McKinney Family...Anything and Everything McKinney!

Theron's Happy Birthday Song

2011-03-01T10:57:00.001-06:00

I was giving Theron a bath and he started singing Happy Birthday. I am so glad I caught it on video because he really got into the moment. His facial expressions are priceless.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Just. Eh.

2011-02-28T20:25:00.002-06:00

I feel a bit odd making a post about this topic, but I only assume that one day I'll want to look back on this time in my life when there are rainbows and sunshine and reflect and that makes it okay. I guess.

I'm sure other people have or are feeling the way that I do lately. I feel just eh. I have an unbelievable lack of motivation. I feel as though I can't keep my head above water and no matter how hard I try - its not good enough. This is extremely hard for me because I am used to being able to handle everything. Being the one who can juggle it all and not just do it, but do it well. I am usually an extremely motivated and meticulous individual who stops at nothing to do her best. Not now. My house often looks like I never do anything though it seems like I am always doing something.

I like to think it is my hormones. I seem to be suffering from extreme mood swings during a certain time of the month, more so than I can remember. I don't remember PMS ever feeling like this and I hate it.

Bugz

2011-02-28T19:52:00.006-06:00

The first graders at Collin's school presented Bugz this year for his music program. It was such a cute presentation! His part was that of the ever so wise praying mantis. I must admit, I was a bit nervous when he brought that tid-bit of news home - ya know? How was I, who hasn't a creative bone in my body going to turn my little man into such a predacious creature? Lucky for me I was given some much needed direction by a very creative friend and turned Meda's science fair display into this:

The program was so cute with bees, ants, roaches, lady bugs, and a stink bug to name a few. They kids all did so well and it was an absolute hoot to watch. Collin got a little irratated because a couple of kids thought he was a really cool grasshopper. HAHA

I did get a photo of Collin saying his lines, but his eyes were closed, so I didn't post it. The stink bug is pretty cute though, right? The problem was, nobody liked the stink bug because they found his odor to be offensive. They consulted the praying mantis, who is wise for counsel. This is what he had to say:

"I thought until I got an answer, I prayed till I almost popped. I think I thought a way to help, until the smell has stopped." THEN "What we need is an even stronger smell, a more appealing scent. I think a flower on each lapel, will make us more content. "

School Stuff

2011-02-27T22:29:00.004-06:00

I need to brag a moment because I have a couple of smarties. In our district, participation in the science fair is not mandatory until 4th grade, but Meda and Collin both wanted to do a project. Meda's hypothesis was "which toothpaste whitens teeth the best". She stained 8 teeth in coffee and punch and used 4 different whitening toothpastes to brush them. Lucky for her, cousin Hunter never gave his teeth to the toothfairy so she was able to use real teeth!

Collin chose to do his project on magnets. His hypothosis was "Are all household metals magnetic". We had a fun time gathering metals from around the house and trying the magnet on them. We also researched magnets and learned many uses for them.

Last week was the science fair awards ceremony and I was happy to say that both kids placed in their categories and got to bring home ribbons. I do realize that Collin looks like he is very spaced out, but he really was happy.

February...Come and Gone

2011-02-27T21:53:00.007-06:00

2011 has been a blur so far. We have been extremely busy. We started the month with a family outing to Monster Jam. Theron loves monster trucks so I was glad that I decided at the last minute to get tickets and indulge the little feller. I'm pretty certain that we purchased the absolute last few tickets for the Reliant Stadium because I didn't even know that we could climb that high. We still enjoyed the show nonetheless.

Check out our nosebleed seats!

Theron spent most of the month with a junky cough. I hate February as it seems it is the peak of the sick season around here. We have been very blessed that our flu vaccines haven't failed us yet, but Theron must have had a viral bronchitis. I was able to borrow our vibrating vest from the college so I could do some chest PT on him. Although he sounded terrible, the little guy never ran a fever.

