow blogger posted about Annie's Eats. It seems very good and comes highly recommended!

Do you have anything I could beg, steal, or borrow to make my sweet families life better? Please share!!!

Right of Passage!

2010-03-09T15:32:00.002-06:00

There was just some sort of nostalgia that came over me when I saw Andrew ride his "big boy bike" for the first time. A new found freedom for him. Such a right of passage. This is a skill he worked so hard to learn...one that he will have for the rest of his life. As the cliche says, "Its just like riding a bike..." The grin on his face says it all. He is so proud of himself!

He has been able to do this for a while now...as you can see the Santa Clause in the neighbors yard. I forgot I had not blogged about it. So, once again...for the grandparents to whom I promised the video. With no further ado:

The Run!

2010-03-09T08:33:00.005-06:00

The Armadillo Dash's Half-Marathon! In the beginning, I referred to this event as a race. Andrew eventually asked me who I was racing. That got me to thinking. I told him I wasn't racing anyone, I just wanted to finish. From that moment on, I referred to this event as a run. March 7, 2010 has loomed in my mind since before Christmas. It was there in the same way a due date is there...exciting, but with a bit of dread because you know its going to hurt. :)

God so blessed me through this process! While training for my run, I followed a schedule I found on the internet. It had you do one long run a week...I choose Sundays. Each long run went up a mile from week to week. On my 8 mile day, there was a 26 mile an hour wind. To put it nicely, that run stunk and I had to walk part of it. In theory, walking is not a bad thing, but personally, I was way disappointed. I prayed and prayed that God would calm the winds on Run Day...and He did. We had perfect weather...cool, overcast, and just a slight cool breeze!

I was at the back of the back. Like I told Andrew, I was not racing, I just wanted to finish and not be in anyone else's way! Once the air gun sounded signifying the start of my run, it took me a minute to actually cross the starting line. (or as seen in this picture...the finish line)!

My legs really only have one speed...slow. I took off at a comfortable pace, not really looking at my watch. My goal was to run somewhere in the 10 minute mile range...not any kind of land speed record, but I could live with it. This has taken some adjustment for me. I used to run in high school. Back in the day, I ran somewhere in the 6 minute mile range. I have had some issues of aging to overcome and accept I am not a spring chicken anymore.

Once past all that and I started doing longer runs, 10 minute miles sounded good. I got to the 1st mile marker and saw that I was at 10:44. Whoops, too slow. From that moment on, I picked up the pace. By starting slow, I was at the back with lots of people in front of me. Many of them started faster and lost speed as they went. I, by accident, did the opposite. I picked up speed and got to pass people the rest of the race. Instead of slowing down and getting passed, I was speeding up and doing the passing...which proved to be a huge confidence boost for me! Another key to the race was a good play list on my ipod!

Up to this day, the longest run I had done was 10 miles. When the 10 mile marker came and went, I was surprised at how good I felt. I had no aches or pains during the race, well a few here and there, but nothing substantial! I rounded the last corner and had less than a mile to go. Two boys passed me...that irritated me, so I sped up and continued to speed up until the finish line! The last mile was actually my fastest! Here I am at the finish. I ran the 13.1 miles in 2 hrs and 12 minutes...an average of 10:06 per mile!

I crossed to find my sweet little family waiting for me with my chocolate milk. A professor of kinesiology at Texas A&M said they had found drinking chocolate milk after physical activity has the same benefits of any sports drink...and no one can argue that Promised Land chocolate milk tastes much better than any ole Gatorade!

With it all said and done...it was an awesome experience, one that truly blessed me. God showed me that through Him, I can do anything...even run 13.1 miles!

Another Home Season Comes to Close!

2010-03-08T18:40:00.005-06:00

Gotta love you some Aggie Women's basketball...well, the Shields family does anyway. We were devoted season ticket holders, yet again this year, to see our Ags in action. This year our tickets were right in front of a section (in the cheap seats of course), so we had lots of room between our seats and the railing in front of us. Also, our seats were right by the band, which the kiddos enjoyed dancing to, and dance they did...so much so that we only missed being on the big screen 3 of the games.

Each February, the Aggies do a pink out where the proceeds of the t-shirts sales are donated to breast cancer. Here we are in our pink...well, all except Andrew. He doesn't own much pink and the t-shirts the Aggies sold were only adult sizes.

The kids got more into the games this season. I think it helped that our seats were closer to the action this year. When one of the Aggies is shooting free-throws, the students all quietly hold there arms up. Well, our two wanted in on the action and would hold there arms up as well. Ainsley would even turn to me with her finger up to her mouth and shhhh me before holding up her arms. It was pretty cute!

When the Aggies get the ball back after a turnover or an out-of-bounds, the announcer always yells "Aggie's Ball!" very enthusiastically and then the crowd echos it back. Here is Ainsley, up on the railing, yelling "Aggie's Ball" along with the rest of the 12th Man.

Here we are down on the floor after the last home game! Such fun times...always a bit sad to see the home season come to an end. We just love those girls!

The Lakers in Action!

2010-03-08T12:15:00.009-06:00

To all the grandparents out there to whom I promised this video.
So sorry for the delay, but your wait is over.

Here is our Little Man and his teammates in action. Please notice a couple of things as you watch: (Andrew is #5!)
1. After one of Andrew's teammates gets his own rebound, Andrew steals the ball from him! We have discussed this with him and SHOWN him the video of it...he will work on being more of a team player!

2. Our one and only girl, who makes a shot in the video, was our team MVP at the end of the season! She carried the team. :)

3. One of my favorite moments is #4's celebratory cartwheel. Every team needs a cheerleader/player like him!

4. I love how proud Andrew is of himself after making his shot...even though his Daddy snubbed his effort to get a high five afterwards. Poor Josh, he was busy getting them back to play defense. After seeing the video, he feels pretty bad!

(So sorry for the grainy video...I had to edit it a bit to make it small enough in memory size to upload!!)

Now that the season is over, we sure had a good time! Andrew really enjoyed playing and his team seemed to improved greatly as the season went on. The Lakers ended up 2-4-1, with our 2 wins coming at the last two games. We just ran out of games to win...

2 Simple Dinners I Just Love!

2010-02-13T15:25:00.005-06:00

OK...I don't know about you all, but I am a huge fan of quick and easy recipes that don't taste like quick and easy recipes! I like to cook, don't get me wrong. What I don't like is recipes that require one random ingredient that I will never use, but in that recipe. A few simple ingredients, a bit of time in preparation, and then lets sit down and enjoy. It should not take me longer to eat or clean-up, then it did to prepare.

If you are at all like me, then you will love these 2 recipes. One we used for a progressive dinner our Sunday school class did several Christmases ago and one is from Paula Deen. Enjoy!!!

Sausage and Cream Cheese Manicotti

1 pkg. manicotti noodles
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 lb. Italian sausage (or sage sausage)
1 jar Alfredo sauce

1. Boil noodles. Drain and run under cold water.
2. While noodles are cooking, brown the sausage. Drain and add cream cheese. Put sausage/cream cheese mixture into a sandwich size Ziploc baggie. Snip the bottom corner off.

3. Spray a 9 x 13 dish. Coat the bottom with about 1/3 of your Alfredo sauce.
4. Squeeze the baggie into the manicotti noodles to fill them. Place them in the dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the noodles.

5. Bake at 350 covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 15 more minutes.

Lady and Son's Chicken in Wine Sauce

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I use 2)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 oz. (about 8 slices) Swiss cheese (or however many to cover your chicken breasts)
1 can cream of chicken soup
¼ cup white wine (or chicken broth)
1 cup herb-flavored stuffing mixed, crushed up

1. Add chicken to a shallow buttered (or sprayed) casserole dish (size depends on how many chicken breasts you have: 11 x 7 or 9 x 13). Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Layer cheese slices on top.
2. In a medium bowl, mix soup and wine, season with salt and pepper, and then pour over cheese. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top and drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Andrew the Laker

2010-02-13T10:40:00.004-06:00

What fun, what fun! Andrew is now old enough to participate in the city league sports...and participating he is!!! What started out as a pretty slow season for him has turned into a wild fire. The boy is catching on. It took him until the 3rd game to score a basket, but in that game he made 6 (that would be the bottom, right-hand corner picture)! He can bring the ball down for his team (bottom, left-hand corner picture). He is quite the cheerleader, getting so excited when he or his teammates do something good (middle, left picture). One thing that has really clicked is playing defense (middle picture). He gets his arms up and is certainly not afraid to go after the ball...which led to him fouling out this past game. We just need to work on getting his aggressive streak under control! (To all those who grip at me about small pictures, to see them bigger, just click on the collage.) :)

I do have to say that Andrew has the most amazing coach...his Daddy! Josh is so patient, so sweet, and so good to try and teach these kiddos the fundamentals of basketball. Our team is 0-4-1. Not a great record. But from where they started, they have come a long way. It has been fun to watch these 8 kiddos begin to catch on to what is going on during the game and see them get fired up about being part of that. What started out as a pretty passive, non-aggressive, sit back and watch the other team, has blossomed into a much more get in there and get after it team.

Just One Stop On the Blessing Train!

2010-02-03T21:34:00.004-06:00

(I have started running again. And when you run, there is LOTS of time for your mind to wander. This is where my mind has wandered to lately.)

I have a truly blessed life. I have had a relatively easy life full of God's blessings. Yes, I have worked hard, but I am not naive enough to think that I have it rough. Let me share with you just one of those blessings. Bare with me...it a story now!

When I was in high school, I worked at a local grocery store named Randall's. Those of you from the Houston area may be familiar with it. When I went off to Texas A&M, I did not work my freshman year, but starting my sophomore year, I went to work at the Randall's in College Station.

While at work, a mom and her mother came through my line. The mom asked her mom, "How many hours is such-and-such (I do not remember the specific number) minutes?" Being the math minor, I quickly did the mental math and spoke up before her mother could answer. She thanked me and then asked me what my major was. I told her it was elementary education with a minor in math. She said, "You already have a job?" (which was obvious to the both of us.) I, in returned, asked her why she asked. She responded, "I hire elementary ed. students to babysit my kids." I went on to tell her that I would be interested in watching her kids if she so wished. We set up an interview. I went to there house, with the requested references, and met her 2 sweet girls. Margaret was 3 and Farrar was 5. They were dreams!

This lady's name is Tracy. She is an amazing lady who had her CPA's license, but was working on her CFP license through correspondence. I basically watched the girls while she studied. And then there was every Friday for date night. Her husband is Dr. Bob. They would go to dinner every Friday at 5:30 and be home early enough for me to still have plenty of time to go out that night. It was perfect!

Dr. Bob...for the first year and a half, he was the man who read the Wall Street Journal in the front room. He was an oceanography professor at Texas A&M AND he intimidated the fire out of me.

I never would have imagined that after one of those before mentioned date nights, my future would take a huge turn. The first time Dr. Bob ever really spoke to me, this is what he had to say:

Dr. Bob came home and asked if I would be interested in staying on after graduation to work with him on a NASA funded project. Now, before coming to Texas A&M, Dr. Bob worked for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he was the lead scientist working on a satellite. This satellite was name TOPEX/POSEIDON. Its job was to produce the first ever global maps of the ocean surface, which in turn gives scientists a map of the ocean's currents. (well, in my words...that's what it does. There is a much more scientific version, but I will spare you the details.). This had NEVER been possible before satellites. Prior to TOPEX/POSEIDON, scientist had to rely on buoys, tide gauges, boats, etc. All this to say, Dr. Bob is one smart cookie! See why I was intimidated. And now he wanted me to come work him?