Of course this is what he looked like at the doctor's office.

vibrating those boogies loose

He actually felt pretty badly this day. I had to give him a few breathing treatments

Collin turned 7 years old this month. I am still in shock that I now have a 7 and 8 year-old. It was just yesterday that they were 1 and 2. He finally got his permanent front teeth in recently. I must say that if I had to pick any one thing that makes your baby look grown up, it is when they get great big front teeth. I must admit, I LOVED his toothless grin while it lasted. I was lucky enough to get his school picture with one tooth missing - priceless memories!

Kenny and Collin

Collin making the lap

All of the birthday guests loved BMX, too

Collin has really become fond of racing BMX. He seems to have a natural knack for it and advanced rather quickly from the Novice class to Intermediate. Now that he is racing against tougher competition, he is not winning every race and that has been a huge adjustment for him. Jeff has been trying to teach him the valuable lesson that he can't be the best at everything all the time. There has been a lot of shed tears and angry moments, but I think he is finally adjusting. We are driving up to Desoto this weekend for the ABA Supernationals, it should be fun since Collin told me he will try his best and not throw his helmet down if he doesn't get 1st place. Jeff has Meda racing some, too. She is very proud of any trophy she gets!!

Boys, boys, boys

2010-06-10T08:16:00.003-05:00

First of all, yesterday Theron pooped in the potty. I am SO EXCITED at the thought of being out of diapers. He said he wanted to go potty, so he sat down. Several minutes later there was poop in the potty!! A little while later I got a glimpse at the future when Collin asked me when he could start dating - REALLY?!!! He seemed satisfied when I told him 16. It made sense to him that he needs to be old enough to drive, too.

First they start pooping in the potty and then they are asking about dating. This is going to be an adventure.

Happy Birthday Therry Berry!!!

2010-06-06T13:04:00.005-05:00

It's hard for me to believe that it has already been 2 years since Theron has joined our family. It seems like just yesterday that he was 5 pounds 11 ounces and less that 18 inches long! Although he has grown tremendously, he is still my pocket sized McKinney. We celebrated his birthday Memorial Day weekend while we were spending the weekend at the beach. Since Theron loves ALL things helmet related, we decided to go with a helmet cake (which was a hit, btw).

First, let me present you with some of the many helmets of Theron...

And here is the 3D helmet cake that the amazing Callie Wardell made for him:

Theron was excited to have both of his papas there with him to celebrate his 2nd birthday.

He enjoyed opening up his presents.

Although he claimed to be "scay-ew" (scared) of the seaweed, he enjoyed the beach.

With the exception of the very blood thirsty mosquitos, it was a wonderful weekend at the beach. That is definitely something we will have to do again very soon.

BCES Field Day 2010

2010-06-01T21:06:00.008-05:00

Since I have been off work I was able to spend time with the kids at school. Last week Collin and Meda both had their field day (AKA Gator Games). Tuesday was Meda's and it was quite a bit different than last year. The kids had a buddy and there were about 30 stations for them to visit and earn points for their score card. It was very hot, but Theron and I managed to stay cool.

Meda's "buddy" Guenevere

The duck walk

Theron trying to beat the heat

Meda and Gwen trying to win the tug-o-war

Meda did very well and had a ton of fun! Theron and I thought we were going to die of heat stroke, but managed to cool off in the cafeteria eating lunch with Collin before our bike ride home.

On Thursday morning Meda had her economics fair. It was very neat - the kids had to come up with a good or service to sell (it could not be food/drink). Meda chose to make balloon animals. She and I practice making wiener dogs and "regular" dogs. We also made swords. Some other items for sale in her class were bead necklaces, frames made from Popsicle sticks, jokes, and massages! It was so cute. Meda sold out in 2 hours and my finger was literally bleeding. She racked in the dough and couldn't have been more proud. Unfortunately Meda couldn't tie the balloons so that was my job so I couldn't take pictures. Bummer. After the fair was over Theron and I headed outside for Collin's Gator Games. He was so excited to be buddied up with his BFF Brandon.
(Yes they are in the same grade and Brandon is 5 months older)

The rules were a bit different for Kinder and the difficulty was scaled down a bit. They didn't earn points, but rather smiley faces and stars.

Collin & Brandon stood in a line for what seemed like forever to hit a ball of of this orange cone. Can you tell they LOVE baseball?

Bike riding

2010-05-19T19:13:00.003-05:00

Since I have been off work this week I have been letting the kids ride their bikes to school. Although we live a stone's throw away from the school, until now (kind of), there hasn't been a safe route to get there. Thanks to the past year of pure heck with the widening of FM 646, we now have a sidewalk to get to the school.

On Tuesday I got up and rode with them while Jeff was still at home to stay with Theron. I left for like 5 minutes in the afternoon to go run an errand and when I got home it was thunderstorming like crazy. Needless to say, I had to drive to school and load up the bikes so the kids were so disappointed when they came out. Today we tried the same routine in the morning, but this afternoon we all rode home together with Theron in tow. May I add that I love my new bike trailer?

I love how Meda and Collin are looking at Theron with such admiration.

What to do?

2010-05-18T19:42:00.002-05:00

I am finished with the Spring semester and have big aspirations to pay more attention to my blog. With that being said, do I attempt to catch up with all of my happenings since my pre-Christmas post or do I just pick up now and move forward? Somehow it feels wrong to blog about Theron and Meda's upcoming birthdays since I skipped right over Collin's. What's a girl to do?

Pre-Christmas Part Deux

2009-12-23T22:20:00.004-06:00

Friday was the last day of school for the kids and they both had "Winter" Parties to celebrate. This is the first year for me to have 2 kids in school so I had to arrange for reinforcements. I woke Jeff up early to accompany me to the school so that each child would have a parent at their party. They are still at that age where they WANT us to come to the school with them. I know that excitement is going to be short-lived so I am trying to relish it while it lasts. Theron and I went to Meda's class.

I helped out with craft time and then the kids had a nice lunch. Theron enjoyed being around all of the "big" kids and Meda enjoyed showing him off. About an hour into the party Jeff sent me a text inquiring into the length of the party because he was tired so we packed up and left(poor Daddy only slept 3 hours before I woke him up).

The kids are very excited to have 2 weeks off. I am equally excited to spend lots of time with them. I love my little monkeys and enjoy my every moment with them (well ALMOST every moment).

Rain Forest Habitat

2009-12-23T22:07:00.004-06:00

Meda hasn't been super excited about 2nd grade, but 2 weeks ago her teacher gave her an assignment she was absolutely STOKED about. They have been studying animal habitats and landforms,etc. She was given the assignment to make a rain forest habitat out of recycled household items. This had to include at least 3 animals that live within the habitat and 2 landforms. She also had to write a paragraph explaining the materials she used and how the needs of the animals would be met. This project was to count for a test grade for Science, Social Studies and Language Arts. Lucky for Meda, Jeff watches a lot of Animal Planet and was just as excited about this project as she was. Here is what her finished project looked like.

According to Meda, she got a 100 on her project. I'm not sure what she made yet, but I think she didn't a fantastic job.

Pre-Christmas - Take One

2009-12-23T21:39:00.005-06:00

One of the reasons I really love my job is the schedule. I get 4 weeks off between the Fall and Spring semesters and believe me - it is needed!! I started my vacation on Monday with my 35th birthday (YIKES). I have a difficult time believing that I am actually 35. It seems like only yesterday that I graduated from high school. Theron and I met up with some friends and went to lunch and the kids made me tacos for dinner. We even went to the Festival of Lights with some friends for a little while before it rained on our parade, literally. Grand memories were made!!

On Tuesday Theron and I attended a Polar Express party. This was a real treat because I am usually at work when friends get together for play-dates and such with the little ones. Amie did a really cute job with the party including tickets for the train and hot chocolate and the whole nine yards. Theron found a comfy lap to sit on for the movie.

Thanks for this picture, Jenny. Yours looked much better than mine.

Something to laugh at

2009-12-02T22:52:00.003-06:00

I know I haven't been the best blogger lately, er, I guess I haven't been blogging AT ALL lately, but my littlest man did something so cute I have got to share. Jeff and Theron were taking a nap together in our bed as they so often do. Little Theron thinks he is all grown because he can slide off of the side of the bed all by himself when he wakes up. Jeff usually is prepared for this and has the bedroom door closed and the toilet seat down. However, after he woke up, slid off the bed and wandered into the bathroom he woke his Daddy up by rubbing the toilet brush all over his head. Maybe he was brushing daddy's hair??