He was a scientist who wanted to get all this real time data from the satellite into teachers hands for them to use in their classrooms. What a guy, huh? Anyway, I would work for him, while earning my Master's along the way. WOW! Of course I said yes...little did I know that the lady I would be working with was a Presidential Award (during the Clinton years) winning science teacher from Houston who was working on her Doctorate.

Here I am...little ole me working with a way smart Dr. science guy and an award winning veteran science teacher. Talk about marrying up... To show you just how amazing this man is, Dr. Bob heard that Margaret and I were having to get student loans, so he wrote our tuition and fees into the NASA grant. To accomplish Dr. Bob's goal, we decided to build a website. We named it Ocean World. Let me tell you, since its immature beginnings in 1998, Ocean World has come a long way!

When I say I have had a blessed life, I MEAN a blessed life...God is so good! Stay tuned for more blessings...I have a LOT of running to do getting ready for the big race in March.

I write all of this to tell you that we got a new computer. Well, not a brand new computer, but new to use. Dr. Bob has since retired and is now at home doing computer things. This is his 2 year old I-Mac that we bought so he could buy a bigger one! Yeah for us...just another one of the blessings his sweet family has brought me! (Yes Michelle, that is your blog up on my computer screen). Isn't it just pretty. I LOVE it!

A Idea Warehouse!

2010-01-22T08:45:00.003-06:00

www.thepioneerwoman.com

Most of you are probably already aware of this gem, but I was just recently introduced...The Pioneer Woman. Her name is Ree and she has set up a website any cook could use. It is amazing. She has all kinds of facets to her site, but the part I use is her recipes. She has taken most of her recipes, and photoed them, step-by-step! It is absolutely amazing. No one can mess them up...she has done the work and photographed it.

I am always looking for new recipes to try, with Josh's pre-approval of course. ;) Please share any other gems you may know of!

I'm now hooked!

2010-01-10T20:15:00.002-06:00

I can not explain it. Josh just rolls his eyes about it. Andrew keeps asking why I am still reading it. I am officially hooked on the Twilight series.

It all started over Thanksgiving. My little family always has a movie night on Fridays. Since it was a holiday, we decided to do movie on Wednesday. My parents came into town, and my mom requested that we rent Twilight for she and I to watch. I rolled my eyes and agreed. Up to this point, I had avoided the series...not for any particular reason, just not really interested. We watched the movie. About half way through it, I was wondering if it was going to get any better. Well, by the end, I knew I was going to have to read the books. And read them I did and still am. I cannot get enough.

No, I am not a vampire/werewolf fanatic looking to find Edward. There will be no Twilight t-shirts added to my wardrobe. I just love the story and the relationships in it. Yes, the movies are entertaining, but the books are sooooo much better. If you are a skeptic like I was, give them a try. You might find you can't put them down either...

Companys Coming!

2010-01-09T10:33:00.002-06:00

Our little house was blessed with lots of visitors this fall. We had such a good time with Grandma and Grandpa Shields (the great-grandparents); Gammie, Poppy, Nana, Granddad, Nana, and Poppop (the grandparents); and even a foreign exchange student all the way from Germany (she was with Nana and Granddad).

I have decided that one good thing about not living in the same town as your family is that you actually spend MORE quality time with them when we visit. When we lived in Canyon, yes...we saw everyone, but never did we eat as many meals together or spend as much time and nights together. I really enjoy getting to stay and truly visit when our precious family comes to see us.

No, our house is not large. No, I am not at all an expert chef. No, we do not live in a booming metropolis chalk full of things to do. But, I sure love when our company comes!

Just Hanging Out!

2010-01-08T11:51:00.003-06:00

I had forgotten just how much I love the fall weather! Cooler temperatures, changing leaves, less humidity...just a really nice time to be outside and outside we have been. We have one tree in our backyard. When we first moved in, it was not very big, but it has since gotten much more girth to it! Andrew has always been a big fan of climbing and swinging on it, and now that Ainsley is much more mobile, she has come to appreciate the tree herself. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them! The kids love being outside, running, playing, just taking it all in!

Trick-or-Treat 2009

2010-01-08T11:38:00.005-06:00

We have had a time of it health wise...but Andrew is back on his feet and ready to go! A trick-or-treating we went. Ainsley is still a bit oblivious to the whole concept of dressing up, going out, and asking strangers for candy, so we left her home with my dad and Josh, Nana, Andrew, and I set out.

Our street is a bit non-holidayish, so we went to a couple of houses and then headed to our dear friends neighborhood to actually do the heavy duty door knocking! Regardless, Andrew was done about at about house number 4. He wanted to go back and help hand out the candy. Andrew is not a real big sweets eater, but I am, so I selfishly prodded the boy along to fill up his pumpkin with goodies! (certainly added me to the mom of the year list :)). Anyway, we knocked a couple more doors and then went back for homemade apple pie and good fellowship. A super night all around.

When Ainsley was feeling better, a couple days after Halloween, I had the kids dress back up and pose for the traditional shot. Please ignore the mold that is already growing on our pumpkins. It is a bit humid down here and they were starting to show it!

What a week!

2010-01-08T10:28:00.005-06:00

October 29, 2009

The week before Halloween sure was a scary one in our house. Isn't wasn't the swine flu, but boy were the kids sick. Ainsley started throwing up on Monday and didn't quit until Wednesday, only for Andrew to take over from there. He thankfully only had it for 24 hours, but I had done what seemed like a million loads of laundry and was Lysoling everything within reach.

Andrew recovered quite quickly...I think his was just sympathy throw-up. But Ainsley ran fever the rest of the week. I had never seen the girl so pathetic. She had no energy, no charisma, and her little face was so gaunt! After Monday, Ainsley basically lived in a diaper and a towel. It wasn't her prettiest fashion statement, but it certainly was the most feasible under the circumstances! Thankfully, by the next week she was starting to recover, but no trick-or-treating this year...

Andrew's Number 1 Fan!

2010-01-08T10:26:00.004-06:00

October 15, 2009

Andrew may be the offical Red Sox team member, but this little one had an honorary spot on the team. Little Miss Ainsley was sure to get her share of t-ball as well!

Introducing Lizzy!

2010-01-08T10:18:00.003-06:00

October 25, 2009

We have lived in this house for 18 months (as of October 25th when I should have been writing this story). Since the day we moved in, a sweet little chartreuse lizard has live with us...on the back porch that is. You may remember the blog about him coming in on a plant during the hurricane last summer. Anyway, I am not a biologist to know if it is the same lizard all these 18 months, but I do know this...it fascinates Andrew and Ainsley to no end. They have named the lizard Lizzy and look for it every time we go outside! Ainsley found him most recently sharing her car. Safe to say she was on a mission to follow the poor things every move for at least 20 minutes, probably scaring the poor thing to death. In the end, Lizzy ended up face-to-face with Andrew on top of a planter!

They never try to touch him, pick him up, or stomp on him, just point and give the play-by-play of his every move. I am so glad we live in the city...I would hate to see what they would find out in the country!

Its All About the Pumpkins!

2010-01-07T22:29:00.007-06:00

Bryan/College Station is freckled with several local treasures. One such gem that we just love is The Farm Patch. They are a cross between the produce department at a grocery store and a farmers market. Each fall they go all out, setting up tons of fun festive things for the family to come out and enjoy. There are several decorated areas for the kids to pick out their pumpkins, lots of beautiful mums and other fall plants to pick from, and a hay bale maze for all to go through. My little family goes each year and has a ball! This year, we waited to share our local treasure with Gammie and Poppy. I think they enjoyed it just as much as the kids.

What would be more appropriate to follow up the Farm Patch than a good pumpkin carving session? So we did just that. Ainsley's attention was held just so long before we had to find alternate means of entertaining her...a blow up pool and a walk with Poppy and Daddy. Andrew proved to be quite the carving master as he and Gammie tackled their pumpkin with a pre-fab design kit!

When it was all said and done, we were all very pleasantly surprised with each of our finished products. You never can tell until you see the glow through that carved face!

Viva La Mexico

2010-01-07T12:48:00.033-06:00

**Thank you to my sweet friend Leann. She was much more Johnny-on-the-Spot and already had her blog of the vacation typed up, so I just copied and pasted hers...with a few modifications to make it my own. Stolen like a true teacher!**

September 27 - October 4, 2009: Josh and I, with two of our best friends, went for a much needed "sunny vacation" to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. While we were, there we enjoyed many of Mexico's finest activities including beach side laying, boogie boarding, outdoor excursions, dolphin swimming, romantic beach side dining and even a few "Umbrella Drinks."

The airport was interesting. We are very fortunate for our American luxuries. As we arrive in the Puerto Vallart airport, the ceiling had various water leaks, they don't use air conditioning, and you are bombarded with begging salesman as you try to get out the door. We literally had to push through them...much like what a quarterback goes through . It reminded us all of those annoying paper flickers that are street side in Vegas.

Our "ride" for the week was this cute little Renault Kangoo Elf. Everything is very different in Mexico..for example, did you know in Mexico they make left turns from the far right lane at a traffic light? Yep.

Our resort was Paradise, as it advertised. Upon arrival, we were met with cold fruit drinks, ice cold wet towels for our sweaty faces and a warm, "Welcome Home!" from all of the attendants. They were very accommodating and hospitable. I'd recommend this place to any who need to be pampered. We stayed on the Marina Side of the resort in a two bedroom suite with a kitchenette.

The resort's property was covered in beautiful foliage, not short of fruit trees, like this banana tree. They were too yummy to pass up! Close to this particular banana tree were some tiger cages. They also had an on site zoo, although we didn't make time for that.

We had done quite a bit of planning before leaving on our trip. Thanks to Leann and her endless Internet searches, we got a good deal on 3 excursions. They ended up being the highlights of our trip. Our first excursion was an "Outdoor Adventure", which certainly lived up to its name!

These Unimogs, used to transport us to and from our outdoor adventure were equipped with seats/seat belts and "oh s*&^" straps to hang on to. They were made "Mercedes Tough" and we were so glad they made the choice to spend the extra money on this vehicle because the roads were a bit scary up to the mountain where we would start our adventure. We were not allowed to take cameras on the outdoor adventure, so we re-enacted our repelling for memory sake! The sign behind us is a true picture of the waterfall repel we took part in on the excursion.

During our outdoor adventure we took a 25 minute mule ride up a very narrow and sludgy trail, zipped down 10 zip lines, rappelled down two waterfalls, trudged through some chilly rivers, across fun bridges and a tequila tasting finale, for a total of 6 hours of fun!! Needless to say, some of us were very sore for the rest of the week, but what an amazing time we had. Now we know how Tarzan feels flying through the trees. Yee Hawww!

On the third night, we took our second excursion. The four of us "shee sheed up" and headed out for a very romantic beach side dinner on a remote island about 25 minutes from the resort. We got there by boat and it was an amazing experience. This was what we saw as we approached the island we'd be having dinner on. It was beautifully lit with many torches and candles. After dinner was an amazing Mexican Heritage show, full with Mexican instrumentation, chants and music, a live python and some interpretive dance depicting the Mexican culture. It was so neat!

The sunset in Mexico is so beautiful against the water. Our boat ride to our romantic dinner was 25 minutes. We were entertained with games, drinks, snacks, and performances by the funny staff. Of course, we couldn't miss out on a romantic kiss!