Memories...

2009-09-07T23:09:00.003-05:00

This evening we went over to Mimi and Papa's house for Labor Day steaks on the grill (thanks guys) and I was reminded of a very sweet time in my Collin's life. As I was sitting there watching Theron attempt to put his brother's shoes on I remembered how when Collin was just a wee bitty boy that he had a crazy obsession with shoes. We had nicknamed him the shoe police. If he found shoes lying around and noticed that someone had bare feet, he wouldn't quit until the shoes were donned.

Theron just got his first pair of shoes this weekend and he loves them. Some might ask why I waiting so long to get the poor boy some shoes, but gee whiz - its been a thousand degrees outside and he just started walking. I love when I am reminded of such tender moments in my kids' lives. It makes me realize I need to be better about recording these little moments so I don't ever forget.

Our Florida Vaca

2009-07-22T18:43:00.011-05:00

This past week I had to travel to Marco Island, Florida on business so we decided to make it a family vacation. It is the largest of Florida's 10,000 islands (who knew there were that many islands in Florida?). We stayed at the Marco Island Marriot Beach Resort and Spa, yes, it was as expensive as it sounds. The room was really nice and I am thankful that it came equipped with a fridge because we had to go to the grocery store first off! On Thursday morning we hopped on a trolley to take a tour of the island. I was in awe at the size of the homes! These were mansions and to top it off, they were mostly 2nd homes...GEEZ! Meda was taking the photos on the tour so instead of pictures of the homes I got this...

The beaches were beautiful

And the pools were awesome (note the waterfall in the background)

When I got out of my meetings on Friday we ALL went parasailing. That was the first for everyone. Jeff and I were certain that at least one of the kids would chicken out, NOT A CHANCE!! Meda and I went together and then Jeff and Collin went afterwards. I didn't take the camera up, so here are pictures of the girls on the way up and then the boys view of the island.

Some other highlights of our trip were the Nickelodean Beachside Getaway with none other than SpongeBob Square Pants. There was a character breakfast at the hotel, but for $31.95/person, I didn't even tell the kids about it (yikes). They had fun nickelodean games beachside. Meda and Collin got to slime themselves with balloons.

Well, this is taking WAY to long. I'm going to have to do a part 2 post.

Here you go, Daddy...

2009-07-09T21:41:00.002-05:00

Jeff took Collin out to the track last Saturday and here is a short video of his experience there. Collin is a very cautious rider, which makes Mommy very happy!

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Super Busy Saturday

2009-06-07T19:39:00.008-05:00

I swear yesterday must have been the busiest day of my life. I woke up at 5 am because we had to be at the kids' swim meet by 6:15. Luckily Theron spent the night at Mimi and Papa's house so that I didn't have to drag him out that early. Both kids swam really well and Meda "swam up" on her freestyle relay.

Collin got a couple of 2nd place ribbons and Meda got 1st and 2nd place. I'm very proud of my little Nauticat swimmers. Here are a few photos of them in action.

We were finished with the meet around 1pm and headed directly over to Taylor Lake Park for Jeff's company picnic. It was nice weather with the breeze coming in off the lake. They had good BBQ and a bounce house for the kid. Jeff even participated in some volleyball! Theron was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, but all in all it was a lovely time.

We made it home from the picnic around 4:30, dropped Jeff off and headed over to my good friend Debbie's house in Santa Fe. Her son, Roy just graduated from high school and she threw him a nice party to celebrate. The kids always love going to her house anyway, but they really enjoyed themselves yesterday because there was a huge slip and slide, swimming, and horseshoes. Collin even learned how to peel crawfish. Good times had by all!

It even had soap on it!

We got home a 8:30 and I was exhausted. It was a good day.

I'm the Teacher...

2009-05-27T14:43:00.004-05:00

Meda loves playing school and of course she always has to be the teacher. It cracks me up when I find papers laying around that she has written on. She is 6 years old and she spells everything phonetically (and it is as she hears it). I had to take photos of a couple of them before I threw them away.

I guess she was sending a note home for this kid for pulling down the teacher's pants. I wonder if that really happened at her school?

She is also practicing writing her name in cursive, LOL. This poor kid got disqualified, geez!

Happy 1st Birthday

2009-05-22T12:47:00.004-05:00

It is so hard to believe that my baby is 1 today. The time flies by so fast. He is such a sweet boy and I look forward to every new day with him. He is such a little thing compared to the older two, which is actually kind of nice. In addition to being very sweet and loveable, he is very portable as well. It's hard to believe he started in the world like this:

Now he is doing so very well. Last weekend I had his pictures taken to document this milestone. He was a little cranky for his session, but Carina was able to get a few really cute shots.

I love him so much and am so blessed to have this little guy in my life.

My little rockstars

2009-05-19T22:46:00.000-05:00

Spring Ball

2009-04-17T21:36:00.006-05:00

We are in our 2nd month of T-ball and Collin seems to enjoy it. I really thought he would like it a lot more than he does, but I think he is preoccupied with his dirtbike. He asked Jeff the other day if he could ride in "nationals". Jeff told him he had to ride locally first. I have a friend who has a son who is on the verge of going professional with motorcross. Collin thinks he is the best thing ever and is aspiring to be just like him. *sigh* Anywho...here are a couple of pictures from practice recently. Meda is happy to be on the sidelines cheering her brother on. She is also a regular at the concession stand :)

I can't believe that swim league starts up next week, geesh - where does the time go???

A Boy and his Dog.

2009-04-17T20:06:00.003-05:00

Theron LOVES our dog Sally and she seems to love him quite a lot, too. He is 10 months old exactly in this picture and is really starting to be able to get around where he wants to go.

Sally will come and plop right down next to Theron because she knows he will rub and love all over her. He usually ends up looking like he has a beard because he drools and then gives her kisses so her hair sticks to his chin.

Spring Break - a tad late.

2009-04-17T19:09:00.007-05:00

Over spring break we went to Jellystone Park in Waller. It was really nice because it is only about 90 minutes from home. Since it was so close, Mimi and Papa came up for one night and Melinda and Richard came up for dinner, too. There was plenty for the kids to do including an outdoor movie screen, crafts, fishing and a heated water park. We brough the kids bikes with us so they just rode all around and met some friends.

We stayed in a cute little cabin that had a loft the kids claimed as their territory. The head clearance was only about 3 feet, so it really made them feel like they were in tree house or something.
They wouldn't let us up there unless we could come up with the secret password

They enjoyed staring out their window at the happenings outside

Theron didn't know the password so I sneeked him up for a peek

The weather was kind of cold (low of 40) at first, but we managed to find stuff to do to keep busy. The kids really enjoyed roasting marshmallows and hot dogs on the fire. Unfortunately there was a burn ban in effect so we had to use charcoal. They didn't notice.

And we had to get some fishing in, of course. Collin and Jeff did the majority of the fishing - Hunter and Meda were not that interested. There was a little lake that was stocked with bass and catfish. Jeff finally caught one after getting about 2 dozen worms stolen off his hook.

Theron can't wait to fish one day.

At the park they had these fun little recumbant bikes for the kids to ride. I rented each one of them a bike for an hour and they definately got my money's worth out of them. Hunter would not let Meda and Collin take a rest because he said that was wasting the bike. They all returned them an hour later and they were red faced and sweaty!

One of the days we took the drive up to Brenham with big plans of touring the Blue Bell Creamery. Unfortunately everyone else in Southeast Texas had the very same idea so we didn't do the tour. Instead we stopped and looked at the bluebonnets and had a nice lunch in Chappell Hill.

Theron was so sleepy on the drive to Brenham

The weather finally cleared up and we got to get some swimming in. The water park was heated, so although the temperature was around 70, with the sunshine it was very comfortable. Theron officially went swimming for the first time and he really enjoyed it. Hunter, Meda, and Collin went non-stop for several hours.