Our final excursion we Leann's favorite, our dolphin swim. We had a baby and Mama pair of bottle nosed dolphins for our adventure. The hour and a half long experience was full with dolphin facts, mini training session, belly to belly swim with them and lots of belly petting. Dolphins are like big underwater dogs, they love attention!!

In between excursions, we were sure to take a couple of hours to do a bit of shopping at the local flea market. The prices weren't as low as we'd hoped for, but we managed to find a few things for our kids. Wow, it was warm! This is a beautiful church near the market.

Among the many things we did on our vacation, we were sure to stay on our beautiful resort for a lot of the week to enjoy their pools and beach. As adults staying at Paradise Village, one of the luxuries we were granted was access to the relaxing "adult pool." Adults Only? We livened that up in a hurry.

The waves along the beach were so much fun this week. We did lots of boogie boarding and wave conquering. The last day we were there, the waves were around 10 feet tall...that was fun. We all got "bucked off" a time or two. I believe we all got our allowed sodium intake for the rest of the year this week...all but Josh, he started running fever on Tuesday. We immediately thought swine flu, so we called the on-site doctor who came and checked him out, only to report he had a bacterial infection he mostly like got home before coming to Mexico. Safe to say Josh spent much of his time under a teaky hut snapping pictures of the rest of us making fools of ourselves, but loving every minute of it!

What is a vacation without the spa and gold course. That is our deal, Josh gets to play golf while I go to the spa...its a win-win if you ask me! While the ladies enjoyed a few spa days, the guys got to go out to the resort golf course, El Tigre.

Law Enforcement is a bit different, as are many things in Mexico. These men look like they're back from a military tour. No. These are the "cops" in Mexico. They are all armed with, we assume, loaded giant black guns thrown over their shoulder and goodness knows what else that may be hiding. They are on street sides, outside of stores, etc. Leann and I had our own run in with the "cops" on our way back to our resort from another resort. What was supposed to be a relaxing afternoon of spa treatments quickly turned into a nightmare. As we were driving, one of these "cops" STOPPED our car on the road and started speaking spanish at us through the window. Other "cops" had cars pulled over on the side of the road being searching through them while more "cops" were stopping all the passing traffic. Safe to say I jsut knew we were going to jail. All I could say to him was Puerta Vallarta...as neither Leann or I spoke spanish. Thankfully that worked for him as well, and we were on our way! Whew...I had never quite been so frightened in all my life.

The week was great, the company was excellent, and a good time was had by all...but, it was sure nice to get home and love on our babies!

Another Season is Upon Us!

2010-01-07T12:44:00.001-06:00

Well...the gang is back! We actually got 5 season tickets this year...whew! With my little family back in Aggieland, my dad decided to join us again for the games. My parents now live in Palestine, so they brave the 2 hour drive over and stay with us each home game weekend. My mom agreed to watch Ainsley for us (and boy did that take some arm twisting :)), so I get to resume my spot at Kyle Field also. Every home game one will find Josh, Andrew, Janice, my dad, and myself ascending the climb to the top of the zone (and let me tell you it is a CLIMB now!) to cheer on our beloved Aggies.

I will be the first admit, our beloved Aggies did not have the best of seasons. Josh has continually reassured me that we are "in the building years" for the Sherman coaching era here in College Station. Well, whatever "era" we are in, I just enjoy getting to be with my 3 main men...my husband, my son, and my dad! Top that off with my dear friend Janice and what more could a girl ask for?

Let the Games Begin!

2010-01-07T12:43:00.002-06:00

September 29, 2009

Andrew, ball, Andrew, ball...I am almost convinced the boy came out of the womb with a ball in his hand. He really is not partial about what type of ball, until it comes to baseball. He LOVES playing baseball. His excitement for the sport was only heightened by getting to start t-ball! He was on the Red Sox team. With this being our first team experience, we got to buy his first pair of baseball pants, socks, and belt. What a sight.

Batting, fielding, playing the bases, game strategy...we had it all. Once the season got going, Andrew could not wait to be catcher. All that gear, what boy wouldn't want to try it out. Well, he put on the catcher's mask and he had had enough. That didn't last long. Pitcher and first base were his favorites. No, they didn't pitch, hence the name t-ball...but those 2 positions seemed to see the most ball action. And where there is action, there is where Mr. Andrew wants to be!

Lending a Helping Hand...or finger!

2010-01-06T13:02:00.005-06:00

September 9, 2009

Andrew...I apologize in advance for this blog, but I just could not help myself. I looked out the window to see Andrew re-enacting a parade procession behind Josh as he mowed the yard. Upon further investigation on my part, Andrew was enjoying some nose fishing while re-enacting a parade procession behind Josh while he was mowing. Nice.... Boys! I am afraid of what other gross and nasty habits the future holds for us! :)

The Girl Loves Her Some Oreos!

2010-01-06T12:59:00.002-06:00

August 15, 2009

What do you get when you cross Ainsley, some oreos, and a glass of milk?

Aisley in the kitchen sink...getting washed up!

I can't really complain too much. Ainsley's love for dunking oreos comes to hear genetically from both sides of the family. And don't try to be skimpy...the girl likes her's double-stuffed!

To the Beach with You!

2010-01-06T12:58:00.003-06:00

***Please let me apologize for the huge gap in my blogging entries. I am not sure where I have been the last 4 months, but I have a lot of catching up to do. We some how have kept way too busy!***

July 31, 2009

What is summer vacation without a trip to the beach? Andrew's Nana and Granddad treated the oldest three grandkids to a trip to Port Aransas. Sun, sand, water, each other to play with. What more could they ask for? Other than the incident with some hermit crabs they caught at the beach and brought back to hotel, only to find dead the next day due to their new FRESH water (instead of salt water) habitat, everyone had a great time. They did it all, spared no beach experience. They ran along the shore. Played in the waves...well, everyone else but Andrew. who was being held in the waves. Buried a cousin in the sand. Dug big holes and filled them with water. Took a trolley ride around town. Posed in a great whites mouth. Played in the hotel pool. Got some sun...well, a lot of sun, hence the t-shirts. I think it is safe to say they are all ready to go back next year! Thanks Nana and Granddad. :)

And The Rains Came!

2009-09-21T20:48:00.001-05:00

College Station has been blessed with several days of rain. Boy, did we need it and the tempertaures sure have come down. The only bad thing is, the kids have been cooped up inside for several days. What better cure for cooped-up-ness than to go out and enjoy all the rain God has sent. And enjoy they did! Andrew and Ainsley ran, played in the down spouts, swang, slid down the slide, took a break from the rain in the fort, and just had a grand ole time. I loved seeing all the smiles and freedom that came along with their new found fun!

A Big Time Was Had By All!

2009-09-21T20:30:00.005-05:00

So sorry to be still stuck in August, but time is getting away from me way too fast. We had such a fun summer! Lots of travel and visiting with family. Our latest trip was to Albuquerque for Josh's dad retirement!!! How exciting. We all gathered to celebrate his great accomplishment. In getting there, Ainsley had her first experience with flying! The first leg of the trip was not too swell...she ended up being "that baby on the plane who cried a lot." One businessman had to put his sound-proof earphones on to escape. Unfortunately, Josh and I were not so lucky so we just endured her screams and tried to entertain as much as possible. She was fine with the flying, it was being contained that got to her.

Thankfully the first leg was short and we got to Dallas and on our way again...she fell asleep! We all did...quite worn our from all the excitement! Once to Albuquerque, we had a BIG time. A retirement ceremony, lots of cake, the zoo, the aquarium, the science museum, the pool, cousins, what more could we ask for!

Thanks Gammie and Poppy...we love you!

Words of Wisdom!

2009-09-20T21:20:00.003-05:00

Isn't this just a face only a mother could love? Andrew is fascinated with getting his picture taken while making funny faces...this is his latest. Also, here are some Andrew'isms I couldn't help but share.

Aggie football has started with all nights games. While at the game on Saturday, part of the stands at Kyle Field was taken over by crickets. It was a section just under the big lights so there were tons and tons of other bugs swarming the lights. Andrew was obsessed with looking through Pop Pop's binoculars to see what ended up being quite a show of bugs.

Andrew: "Mama, you have got to look at all these bugs. I think there is a million of them!"
Out of NOWHERE comes this horrible shrieking noise.
Me: "ANDREW, why are you making that horrible noise?"
Andrew: "I am calling the bats to come eat all those bugs!"

Josh and Andrew spend a good part of Sunday afternoon watching football.
Andrew: "Daddy, who are the Steelers?"
Josh: "They are from Pittsburgh...the Pittsburgh Steelers."
Andrew: "What did they steal?"

What do you do with a girl?

2009-09-20T21:10:00.003-05:00

God gave me curly hair for a reason. He knew I would never be coordinated enough to use all the equipment needed to maintain straight hair. Well, He also gave me a sweet baby girl whose hair is getting so long she looks like a little rag-a-muffin. I was feeling so very self-confident about her looking un-kept that I stepped out of my comfort zone to do something about it. I put her hair up in a top pony tail. This is my first attempt! Not too bad...I am getting better each time and Ainsley is sooo patient with me. She sits very still and lets me take all the time I need.

Ainsley is very much a girl. She would stand on her stool, look in the mirror, and either brush her hair or brush her teeth all day if you would let her! I just love it. She is coming into her own personality, very different from her brother who is definitely all boy! Here she is in her favorite shoes. She just prances and prances on her tippie toes showing them off to whomever will notice! Such a big girl.

Walking for a Cause!

2009-09-02T21:37:00.006-05:00

My maternal grandfather, Kenneth Post, was every bit of 6 feet 4 inches tall. He was a proud, strong, broad chested man who worked his whole life at Allis Chalmers, a tractor plant in La Porte, Indiana. Despite his grandiose stature, when he opened his mouth to sing, angels stopped to listen! What a gift he had.

I wish I had more memories of him, but my grandfather suffered from Alzheimer's. It robbed him of more time with us, his memory, his physical being, and his pride. What a horrible disease. Upon hearing the name Alzheimer's, it does not take long for most of us to conjure up loving thoughts of someone taken by this awful disease.

Please join me in the fight to find a cure for this mind-crippling disease. A dear friend of mine whose grandmother was taken by Alzheimer's has put together a team of us to take part in a "Memory Walk.". My goal is to each raise $200 for this awesome cause.
Please join me in supporting a great cause by making an online donation at: http://blba.us/i.asp?id=299967-265453627-1 I appreciate your sponsorship in what I know is a hard time for all of us.

The Girls

2009-08-27T08:34:00.002-05:00

Whitney, Josh's sister, and I were due a week apart...each with a girl. Whitney went early and took my due date, having Jaekob on April 19th. I was glad someone got to use it since I always seem to deliver late. Ainsley came 5 days later on April 24th. Now that the girls are getting older, it is neat to see them play and interact with one another. I am not sure who has more fun...the girls playing together or us watching them. Based on the following video clip, the girls are actively looking for a manager to help them take their show on the road...coming to a city near you!

They Done It Again!

2009-08-27T08:16:00.004-05:00

Josh plays, every July in Amarillo, in the Budweiser partnership with his high school buddy, Greg. They have won the tournament twice. The first win came in 2001, thus the picture on top. The second win came this summer in 2009, thus the picture on bottom. Let me assure you that these are the same two men posed in both pictures!

Congrats gentlemen on a tournament well played! You both are like a fine wine...you only get better with age. :) Which do you think has changed the most...for the better of course?

Yummy Dipping Stuff!

2009-08-26T16:40:00.003-05:00

Some girlfriends and I decided to do a recipe swap to help "spice up" our dinners. I was way excited to have received such yummy ideas that I started trying the new recipes right away. One was for La Madeline's tomato basil soup. WOW, is it delicious. We made it with grilled cheese sandwiches that we ended up cutting like croutons and dropping in the soup. Andrew ate every last drop and requests the "yummy dipping stuff" every time we have grilled cheese sandwiches. I thought I would share the recipe for you all to hopefully enjoy as much as we have. It is very easy to make.

4 cups (8 to 10) tomatoes, peeled, cored, and chopped or 4 cups canned whole tomatoes, crushed (I use one 28 oz. can of crushed + one 14 oz. can of whole that I then crush as I put them in the pan).

4 cups tomato juice or mixture of tomato juice and vegetable or chicken stock (I use one 11.5 oz. can of tomato juice + one 14.5 oz. can of chicken broth). You can buy single cans of vegetable juice at Wal-Mart on the juice aisle.

12-14 fresh basil leaves (it is worth planting basil just for this recipe).

1 cup whipping cream

1 stick sweet unsalted butter, softened

salt to taste

1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper (I just use regular pepper).

Combine tomatoes and juice (or juice-stock mixture) in a saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Cool slightly, then place in a blender or food processor with the 12-14 basil leaves. Process to puree. (This will need to be done in batches. I found that my blender is good to have about 1 and a half cups at a time so that it does not leap up and burn your hand while blending).

Return mixture to the saucepan and add cream and butter. Stir over low heat until cream and butter are incorporated. Stir in salt and pepper before serving. Garnish with basil leaves.

This makes about 10 cups of soup. Each eat half and then freeze half!

Put It In Writing!

2009-08-25T21:56:00.005-05:00

I have learned why Weight Watchers works...they make you journal, aka write down, what you eat for the day, therefore keeping track of your caloric intake. There is nothing more powerful than having to write down THE number, however small or large, just writing it down...seeing it on paper...staring back at you...leaving you sitting there thinking, did I really eat that much? It is enough to make a grown man (Josh) leave a white-chocolate, macadamia nut cookie on the break room table just so he did not have to record the 310 calories it would have cost him to eat it! Now that is the power of the pen!

Josh and I are going to Mexico with some good friends at the end of September. We have, well Josh did and then convinced me to, started writing down the calories we eat in order to hopefully shed some unwanted pounds before dawning a bathing suit for the lavish beaches of Mexico. (When I say it that way, it makes me more motivated to lose some jiggle). It seems to be working. I find myself contemplating, do I REALLY need to eat that. I have learned that fruits and veggies are your caloric friend, while pasta, rice, and potatoes are not so calorically friendly.

Also, a dear friend of mine from high school called and invited me to run in a half-marathon (13.1 miles for those who were wondering) with her. For some unknown reason, I am sure it was divine intervention, I opened my mouth and enthusiastically accepted her invitation. Then I started running. I have found the ole bod is not what it was in high school. My legs ached, my knees were sore, and most of all my back hurt. What you see here is one solution to my aging joints...new running shoes. I had to go all the way to the big city to find them. Apparently College Station is not a mecca for running paraphernalia. They seem to help along with some veteran advice to build my core strength, nice way of saying lose your flabby mid-section, and also to work on my hamstring flexibility. All-in-all, my body aches have subsided thanks to all the heeded advice and I am actually enjoying getting back into running. Now, come January when the race gets here...we will see. I know I am anxious too!

What has God put on your heart to do lately that you have just had to go blind faithly into?

Mr. Literal!

2009-08-25T21:53:00.003-05:00

Andrew: "Aunt Whitney, what is that on the wall?"

Aunt Whitney: "That's the first aid kit."

Andrew: "Where's the second?"

Josh's Girlfriend!

2009-08-25T19:29:00.003-05:00

This is something you don't see everyday...me with straight hair! Josh and I joke that this is the closest thing to a girlfriend he will get! :) When I get my haircut, I have my girl straighten my hair for me. There is a reason God gave me curly hair...He knew I would never be coordinated enough to use a flat iron on my own.

Unfortunately, this will be the last time I get my hair straightened. After my last hair cut, my face broke out in water blisters and I ended up at Urgent Care in San Antonio. I am apparently allergic to the straightening serum my girl sprayed on my hair...which involuntarily ended up on my face also. Just one more reason not to mess with Mother Nature! :)

Love That Small Town Feel!

2009-08-25T13:31:00.003-05:00

Let me preface with I am WAY behind on blogging, so I apologize for the tardiness of this posting!

We spent the 4th of July in Canyon. After not being there for the 4th last year, I have come to decide small town 4th's are the only way to go! Yes, every town, regardless of size, has fireworks. But the difference I appreciate is in the quaintness and charm that comes with the small town celebration. For me, I love the community spirit and togetherness that comes with this patriotic holiday...it seems more magnified and genuine when experienced in a small town atmosphere.

We kicked off the day with a pancake and sausage breakfast put on by the Lion's Club, where our children bought American flags and red, white, and blue twirly-whirls. From there we went to the "Fair on the Square," around the downtown courthouse building, as we awaited the start of the parade. Face painting, greasy fair food, and homemade crafts galore! Of course we sent scouts out early to find the best parade-watching spot while the rest of us tooled around looking at all the various booths and catching up with old friends it is so fun to run into. The afternoon was spent swimming and bar-b-queuing in the backyard. What better way to end this magical day but by watching fireworks in the front yard of our dear friends.

You can take the girl to the big city, but you can't take the small town 4th out of her! What are your favorites parts of small town living?

Reminiscing!

2009-07-30T11:15:00.004-05:00

OK...the house is quiet. Ainsley is sleeping, Andrew is in Port Aransas with his grandparents, and Josh is at work. I am sitting at the computer updating my playlist, adding songs I hear on the radio and then try desperately to remember. (I am not too hip when it comes to current music...). In trying to think of more songs to add, I remembered one I heard called "We Bleed Maroon". I type it in, the website finds it, I listen to it, and then find myself crying! No, I am not pregnant, just overwhelmed with very fond memories of times past. Listening to the words made me remember why I am so proud to be an Aggie!

Now, yes, there are people who came to Texas A&M, earned a degree, and then moved on...never really experiencing what I consider Aggieland. My definition of Aggieland is Yell Practice at midnight on a Friday night, falling off bleachers wiggled loose by the other thousands of Aggies who stood there the Friday nights before. It is Kyle field on Saturday, sweating with 80,000 other devouts. It is the Dixie Chicken, playing 42 with dominoes traded at the bar for your drivers license. It is taking your hat off when you walk in the MSC (no matter how bad your hair looks), memorializing all the Aggies before and after you who will give there life defending our great nation. It is to Aggies don't boo, we horse laugh...booing is tacky. It is the Aggie Code of Honor, we do not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do...and we mean it! It is smiling and saying "howdy" on your way to class as you pass by others on their way. It is the Aggie ring, a symbol of our pride and means of finding a common bond with strangers wearing theirs far from the boundaries of campus. It is knowing the words to, singing, and then teaching your children the words to our War Hymn. It is a whoop, what we say when we hear some "good bull"! It is Reveille, who else gets out of class when their mascot barks? It is Silver Taps, where campus is darken and Taps is played from the roof of the Academic building for any enrolled Aggie who has passed that month. It is Muster, a roll call for all Aggies who have died that year. It is maroon and white. It is all the amazing fellow Aggies you meet and get to call friend for many, many years after leaving. It is getting engaged under the Century Tree, to another who also shares this Aggie love. It is bonfire, and Gig'em, and the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, and the 12th Man, and fish camp, and yell leaders! The list goes on and on, but I will not bore you with more...

I know we, Josh and I, are pretty devout. We certainly get some looks when people hear our children's initials are AGS. As one good ole' Ag told us, "Who says Old Army is dead?" Anyway, to all you non-Aggies out there, I can only hope that your 4 (or maybe more) years at college come with as fond of memories as mine. I can only hope that songs written can bring tears of joyous memories as you remember your days on campus. So, joke all you want...make fun of us all you want, but I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

Sorry for the cheesy gushing, but that is what was on my heart. I know there are a lot of other things I could have blogged on...and those are coming...I just got caught up in the moment. Now, indulge me in one more thing. Pause the song and enjoy "Welcome to Aggieland"! Just another way of sharing our Aggieland story.

Sweet Dreams!

2009-06-23T13:04:00.000-05:00

With all this swimming, Andrew has gone back to taking naps. In preparation for his nap, he gets 1 book (which he puts under his pillow) and 1 "friend" (aka stuffed animal) to sleep with. I went in to check on him, and this is what I found.

Its Not the Size That Matters!

2009-06-23T12:37:00.000-05:00

Josh and I have decided that we are going to give all of Andrew's toys to Ainsley and all of Ainsley's toys to Andrew. It never ceases to amaze me how Andrew loves to play with all of Ainsley's toys. Take this little kiddie pool. Andrew was the first one in and had a ball! Who needs swim lessons or a diving board. Just give the kids 6 inches of water in a tiny little pool and they are happy, happy, happy!

We did bring out some bathtub toys to make the pool experience a bit more exciting. I think they paled in comparison to how easy it was to get in and out of the pool. Both Andrew and Ainsley found that to be the best part. In and out, in and out! No need for ladders or steps in this pool.

The amazing thing to me was that both kids fit comfortably in the pool at the same time! They sat and splashed, stood and splashed, fell down and splashed...splashing was quite a hit. This was a valuable lesson for me. I have a tendency to forget just how simple minded our sweet angles are. They do not need a big pool with fancy equipment to have a marvelous time. A simple blow up pool in the back yard is a treat!

Andrew is so proud of himself. He has learned how to pump his legs and swing himself! I think he has Josh or me or both come outside daily so he can show us. For him, it is a new and exciting adventure each day. He can get himself going pretty high...thus relieving Josh and I of our swing pushing duties. Occasionally Andrew does revert back and want someone to push him! I forget he is not as big as he sometimes thinks he is!

Ainsley also enjoys playing out on the back patio. She has begun riding the big kids bikes and driving the big kids cars. Heaven help us all when she can actually get out on the open road. Fasten your seat belts and enjoy!

A New Found Freedom!

2009-06-23T09:54:00.001-05:00

Off to the pool. What is summer vacation without a few hundred trips to the pool? It is safe to say that the Shields' children have taken to the water like a fish to the sea! Ainsley even got in on the action. She is not a complete fan of the life jackets, but she tolerates them just fine.
Andrew took swim lessons! A lady, who lives here locally, takes residence at the park pool all summer and gives swim lessons. She has been doing this since the early 70's! Her name is Ms. Kathy and Andrew loves her. I have not heard him this excited about something. I think he told everyone he knows that he was in swim lessons. He took them with a buddy of his and the 2 of them had Ms. Kathy all to themselves!

They took their lessons for 1 week. We lived at the pool that week, soaking up the sun and learning to swim. The boys floated (with big Santa Clause bellies), learned the crawl stroke (with big ice cream scoop arms), and learned the back stroke (with tickle tickle, airplane, and then soldier arms). I had to learn the lingo Ms. Kathy used so I could help reinforce the moves when we were done!