While we were at the water park (and Meda was half way up the slide)she lost her tooth! She was so excited that she got out of line and climbed all the way back down.
Jeff had to leave on Monday to go back to work, but the kids and I stayed until Wednesday. It was a nice little vacation and I would go back there again.

Teeth Trouble

2009-03-26T14:16:00.003-05:00

When I took the kids in for their dental cleaning in January, the dentist recommended that I take Meda to be evaluated by an orthodontist. They had her do molds of her mouth and lots of pictures and X-rays. Yesterday I went in to meet with the orthodontist to discuss her diagnosis and treatment recommendation. As it turns out, my poor daughter has a jacked up mouth!! She has extra teeth growing everywhere, which are obviously her permenant teeth growing around her still intact baby teeth. She has an open bite and a tongue thrust which could have both been caused by her thumb sucking (but not necessarily). Take a look at her pictures.

These are the molds of her teeth and the 2 of the appliances they want to use on her.

She will get a lingual arch on the bottom and a transpalatal arch on the top

Poor Baby!!!

The first step is to get her into her dentist to have 4 of her teeth pulled. Lucky for her she lost 2 of the 6 he wanted pulled over spring break. After that I will take her in for another set of molds and to have the appliances put in. In addition to the 2 fixtures above, she will have "cleats" bonded to the backside of her upper and lower front teeth. These will keep her from thrusting her tongue forward and hopefully help her train her brain to swallow differently. Wish us luck with this adventure!!!

I didn't forget...

2009-03-02T18:11:00.004-06:00

The other night I spent an hour trying to get caught up on the blog. I posted about the boys, but ran out of time to post about Meda. She has been doing really well. Like I said before she has started up with her swim training and is doing really well. She has mastered 2 1/2 of the 4 strokes and has just learned flip turns. She has been making all A's in school and is reading very well. Her favorite books are Dr. Seuss, they are pretty fun to read. Her teeth are really starting to give us trouble, check this out...

We will find out in appointment later this month what needs to be done at this point. Last week she had to get a cavity filled. She calls this procedure getting a fat lip because when they numb her mouth it feels that way. She even tells Collin he better brush his teeth or else he will have to get a fat lip like she did. Here is Meda a few hours after the dentist.

Happy Birthday Collin

2009-02-27T22:23:00.004-06:00

Like a promised in a previous post, have pictures. Collin celebrated his 5th birtday this month. I know a skating party doesn't seem all that practical for a bunch of 4 & 5 year olds, but Collin LOVES to skate. In fact he likes to skate, roller blade, skateboard, ripstick, ride his bike and ride his dirt bike. If there is an outdoor activity that involves wheels he is so there! The party was perfect, not too many kids, but there was enough to make him feel special. Here are a few photos from the party.

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Jeff took the training wheels off of Collin's dirtbike about a month ago. It has been out of commission for a few weeks because Collin was used to the training wheels and forgot to put up the kickstand and therefore broke something off when the bike fell to the ground. Jeff fixed it and couldn't be a prouder Dad! Here is Collin on the bike. You probably can't tell, but he can shift very well.

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My sweet little chubbidy wub

2009-02-27T21:34:00.005-06:00

Theron is so sweet! He is also following the McKinney baby tradition of not crawling. Meda and Collin were both 10 months before they took off on all fours. Even though I am not looking forward to him getting into everything, it will be nice that he can entertain himself a bit easier. This is an example of how we entertain him now.

He had his 9 month appointment this week. He is doing well, but he is chronically congested. The doctor seems to think that will resolve once he becomes mobile. He was borderline anemic, so we will be giving him vitamins. His stats are (drum roll please):

length: 27 3/4 inches (25th percentile)
weight: 18 lbs 14 oz. (10-25th percentile)
head circumference: 47 cm (90th percentile) I know...Jeff and I know how to grow big headed boys!

He really enjoys his bathtime!! Everytime he hears the water running he starts to rock back and forth and chant "ba ba ba". It is so cute. I know I am going to get it for this picture in 15 years, but what the heck!