Here is the superman glide which led to big kicks and ice cream scoop arms! Andrew informed me that in this picture his legs should not be out of the water. "You should kick with your feet, Mama, not your knees!"

Here is a demonstration of the back stroke. To get the concept across to the boys, she had them do tickle tickle arms (hands up under their arm pits), airplane arms (arms straight out from their sides), and then soldier arms (arms down by their sides). In this picture Andrew is going from soldier to tickle tickle. Certainly not the most conventional terminology, but it works. I love it! Safe to say, Andrew was sad when our week of lessons was over, but we still get to see Ms. Kathy when we go swimming, so that kind of makes up for it!

Ms. Kathy's big goal was to teach the boys to swim and then roll to their backs and float. If they were to get tired while swimming in water where they could not touch, this is a strategy that let's them back float and rest before going back to their active swimming. Andrew caught on for the most part, but wanted to put his feet down instead of float.

The most exciting part of the swim lesson came the new found confidence Andrew gained from he experience. His first big task was to go off the diving board. The park pool does not allow kids to go off the diving board in a life jacket, nor can a parent be there to catch them. It needs to be all them! Andrew took his first jump with Daddy waiting by the ladder if the need for assistance should arise. He LOVED it and the rest was history. Other than having to take a break due to sheer fatigue, Andrew would camp out in the deep end enjoying the diving board all day!

The Girl With NO Fear!

2009-06-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

Ainsley is quite the daredevil. It is interesting to compare her personality with that of her brother. Andrew is more reserved when it comes to trying new things and certainly has to think about something before just jumping into it! Ainsley, on the other hand, is not so reserved. She is fearless, uninhibited, and quite ready to try something new!

Her newest accomplishments are in the realm of climbing. Ainsley's smallest climbing quests are the living room furniture. She struggles with all her might to get up the front of the couch or the big leather chair and then sits so proudly like the Queen of Sheba on her thrown. Ainsley has ventured to try climbing the glider and its gliding ottoman, but they have bucked her off a time or two, thus sending her to try a different climbing piece of furniture.

Here are some of her largest climbing quests! Ainsley can climb, all on her own, up the ladder to the playhouse on top of our backyard adventure. Once up there, she does a fancy dance, aka stomping her feet and circling around, before positioning herself to slide down and start all over again.
The most unbelievable (to me that is) daredevil feat is seen here. She goes down the slide at the park pool all by herself! (Let me insert here that she does wear a life jacket at all times while on the slide!) Now, contrary to the picture here, she does need some assistance climbing the slide ladder, but I promised Susan I would not publish the pictures of her taking Ainsley to the top! :)

Once up, she sits and whooshes down the slide, completely on her own!!! even with the water at the top spraying her little face, she thinks its great. Here she in in mid whoosh!

Once out the bottom, she skates along the top of the water to be met by her Daddy! Even with a face full of water, her grin shines through brightly! Notice her brother in the orange trunks watching and cheering along side her!

She's Got The Look!

2009-06-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

Ainsley has certainly come into her own and developed quite a little, well actually quite a big, personality! Regardless of what she is doing, she can bring a smile to one's face...most of all her brother! From sucking her thumb (mostly just when she is tired) to telling ghost stories with a flashlight up to her face, she is learning so much and becoming so much fun.

I could certainly come up with commentary for each of these pictures. For instance in the bottom, left corner car picture, I know she is exclaiming, "She said WHAT...Oh no girlfriend!" In the bottom, right picture, I know she is saying, "Peek-a-boo!" But alas, I will spare you the others. You can come up with them on your own. I hope they bring as many giggles to you as they have to us!

Not only is the girl great at making funny faces, she is a pro at making funny noises. Here is here newest. Be sure to turn your volume up to get the full effect of the noise making!

The Fat Lady Has Sung!

2009-06-21T21:38:00.000-05:00

Well, after several months and several different sports, our adventure with Pee-Wee sports has come to an end. What fun we had. The last sport was baseball. Now, I have to admit...I am not a huge baseball fan. I used to think it was boring to watch. It still is when it is professionals playing on television, but when it is a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds, that puts a whole new spin on the game.
Andrew enjoyed his baseball days. Lots of base running practice; throwing practice; catching grounders, fly balls, and pop-ups practice. Here they are practicing throwing the balls at hull-a-hoops placed at varying heights along the fence.

Then came the games. Putting it all together and actually playing the game! Andrew started in the outfield and boy did he take his job seriously. This boy was ready to catch whatever came his way, or not his way. He ran after just about anything. When it was all said and done, Josh got him squared away about staying in his area, but I bet he ran a mile over that field shagging balls!

Who says you can't crowd the base. This boy was not letting anyone get to 2nd base on his watch! Then it was his turn to bat! This proved no big deal for Andrew. He would get up to bat, hit his home-run, run the bases, and then get back in line where he continued drawing in the dirt!

If he wasn't playing in the dirt, he was yelling at his teammates to, "Run to first, run to second, run to third, run home!" After listening to myself in this next video, I have to admit, I see where he gets it from.

We are now done with sports for the summer! There is a new addition to the Pee-Wee line-up, football starts in the fall. Also in the fall, Andrew is now old enough to start playing city league, so we will look into playing College Station soccer. In the mean time, we will rest and catch our breath with the thought of more good times to come!

Our First Attempt!

2009-06-21T21:26:00.000-05:00

College Station certainly has a much more garden friendly growing season. We were a bit caught off gaurd by how early in the year we could plant our garden. Josh has grand plans for multiple beautiful raised beds, but with time running out, we postponed them until next year. The helpful people at our local Lowe's broke the news to us about just how bad the soil is here. After a spray of Round-Up, the grass was dead and ready for the rototiller. That was a chore, but Josh succeeded and we learned just how bad the soil really is. It sure is sandy. I think there once was a lake where our backyard now stands! Anyway, after several weeks of water, weed pulling, and love, the garden has given us some yummy treats: several zucchini, cucumbers, and basil. The tomatoes and cantaloupes are starting their production, and the watermelons are trying...Andrew talks to them all the time and cheers them on to grow. He is most excited about the watermelons...who knows why, but he is!

These pictures were taken about a month and ago as we celebrated our first harvest...I know I'm behind, but better late than never! And Andrew has decide he likes cucumbers...like the one he is holding!

Our Little Olympian!

2009-06-18T22:55:00.000-05:00

Andrew has been taking gymnastics this past school year at a local gym, Powersports. He started in a recreational class, and then was invited to join a little boys team. Andrew loves it and enjoys getting to run, flip, bounce, and jump! They had their end-of-the-year "mini-Olympics" where they got to showcase their talents. He was the youngest boy there, but made up for it in heart and determination! Sure made his mama and daddy proud! The boys performed on 4 different apparatuses: parallel bars, rings, floor, and vault. Here he is waiting oh-so-patiently for his turn.

Let the games begin! Andrew was the first to go on the first event, parallel bars! Once he figured out all the salutes and ta-da's, he was off to the races...what fun he had!

I truly believe that putting the chalk on his hands in preparation is Andrew's favorite part of the rings. With that said, he also enjoys the flipping around that naturally comes with doing the rings! And I am amazed at how strong he is...he does not get that from his Mama!

The memory card on the camera filled up in the middle of Andrew's floor routine...so sorry! If he practiced this once in our living room, he practiced this no less than 100 times. He was bound and determined to get it just right...just as Coach Geoff taught him to perform it with all the lunges and arm positions put just so! :) I was impressed with how seriously he took all of this.

Andrew finished up with vault. One of these days he will nail the handstand portion. Control is not yet one of his strong suits...but he sure tried! What fun, what fun.

So You Think You Can Dance?

2009-06-18T22:33:00.000-05:00

Let me let you in on a glimpse of what I get to witness daily!

Ainsley is getting to be such a big girl...soon to be 14 months. She loves her big brother and he loves her right back. Any new accomplishment, regardless of how trivial or small, she adds to her repertoire, Andrew feels cause for celebration. And what better way to celebrate than to dance. (regardless of the "Footloose" mentality).

I feel certain that they get their moves from their Church of Christ Daddy!

Cabinet Raider

2009-05-27T22:04:00.000-05:00

Ainsley has progressed from pulling toilet paper off the roll to unloading everything out of the kitchen cabinets...and this seems to be her favorite one to raid! I have yet to decide which of the two is worse: toliet paper pulling or cabinet raiding. I certainly do get a workout restocking all that she pulls out. The part that makes me laugh the most is that she is so proud of herself each and every time she raids! It is like she is finding treasure and wants to show it off to everyone. Apparently this time she was a bit tired and decided that my 100 calorie snacks made for a nice seat.

A Weekend of Golf

2009-05-27T21:48:00.000-05:00

(Yes...this picture does say "PROOF" across it because we are too cheap to buy one...no really, ours has been ordered, it just isn't here yet. )

The Shields headed to Dallas this past weekend to attend the Byron Nelson golf tournament in Irving. It is safe to say that my boys were in heaven. A weekend filled with golf...and a hotel swimming pool! That was icing on the cake for Andrew. The Byron Nelson is now sponsored by HP, who Wayne (Josh's step-dad) works for. He volunteered at the tournament and then ended up winning extra tickets, so we all got to spend some time at the course. The girls actually did more shopping than golf watching...which is just fine by me!

I about fell out of my seat. While at dinner, Josh noticed that one of the PGA tour golfers was also dining at the restaurant. Josh proceeds to tell me that yes, as nice as it would be to get paid to play golf for a living, a huge draw back is the fact that you are gone from your family 30 plus weeks a year. And when you are home, you need to be practicing and getting ready for the next tournament. Not a life style conducive to having a family. When the children are grown and gone, we have decided that Josh can be a caddie...which he would love to do and I think would be very good at...and I can travel with him! What fun...

Wise Beyond His Years!

2009-05-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

Picture Andrew in I in the kitchen preparing lunch.

Andrew: "Mama, did you know that God is the weather man?"

Me: "No I didn't, but I guess that you are right. Who told you that?"

Andrew: "No one. I made it up!"

Oh, what we have to look forward to!!!

I Need an Ashton!

2009-05-18T20:05:00.000-05:00

Josh continues to joke that we need to have 4 kids. That, to me, is not even funny! I have a better solution...Cousins! Who needs 4 kids to entertain one another when you can play with cousins...they entertain one another...have a great time...don't get sick of each other because we don't see them all the time...and then you get to send them home with their parents leaving just your 2 to bathe and put to bed! Its great, especially when one of the cousins loves to play/keep up with/look after your little one!
Ainsley and Ashton hit it off beautifully. Ashton is certainly a GREAT big cousin to have. She is smart, responsible, and loves Ainsley...and Ainsley loves her.

Who needs a big brother when you have a Catch? Andrew LOVES Catch. If Catch does something, I can guarantee Andrew will be 2 feet behind him mimicking every move. I am quite certain that Catch is ready for Andrew to go home by the time our visit is done due to the fact that Catch has a new shadow when we are in town. The only alone time Catch gets around Andrew is potty time...and that's only because Catch locks the bathroom door! (just kidding)

Here are the Girls. They are 5 days apart, with Jaekob being the oldest. Ainsley was supposed to be the oldest, but was to fond of the womb and missed her opportunity! I was a bit worried...at Christmas, Ainsley was a bully and beat up a bit on Jaekob, but Jaekob has since started moving and getting around...thus not being such a target for Ainsley. Also, Ainsley has chilled a bit. They just followed each other and laughed!

Back in College Station, when Andrew gets in trouble for something and is sulking, one of the first things out of his mouth is, "I miss Ashton and Catch!" Truth be know, Mama does too!

City Boy in the Country

2009-05-18T19:59:00.001-05:00

On the way back from Canyon, we spent the night in the booming metropolis of Lelia Lake with Josh's grandparents. Here is Grandpa introducing Andrew to the new colt that was born earlier this spring. What a treat for this city boy! "He's cute, Mama, but let's not bring him home...I won't have anywhere to play in the back yard."

Reflections!

2009-05-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

God writes the most perfect stories...and we get to live them out! No, they certainly do not always go the way we would have planned. No, they certainly do not come without hardship, trials, and troubling times. But, in the end, when one sits back and recounts, they are always full of growth, a gain of wisdom, and love for those who supported us and were used to guide us along...therefore composing the most perfect story!

In addition to Josh's graduation, we celebrated Ainsley's birthday one more time with our family up in Amarillo. While driving home from our big weekend, Josh and I reflected about the past year. Here are some of the highlights to our most perfect story:

1. It was a year ago Mother's Day weekend that we were in College Station buying a house. After redoing 2 houses in Amarillo/Canyon and then selling them after completing all the work, it was nice to have a house that was move-in ready! Praise God for Josh giving in to me and letting us buy a newer home.

2. Ainsley was just 4 weeks old when the move was complete. Now she is getting to be such a big girl. One chapter of her most perfect story ends and another begins. Ainsley is completely weaned from nursery (we made it a year!) and is now on sippie cups and whole milk. My baby is no longer a baby...that's another whole blog in itself!

3. Getting used to being 8 hours away from family that you were once less than 20 minutes from has taken some adjusting. It certainly makes you cherish and appreciate the time spent with them.

4. Andrew and Ainsley now have a babysitter who is not a family member. Her name is Margaret and I was her babysitter when I was at A&M. She was 3 when I started sitting for them and now she is a beautiful 17 year old! (that makes me feel OLD!). Margaret comes one night every other week so Josh and I can have a date night...is it a date if you end up at Target EVERY time?

I won't bore you with any more of my reflections other than to say I am loving living out this most perfect story with the characters God has put in my chapters. May He continue to bless my story and yours as they continue to be written!

You know your tired when...

2009-05-15T20:19:00.000-05:00

In response to poor choices made, Andrew gets sent to his room to sit in his "red chair" for a brief time out. Well, apparently this trip was just too over stimulating and just plum wore him out...could be the reason for poor choices, I guess he was tired. What do you think?

Josh's D-Day!

2009-05-15T19:02:00.000-05:00

Diploma Day! Contrary to the Gig'em (after this weekend, we have decided Josh's hand will do nothing other than), Josh earned a Masters of Professional Accounting degree from West Texas A&M University in Canyon. He did it...finished an entire Masters while working full time, being a devoted husband, and a very loving father. Whew...I am tired just recalling it all and I was not the one doing the school work.
Josh will say it all started as a cruel joke played on him by the mail surveyors. You all have seen them...these surveys that come in the mail and ask you 100 and 1 questions, the most grueling for Josh being the one where you check your level of education and your spouse's level of education. It just killed him to check Bachelors for himself and Masters for me!!! Now, I just might have to up the ante and go for a Doctorate. What would he think of Dr. and Mr. Shields? NO way...graduate level statistics gives this math girl the willies.
We had a great time in Canyon celebrating! It did not come without its scares. Josh's ornery online professor decided that he could not e-mail Josh's grade to WT in order for Josh to graduate. Praise goes to God who blessed Josh with some very loving ladies at WT who let him walk on his word that he was passing and the grade would be there in time for diplomas to be mailed out!!! Once that was settled it was smooth sailing...even the drive there was not bad. We made it in record time - 7 hours and 50 minutes. Quite an accomplishment since we set the cruise on 75 and stopped twice. A good tail wind I guess!
To say the least, we are all quite proud of Josh. Here is Ainsley giving her daddy some celebratory suggies! Congrats Joshua David...but don't let it go to your head...we are not calling you Master! :)

Happy 1st Birthday Baby Girl!

2009-04-30T11:32:00.000-05:00

Already a year and what a sweet, bright spot this precious little girl has added to our lives! What started as a squishy, pink, wrinkly bundle has blossomed into a walking, talking, smiling, pesky little girl that is truly a blessing from God! From her smiles when we go to get her out of her bed, to pulling the books off the shelf, to blowing a zurbert on your leg and then laughing, she has the most precious little personality. And believe me, she has her daddy and her brother right where she wants them...and me for that matter! I pray that the next year brings many more wonderful smiles, memories, and special days. Ainsley, you are so loved!

The Birthday Celebration Begins!

2009-04-16T23:21:00.000-05:00

My baby is about to be one! That is just unfathomable to me. Where on Earth did it all go, but what an exciting, fun, and very memorable year it has been with this sweet baby girl in our lives. She is the light of all of our days and can bring a smile to even to most of strangers faces!

Here is the play-by-play of how this first party went. She likes looking at the cake and dragging her tiny finger through the icing...which she then proceeds to lick off and do again. We sing and instead of blowing out the candle, she tries to grab it. Thankfully I got it blown out before she reached the flame. Once in her seat, she was not having anything to do with the cake other than squishing it and rubbing it all over her face! Oh well, we enjoyed the cake and look forward to more fabulous parties to come!

Happy Easter

2009-04-16T23:02:00.000-05:00

What fun, what fun! The Easter Bunny came several times to our house. Andrew and Ainsley received wonderful packages from their loved ones in the Panhandle to kick off the festivities. One box was bigger than Ainsley and she was fascinated by it. They LOVE getting packages. They sit on the kitchen floor and play with all the goodies for what seems like hours!

A grand morning of egg hunting was had by all even the littlest one. We headed to San Antonio to spend Easter with my family. The weather was rainy, so we hunted inside. That did not seem to bother the hunters one bit. Jasmine and Andrew were old hat at the egg hunting process, so they took off. Ainsley was a bit unsure at first, but caught one quickly to the whole find an egg, then put it in your basket thing. The Easter Bunny put Gerber Graduate Puffs in her eggs, so she was on a mission to find them and chow down.

Andrew's eggs were filled with either candy, money, or riddles. It is becoming a family tradition to leave riddles masking the location of a larger surprise. Solve the riddle and one will have the location of your treat. He loves these and was so surprised to find a new "Spiderman Bad Guy", a race car track, learning workbooks (which he loves by the way...not just a "Oh, your mom's a teacher" gift), and Yahtzee Jr. What fun, what fun!

Ainsley's New Found Freedom!

2009-04-16T22:34:00.000-05:00

With her walking feet under her, Ainsley is now able to entertain herself at outings. At soccer, she found the cones that were not being used at that point in time and made them hers!

Also,she decided that my chair was her chew toy/"I don't like where Mommy put this so I am going to move it" toy. I will say that she has a mind of her own! If she thinks something is not quite as it should be, she takes over and fixes it. In this case, my chair apparently should have been closer to the tree!

At my sister's house, Ainsley discovered stairs and the fact that she can climb them. When no one was looking, she would sneak off and climb a few!

Her new found independence is so fun to watch! She is finding new things everyday, which bring more smiles and laughter for all of us! With her walking legs going for about 2 weeks now, she is getting more and more confident, even attempting a bit of running...from her brother of course!

Our Soccer Star

2009-04-16T21:36:00.000-05:00

Pee Wee golf is now over and we are rolling through soccer season. Just like the other Pee Wee sports, the kids rotate through stations each week where they learn to kick, trap, dribble, and shoot. After hearing the station names, who would have guessed we were at soccer. Andrew is having a big time. The kids finally got to play a bit of a game at the end of practice this week. Andrew is in the blue gown, oh I mean jersey. He scored the only goal for his team. When practice was over, he informed us that his team lost 3 to 1...mind you he was the only one who kept score! Anyway, he is loving it and can't wait to play more games. Move over David Beckham!

Fun in the Sand

2009-04-16T20:51:00.000-05:00

Out of the blue, Andrew reminded Josh last week that he had not put in the sandbox that was promised to him several months ago. He was correct! So, feeling extremely guilty, we got right on it and put the sandbox in last weekend! After a good spray of Roundup and some elbow grease, we cleared the grass and got things ready for the 600 pounds of sand we got at Lowe's. For as fine as this sand is, man it sure is heavy!!! Andrew LOVES it to say the least and will stay in and play all day if given the opportunity!

Ainsley is now an outdoors girl. No longer are the days she would just sit at the window and watch Andrew play outside. She pushed on the screen so much in one particular window that it is now permanently bent. Ainsley will stand at the back door and squawk until you let her out, like a little puppy, to go play with her brother. She gets more grass stains then Andrew does!

There are many things that keep this boy busy. Certainly playing with his now mobile sister tops the list, but she does slow him down or slobber all over that which he is choosing to play with and then she's out of there! K'Nex are also high on his list. He loves to build the creatures the instructions show him how to make, but he loves to create his own little monsters and then tell you all about them. The teacher in me loves how good this is for his imagination. He used to be hesitant to build them on his own and was always asking Josh to help him, but now he grabs the instruction book and builds them all by himself. This one is a dog he copied from the book!

They grow up so fast!

Is he supposed to be doing that?

2009-04-16T20:33:00.000-05:00

Gymnastics lessons are really paying off. Andrew loves to flip, spin, or hang from anything sturdy enough to hold his weight. All who see him preforming his newest feet turn and ask me, "Is he supposed to be doing that?" Even Josh came running in the house asking the first time he witnessed the trick in our back yard. What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. And stronger Andrew is getting. To my amazement, he even does pull-ups. I guess if I only weighed 32 pounds, I could do a pull-up too!

A Mover and a Shaker!

2009-04-16T20:18:00.000-05:00

Ainsley is a world traveler and explorer these days. She is not at all content to stay in one place...which is not always fun for the mama! She loves to look out the window, when really she would much rather be outside playing...but this day was a bit cool, so the window had to do.
We pulled Andrew's "door" out of the attic and cleaned it up. Ainsley loves it...and so does Andrew. They both enjoy playing with it and answering the doorbell for one another.

She found the 4th of July twirly-whirls and just had to put them on. I tried to tell her she was a bit early, but she would not hear of it. Surprisingly, she left them on for quite some time. Now, we have to put them up because she found they make a fun chew toy.

AINSLEY IS NOW A WALKING MAMA and has been for about 2 weeks now! She has finally got her feet under her and her legs a movin. You all know the new baby walk...the peg-legged leg action with the arms up by the ears for balance. Well, we are there! She loves being mobile and so does Andrew. Now he chases her around the house while she screams and runs from him! I love it...it can bring a smile to any ones face.

Finally Our Prayers Are Answered!

2009-04-16T20:02:00.000-05:00

Well, after several grueling months, my parents are living back under the same roof in Palestine, TX. As most of you know, my dad lost his job last June. He found a job as head of food services for Crockett ISD. His new job started this past August, right before the new school year. He is doing a great job and is enjoying being back in operations, but my mom was still in Dallas. Mom took a job in the baby room of a local day care by their house. She got to play with 8 babies, her and another lady, all day long...a Nana's dream come true...while waiting for their house to sell. The fall came and went, the holidays came and went, and then spring arrived, all the while praying that God would bring them a buyer and get the new show on the road! Well, He finally did. In what was a huge domino effect, their buyer's buyer got their house closed, which allowed their buyer to get his house closed, which then allowed the buyer to close on my parent's house, and then for my parents to close on the house they found. Whew! Their new house is a neat old house in the Historical District of Palestine, just up the road from a great new park.
There is one huge piece of jungle gym for 7 to 12 year olds. Andrew, the 4 year old, LOVED it...especially these "monkey bars" that spin around as you cross them!