He still doesn't have any sign of teeth, but he will gum anything until it dissolves just about completely. Here is a picture of him eating meatloaf and potatoes:

Theron has also been really getting into giving kisses. If you ask him for a kiss he will more than give you one. He comes at your face with an open mouth and presses his mouth very firmly against your face all while grasping your face and/or hair. Please see for yourself...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A little catch up...

2009-02-20T09:43:00.002-06:00

It has been so long since I have posted, but when I say things have been crazy - I mean it!!

Collin turned 5 this week. It has been really hard for me to wrap my head around that. He has been the baby for so long that he still seems like a wee bitty boy to me. Last Saturday we celebrated his birthday at the skating rink with family and a few of his friends. Sorry, I don't have pictures with this post, but I promise those will follow soon when I get the time to upload them.

After our routine dental check-ups last week, our dentist suggested that Meda be evaluated by an orthodontist. She has severe crowding, so much in fact that she is totally missing a permanent tooth that should have come in 2 years ago, but has no place to make an entrance. We had an examination and are working on all of the films and casting so that he can suggest treatment if any at all. Hopefully we can wait until after September 1st when our flexible spending account is adequately replenished.

Theron is growing like a weed and really getting such a fun personality. He is a little copy cat especially with noises. He is also exploring his tongue which is so cute. I will definitely post some pictures of my little guy - he is turnig 9 months old this weekend.

Jeff was away for almost a week to Kentucky to visit his sister, Meredith. She was in the hospital and we are thankful she is recovering. He was happy to visit with his brother and sister, but I'm sure glad he is home. When he returned to work he was given a job promotion. He is now the emergency room manager. He is now the Asst. Scoutmaster of our church troop and he has been busy with scout training and camp outs. He is leaving this afternoon for a camping trip.

I have been busy working, chauffering, cleaning, cooking and trying to work on improving my health and weight. I am proud to say that I have lost 15 pounds in the past month and am feeling so much better. Now if I can just get rid of the other 20 I will be extremely happy.

Almost mobile

2009-01-19T20:24:00.002-06:00

Today when I was waiting on Meda and Collin to finish up their swimming lesson I placed Theron on the floor to play. For the first time I caught him pushed up on his knees and rocking back and forth. It won't be long now, I best get baby proofing!

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Theron is almost 8 months

2009-01-18T19:32:00.003-06:00

I have been terrible about taking pictures. I am going to try very hard to be better so that Theron doesn't end up with the complex that Collin has. I took about 20 pictures per day of Meda and poor Collin was lucky to have 5 per month. So here are a few of Theron from his 8th month of life. He started sitting up very well on his own and he is now very vocal. Some of his favorite "words" are dada, ba, aaah, and several other noises.

Theron loves playing with Sally - she couldn't be bothered

Look how well he is sitting up
He even helps with laundry (yes that's my bra he is "folding")

You gotta love the little ones

2009-01-18T19:24:00.002-06:00

It took all I had to not roll on the floor laughing during my class today at church. For those of you who don't know, I teach the 4 and 5 year olds. My lesson was on following the commandments. As I am talking with them, I likened the commandments to roadsigns and we all discussed why we have them and what would happen if we didn't obey them. It was too cute how many piped up and told everyone how their Mom or their Dad had driven too fast or ran through stop signs, but luckily didn't go to jail. The answer I was looking for was "to protect us and keep us safe" but I must admit, the moment was priceless. Good thing I was sitting right their with my kid, because I just got a ticket last week for speeding :-). Don't worry friends, your secret is safe with me as long as mine are safe with you when you are teaching my children!!

Sweet Memories

2009-01-06T17:05:00.002-06:00

Collin is affectionately known as The Questionator in our house. I swear he must ask 100 questions a day. I always try and be very patient with him. These are some of the topics from today:

What do snakes eat? rats and mice, stuff like that
How can a snake eat? they just open their mouths really wide and swallow
Do snakes eat humans? I guess really big snakes could, but those live far away in the jungle
How can they eat a human? this is where I had to briefly summarize how they would wrap themselves around you and squeeze you into unconsciousness (my kid HAD to know)
Why do bulls have horns? to protect their families (???)
How are horns made? they grow from their heads
How is skin made? we are born with it
Why do we have skin? to protect our bodies
Why do we have bones? so that our skin won't just flop over
Which led up to my favorite conversation of the day...
How did we get bones? Heavenly Father made us with bones

But, HOW did he make them? I don't know, Collin.