Ainsley loves to swing. There were also mini jungle gyms for the little ones. We had a hard time getting her off of them. The knees on her little pink pants showed just how much fun she had. Thank goodness for Spray-N-Wash!

Who can resist a slide ride with your brother. Ainsley would go down 100 times if Andrew would stay content that long.

We went and spent the weekend, helping where we could! It was fun. Small town life certainly seems to be something my parents are enjoying, not missing the hub-bub of the big city!

Monkey Business

2009-03-24T15:32:00.000-05:00

Andrew has a monkey pillow that he uses to kick back and watch a movie with. That is it intended purpose. Ainsley has decided its intended purpose is that of a tackle dummy. For some unknown reason, Ainsley went up to this poor, innocent monkey and started attacking him. I blame it on pent up aggression from her brother using her as a tackle dummy. Since she can't yet catch him, she can the monkey and therefore he bears the brunt of her release.

Pee Wee Golf Time!

2009-03-24T14:51:00.000-05:00

I am not sure who is enjoying Pee Wee golf more...Andrew or Josh. You should see the two of them out there. I am not sure why they do not hire them to teach the class, they just have such a good time working together. I love it! Here is what I am talking about:

There are 4 stations that the kids work on every week: putting, chipping, and 2 swing stations. At the chipping station, they get to chip at the target. This is Andrew's favorite part, especially when he hits the target:

Just a Swingin

2009-03-24T14:37:00.000-05:00

In addition to hanging like a monkey in the tree, Andrew loves to play on the swings. Thanks to gymnastics, they have become supports for him to flip over, hang upside down from, or swing from like Tarzan...all which I am still trying to get on tape! Little Miss has decided that she likes to swing. Other than reminding her not to let go, we all have a big time swinging out back.
"Mama, can I push her?" I get this question a lot. My first response is normally, "Are you out of your mind, Son?" But, I bit my tongue and say, "When she gets a bit bigger, Buddy, then you can!"

Andrew has decided he is going to try to learn to swing himself...this comes from multiple suggestions from Josh and I as he yells in from the back yard..."Can someone come push me?"

Every time we are swinging Ainsley, I feel the need to remind her a thousand times to hang on. Now, I do realize that she has probably not a clue what I am talking about, but it sure makes me feel better to say it! One of these days she will look over at me and say, "I know Mom...enough already!" Boy, can I not wait for those good times! :)

Movin on Up!

2009-03-24T14:19:00.001-05:00

This is Ainsley a good portion of the time...mouth opened and pushing her baby at a mach 1 pace around the living room. She has not mastered steering, but she has gotten better at the walking part. Keeping up with her brother and doing a bit of her own terrorizing seems to drive her to walk and keep up. Heaven forbid if she were to miss something with him! Her baby stroller has done wonders for her and getting her legs ready and revved up for taking steps on her own!

We lay our crawling Ainsley down for nap and she gets up a walking Ainsley. On Thursday, Josh was home, off from work due to Spring Break. He gets her up from her nap and brings her into our bedroom where I was on the computer. He puts her down against a cedar chest we have and she walks over to me at the computer...about 5 or 6 steps for her!!! Fabulous, until we get the camera out and she acts like we are crazy people wanting her to walk.

Our Monkey Man...Really!

2009-03-24T14:00:00.000-05:00

The weather here has been very spring-like, so therefore Andrew has been playing a lot out on his backyard play set. In keeping himself entertained, he has learned a new trick. He climbs up the slide about halfway and then reaches for the tree, in which he then grabs and hangs or swings around like a monkey. Here is a pictorial procession of what I see from the patio as he is yelling, "Mama...come watch me!" Step #1: start at the bottom of the slide and climb up to curve in the slide. Step to the edge of the slide and reach for the tree!

Step #2: swing your legs around, try to climb up the branch, or just hang for a bit.

Step #3: fall and yell like a crazy man!

After my heart stops racing, he really is monkey-like. He has fallen one time and landed pretty good on his back shoulder blade...but like any thing else, he got up and tried it again after some prodding from me. The fall did scare him and slow him down for about 2 minutes, but that was short lived. Every now and then he will yell, "Help! Help!" We have tried to explain to him about the boy who cried wolf. Of course he thinks its fun, but we have convinced him that Mama and Daddy don't!

Movin' Right Along!

2009-03-07T10:30:00.001-06:00

That she is. This picture is a common site around our house these days. Ainsley has started trying to roll. As you can see, she bends over, puts her little hiney in the air, her little head on the ground, and waits for someone to roll her over. I am not quite sure where she learned this, but she loves it...and so does her brother. Andrew thinks her rolling is great and feels he needs to join in. I will tell you that there have been several near collisions, but neither roller is worse for the wear.

In addition to her trying to roll, Ainsley is in the beginning stages of trying to walk...not the most stable yet, but she is sure trying to get places! She is constantly walking along or around things and has ventured to take a step or two. Life is about to change with two completely mobile little ones. With a bit more practice and a smidge more self-confidence, this girl should have it in no time!

Pom Pom Pals!

2009-03-06T23:03:00.001-06:00

We had some friends over last weekend to help celebrate Josh's birthday. I rolled out pizza dough and the kids made their own pizzas. After supper, the kids made Pom Pom Pals. If you are not familiar with Family Fun magazine, I highly recommend it. To be honest, I have no idea why I get it. I am sure I signed up for it somewhere, but that somewhere escapes me. Anyway, when it come each month I end up tearing half the pages out and saving them in my "craft idea" binder. Yes...I have a craft idea binder for a rainy day. Blame it on the teacher in me. Once a teacher, always a teacher!

I digress...anyway, in this months Family Fun was how to make Pom Pom Pals. I tore it out and took my page to Hobby Lobby to get all the goodies. Got home with all my goodies and realized I had left the instruction page at Hobby Lobby. Well, like any good teacher, I winged it and the Pom Pom Pals were a hit. Here is Andrew with his. He named it Aggie! Surprise, surprise.
The rest of the kids seemed to enjoy it. Emily is definitely a craft kind of girl...she got into decorating her own. The boys sure tried, but Susan and ended up helping them quite a bit. When all was said and done, I think they turned out splendidly. Now, let me impart some wisdom to future Pom Pom Pal makers...choose yarn that does not shed, otherwise you will have bits and pieces of your Pom Pom Pal all over the house!

"Smile Moments"

2009-03-05T17:04:00.000-06:00

I know you are not supposed to laugh at your kids, but they are just to precious and sweet sometimes, that I cannot help but smile! For instance, I know every morning when I go to get Ainsley out of her crib, her hair is going to by crazily sticking up in ALL directions...one just has to smile. When Ainsley crumples up her little face, closes her eyes, and snorts at you completely expecting you to make the same face in return...one just has to smile. When she puts her slobbery mouth on your skin and blows a zurbert on you...regardless of all the spit now on you, one just has to smile.

Andrew got this accordion for his birthday...and it falls under the gift that keeps on giving category. Every child that comes over and sees it just has to play it...like a moth to a flame. Let me tell you, this thing is LOUD and it really works. (I know all of you with kids are secretly wishing yours too had an accordion. Thanks Gammie and Poppy! :) ). For all of its obnoxiousness, it just makes me smile to see him play it. Also, when you send Andrew into his room to get his shoes on and he comes out with tall socks and flip-flops (he thinks this looks good!)...one just has to smile. When Andrew purposely falls off his bike to make sure his helmet is working...one just has to smile!

The list goes on and on, but what I have decided today is that these precious moments (sorry for the cliche) are truly gifts from God! My prayer tonight would be that God would shower and bless each and everyone of us with an overabundance of these "smile moments". I hope by sharing some of mine, it brings to mind some of your smile moments and makes you smile too!

Who Needs a Gym!

2009-03-05T16:46:00.000-06:00

Well...after falling off the work-out bandwagon over the holidays (yes, I realize the holidays were quite sometime ago), I have decided to get back on and have been for a couple of weeks now. They just put in a new Snap Fitness down the road from us. You know they type of place: open 24 hours, pay by the month, no high maintenance! Sounds great, and I thought seriously about joining. Then I thought for a minute and realized, I know myself. I would go for one week and then quit. Even though this gym tries its best to be low maintenance for its members, it still is for me! I can easily come up with 1 million excuse in 2 seconds flat to talk myself out of going. So, I needed something else, and I found it!!!
We get Fit TV with Direct TV...I think its channel 261 for all those interested. You should check it out. They have about 1,000 different shows for all types of workouts. I am a big fan of In Shape with Sharon Mann. She is a bit on the bubbly side as I am gasping and sucking in air, but she kicks my hiney EVERY time. I love it. I just tape a few of her shows and another guy named Gilad, once again a bit cheesy, and rotate episodes and workouts throughout the week! No gym or excuses necessary.

For some reason, Andrew likes to watch me when I workout. I would just assume that no one, even God, see me. For some reason I am not coordinated enough to get my arms AND my legs moving like Sharon or Gilad. Graceful aerobics is not one of my gifts! Think of Elaine dancing on Seinfeld...that's pretty close to me and aerobics! With that said, Andrew still likes to be in there with me. He and I talked about it last night. I told him he was not allowed to laugh at me no matter how silly Mama looked. He informed me, "Mama, I would never, ever, ever laugh at you. That's not nice!" I just had to scoop him up and kiss him for that! And, he never laughed once. He does try to ask 2 trillion questions as I am gasping for air. Safe to say many of them go unanswered, but I think he understands why! :)

Back in the Day!

2009-03-02T21:13:00.001-06:00

You know a picture is not recently taken when you have to scan it into the computer from the back of a dusty photo album...but what fun they are to look at and reminisce. In pulling pictures for Josh's birthday, I found a couple of me and the girls I thought I would share. Boy how time flys and hair styles change...at least mine! Enjoy...

A good time was had by all at Denium and Diamonds this evening...playing a little pool. I am sure I won being the pool shark that I am (not...I have a tendancy to cheat my way through the game). This would be me, Amy, Susie, and Broc (Susie's future husband). I am guessing this was taken in 1997 sometime. This is the shortest and darkest my hair has ever been!

Here we are somewhere...I cannot remember if we were in Austin or San Marcos. Anyway, this too was taken sometime in 1997. Janice, me, Carla, Amy, and Cheryl...with this group there is not telling what trouble we got into that evening. :)

Josh lived with the same 3 guys (from high school) in the same apartment (nasty apartment...at least Josh's territory in the apartment) for all 4 years at A&M. These are the 4 girlfriends (at the time), now wives, of those 4 roommates. My roommate Susan (at the time) is on the far left, then Missy, Me, and Michelle. This was taken sometime in 1998 if I were guessing. Three of the roommates and their families still live in College Station.

I love looking through old pictures. It makes me a bit sad for the "good ole days," but so thankful that I have grown up, gained wisdom, and moved forward from the "good ole days" to even better "now a days!"

Happy Birthday Josh!

2009-02-24T20:34:00.000-06:00

Today my sweet, loving, devoted husband turns 31. Not a monumental birthday. Not a real memorable, for-the-books birthday. With that said, I want him to know how much I love him and truly admire the man, husband, and father that he is. Josh has so many attributes that others strive for and fall short. Patient, faithful, deliberate, loving, hard-working, full of integrity, knowledgeable, fun...the list goes on and on. What a honor it is to call him husband! If only everyone could see the look in Andrew's eye when he hears that garage door go up, knowing Daddy is home from work. Words can't describe. My cup over flows!
Josh and Andrew's first picture together.

Our first year of huddles and their pumpkin carving contest!

Josh and the boys, senior year at A&M, playing basketball at the Rec Center!

Josh on the bridge crossing the 18th fairway at St. Andrew's in Scotland.

Josh, 3 years old, or wait...is that Andrew?

Josh's 3rd birthday...check out that collar!

Ten Years Off My LIfe!

2009-02-23T22:10:00.000-06:00

No. 12 Aggies Topple No. 2 Sooners, 57-56: Takia Starks (#3) hit a layup in the lane with 6 seconds left to lead No. 12 Texas A&M to a 57-56 win over second-ranked Oklahoma on Monday night, ending the Sooners' 20-game winning streak.
What a game and we had the privilege of being there to see it! I do not do well with these "down to the buzzer wins." They stress me out, make me anxious, and flat drive me crazy...but what other way to watch a game than holding your 4 year old as you both yell (like there is not tomorrow) the last 3 minutes (what seemed like an eternity) of the game! We are for sure Aggie Women's basketball fans...any takers on season tickets with us next year?

My Little Sponge!

2009-02-23T21:51:00.000-06:00

As a parent (especially a teacher parent), you hope that your child will excel at academics. I was not given the gift of easy-come intelligence. Praise God that Josh was. He is just naturally smart and has to do very little to improve on his smarts. I had to work at mine...study, study, study.

As Andrew gets older, he loves to learn. We have a drawer in the kitchen that holds his "stuff". His kid scissors (these are new and definitely a favorite), glue and glue sticks (because there are time when you need both), colors, pencils, markers, and his workbooks. There is not a day that goes by that he does not go in his drawer, sit down at the table, and work through his books. His new favorite is the "big, red book!" It is chalk full of letters, mazes, same, different, shapes, colors, and all other things pre-K kids should know (according to the authors).
Also, his favorite shows are Word World and The Magic School Bus. Moms, Dads, Nanas, whomever, if you are not aware of Word World...check it out. It is on PBS and Andrew could watch it all day, every day. It teaches the kids to put letters together and use their sounds to build a word. The Magic School Bus is a Science teachers dream come true. Each show teaches the kids some new scientific concept. For instance, there is a baseball episode all about friction. Now, is Andrew getting all of this...NO, but the seed is being planted and he understands more and more everyday!

Andrew is constantly discussing what words start with what letter and asking what does a specific word start with. It is so fun to see him grow and take an interest in learning. I just pray that it continues for a lifetime!

Christmas in February!

2009-02-20T08:50:00.000-06:00

Ainsley finally got her two, front, top teeth!!! I noticed on Wednesday that she was not really herself. She was a bit warm and slept most of the day. On Thursday morning, while feeding her breakfast, I heard her spoon rubbing against something...and it wasn't her bottom teeth. I stuck my finger in her mouth to see what it might be, and sure enough both top 2 teeth had popped through!!!
What she is doing here is beyond me! While eating supper the other day, she noticed that she could open up her shirt and stick her head down it. Not did she just do it once, she kept doing it and boy did she think it was hilarious!

For Valentine's Day, Josh and I decorated the kids rooms while they were sleeping with hanging hearts. Ainsley thought this was pretty neat. Since, her goal is to grab the heart while we walk by and pull them down. I think she got the idea from her brother!

Bye-Bye Basketball!

2009-02-19T21:43:00.000-06:00

Pee-Wee basketball is officially over. Tuesday was Andrew's last day. Here is the star, himself, and his sacred certificate!
As you can see, there was a pretty good size group. To be honest, the last night was the most full of any of the nights. Andrew is three to the right of the adult in the middle of the back row.

This is like picture 49 of 200 that the kids posed for. Andrew's "cheese" smile was definitely out in full force. Getting that many kids to smile and cooperate for pictures was no small task.

What a treat they had for the kids on their last day at basketball! Four of the Aggie Women's basketball team were there to work with the kids. They each took a station and led the kids through the drills. Andrew thought it was great, but turned into a puddle of shy mush when he had opportunities to speak to them.

Andrew really did improve his skills. He shoots with his Little Tykes basketball goal every day in the driveway; practices dribbling constantly (even though it drives his mama crazy when he does it in the house); and bounce, chest, and overhead passes the ball to Daddy almost every night (in the living room, mind you, but nothing has been broken up to this point).

Aggieland has Its Perks

2009-02-18T10:25:00.000-06:00

God smiled on us last week! In Andrew's Pee-Wee basketball group, one of the moms of another little boy works with the Aggie Women's basketball team. She apparently was telling Coach Blair (the Aggie Women's head coach) about what all was going on in Pee-Wee basketball. He decided to give all the Pee-Wees and their families tickets to the rest of the Aggie Women's home games. We were so excited!!! So far we have seen the Aggie Women beat Nebraska and Colorado. They play the t-sips this Saturday and then have Oklahoma and Oklahoma State left. It should be an interesting and exciting finish to the home season!!!
Here we are at the game. All that Coach Blair asked in exchange for our free tickets, the kids were to wear their Pee-Wee basketball shirts! A big time was had by all!

Ainsley particularly likes to dance along with the music they play during timeouts! Andrew and I enjoying yelling "AGGIE'S BALL" along with the announcer when there is a turn-over on the court. It is a fun environment to be in. The Aggie Women have a good team, so that makes the games even more enjoyable to go and watch!

February is breast cancer awareness month. All month, in spreading awareness, Ags have been wearing pink to the games. Also, for you non-Aggie fans, we have a yell (remember Aggie's don't do cheers, we do yells) that is "beat the hell out of..." and we replace the ... with whomever we are playing. Well, some good Ags made a pink t-shirt that says BTHO (short for beat the hell out of) Breast Cancer. They are selling them and then donating the money. If you look closely in this picture, the Aggie's players are wearing these pink BTHO Breast Cancer t-shirts. They also have new uniforms that sport pink trim instead of maroon! This particular game was also on Valentine's Day, so the pink was extra neat.

25 Random Facts about Me

2009-02-06T23:20:00.000-06:00

For all of you who are not on Facebook, there has been this craze of writing 25 random things about yourself and then sending it to your friends...you know, one of those get to know you better type things. Its very fun to read and very interesting some of the things you learn about about. It is quite similar to the e-mail questionnaires...You've all gotten these e-mails with a million questions. You read the answers of the person who sent the e-mail, delete their answers, add your answers, and then send it on to others. Here are 25 random facts about me:

1. I am afraid of clowns and have been my whole life.

2. I am an awful speller, even though I made a 100% on all my 5th grade spelling tests...guess it went down hill from there.

3. My kiddos initials are both AGS, and yes we did that on purpose. Gig'em!

4. I have a hard time going to bed without checking on my little ones.

5. I am fascinated with ear wax. My sweet husband leaves his Q-tips on the bathroom counter for me to see! Not that is REAL love. :)

6. In my 33 years, I have lived in 5 different states (7 if you count the 2 my parents moved to while I was in college) and 4 different cities in Texas.

7. I like to cook and Josh admits I am a good cook, but we have decided I am recipe challenged.

8. I can touch my tongue to my nose. My son cannot, but practices quite frequently.

9. I have seen every episode of Sex and the City and read all 7 of the Harry Potter books.

10. I am a bit on the OCD side, so I have a bad habit of throwing things away the maybe should not have been thrown away. This makes Josh really happy.

11. When our second was 10 days old, Josh moved 535 miles away and left me to sell the house, pack the house, and take care of the 2 kids...one being a newborn.

12. I love to ski, but do not like to go fast down the mountain. Therefore, I spend a lot of time on the greens and easy blues.

13. I am not big on mixing my foods, so I usually eat all of one thing on my plate first and then move on to another. I am big on the divided plates!

14. I do not like mayo, miracle whip, ranch, or any creamy dressings. I eat my sandwiches dry...just bread, meat, and cheese.

15. I love to take long, hot baths...even though Josh tells me I am lying in my own filth!

16. I wish I were a better dancer. Dance lessons, particularly the jitterbug, are on my bucket list.

17. I once asked for an IRA for my birthday...yes, an individual retirement account. It made me feel so grown up.

18. Monopoly is the only game I can beat Josh at...Mr. Banker himself. I used to be competitive, but then I married Josh and now I am thankful for 2nd place.

19. I love to go to the movies, but having kids has severely put a damper on that.

20. My true gift in life is my ability to pack a dishwasher. My family knows this and therefore assigns me this job whenever we are all together.

21. I do not mind gathering laundry, sorting it, washing it, but the folding and putting it away is what gets me.

22. Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite foods.

23. I have not slept through the night since April 23rd, 2008...the night before our daughter was born.

24. I once lip synced “I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor at my schools (where I was teaching 4th grade) talent show. My back-up singers were the male PE coach and a guy that I went to college with who was also a teacher at the school.

25. I was baptized on July 21, 2002 after treking a 13,960 ft. mountain with a bunch of high school kids (who whipped me up the summit).

The Man With Many Faces!

2009-02-04T20:48:00.000-06:00

I was on the computer going through our way to many pictures, and got tickled at all the different looks Andrew has worn in his 4 short years. Here are some examples:

Aqua man: shark goggles and all. / Spider man: a gift from his newborn sister.

Home Depot Builder: watch the fingers / Picasso: paintings still available!

Rockin' Guitar Hero / Mr. Shark: this kit came from story time!

Frogger: no bugs, just candy / Batman: whose the man in the mask?

Mr. Basketball: no autographs please. / Mr. Amateur PGA

All this fun in 4 short years...whose to say what we have in store the next 4 years. I do know this, Andrew is sure to keep us busy. He loves all things sports and cannot wait to play them all on big boy teams. After basketball comes golf, then soccer, then baseball. He so wants to play football. I have tried to tell him the only position I will let play is the kicker...they seem to get get hurt the least. He has informed me that, "NO way...not the kicker. I want to be the touchdown maker!" Not sure which position that is, but what fun we have to look forward to!

Some More Firsts!

2009-02-03T16:15:00.001-06:00

Emptying the dishwasher, pulling everything out of a cabinet, another new tooth (on the bottom), and clapping can now be added to Miss Ainsley's resume. She is a women on a mission to do just about everything her brother does. It may drive him crazy, but that only seems to spur her on more! Except the helping with the dishes...Andrew does not seem to mind the help and he referees her putting them all in her mouth before they get put away.
No cabinet door is safe...she can get them all. This particular one is her favorite because it has all the plastic dishes. Also, this is the one I will actually let her play in.

This would would be the bad conveyor belt I was talking about a couple of days ago. Ainsley does not monitor how fast Andrew can get the silverware in the drawer. She just know that she wants to help. Now in this video, if he does not keep up, notice how many end up in her mouth. The other day, if he did not keep up, she dropped them on the floor over her head. Quite comical to just sit back and watch!

I do have to say that this would be her sweetest new trick. Each morning when I go to get her out of bed or when I go to get her up from a nap, this is what I am greeted to as she is sitting in her crib. On of these days I will remember to not turn the camera...sorry!