I guess when we go to Heaven I can ask him. Yes, you can. How can you talk to Heavenly Father right now?

I can pray. Yes, good Collin. You can pray when you want to talk to Heavenly Father.

I'm going to pray right now...Dear Heavenly Father, how do you make bones? In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Mom-he didn't answer my question!

I just love him!!!

Woo Hoo

2008-12-30T23:02:00.003-06:00

I never thought I'd be so excited about a door, but I am. We had our new door installed today and I think it looks just fabulous. I just love the Texas star in the glass. Our old door was in terrible shape and leaked badly...yay us!

Merry Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T13:59:00.003-06:00

Well, the anticipation was almost too much for the kids to handle. I have never been able to get both Meda and Collin in bed so fast (and without ANY resistance). We left Jeff's parent's house last night about 7 pm and the kids were fast asleep by 8 o'clock. Meda even bypassed the opportunity to bake Santa some goodies and decided that Oreos would be sufficient. This is huge because she loves to cook. Jeff and I stayed up doing our obligitory Christmas duties and I must say, at least I went to bed pretty darn excited, too.

The kids came in about 7:15 to wake us up announcing that "Santa came!". We got started on the presents after Mimi and Papa arrived about 15 minutes later. Theron slept through the entire thing. Its amazing how the more children you have, the more laid back you get about things. When Meda was Theron's age Jeff and I had her up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning showering her with gifts. Poor Theron might have gotten 3 gifts (which he didn't open until 3 hours after everyone else opened theirs). Among the loot (which is too much to mention) was all new bedding for Meda's room in none other than Hannah Montana, a new bike for Meda, a Wii, Collin's much desired RipStick, and (believe it or not) a dirtbike for Collin. I think that was just as much for his Daddy as it was for him. No worries though, he has all the protective gear to go with it. Jeff even got him training wheels until he gets good at all the controls. Check out this video...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Is that a hoot or what. I wish I could have stayed with him because he had his hand on the throttle holding on for dear life and it only exacerbated the situation until Jeff had to grab on to the bike and yank Collin's hand off. Here are only a few pictures, I will post more later when I get them from Mimi's camera.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Now we are off to eat Christmas dinner with all the grandparents. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, too!

Snow Day & Santa Claus

2008-12-19T22:45:00.004-06:00

Today was Collin's snow day at his preschool. They spend $3000 to have snow made for the school. Don't worry, they have sponsors and each child had to bring $13, but it is so much fun for the kids and so worth it. I know those of you who are snowed in your driveway right now must think that paying for snow is absolutely insane (am I right?). You do have to admit that this photo of the man wearing shorts and blowing man made snow is priceless. It was 70 degrees today, ugh.

It didn't take long for the snow to start melting so the kids had to get after it. I thought it was creative that they used their nap mats for sleds. Who'da thunk?

They had donuts and hot chocolate for the kids. I thought it was a bit dangerous to have platters of donuts accessible to kids ages 2-5. I caught one little girl who was probably 3 as she was tasting each donut. She would take a bite and then toss the donut into the trash before she would try a new one. I guess that was better than putting it back on the platter. Santa even made a visit. Collin looks so big in this picture.

Take Two

2008-12-19T22:22:00.005-06:00

Alas, we have a Christmas Tree. We have a nice artificial tree, but since it takes several hours to unpack and assemble we opted for a real tree this year. We started to go to a tree farm in Manvel to select and cut down our own, but the lazy side of us took over so we went up the freeway to Houston Garden Centers. They had a nice selection of trees and they even tied it on top of our vehicle for us. We got it home shook of the loose needles and placed it in its new home in the corner of our den. The kids are so excited and I have to say I am too. Its been years since I have experienced the scent of a fresh Christmas tree. I usually have to burn the candles that smell like pine. Saturday night we headed over to the Dickinson Festival of Lights. Jeff and I have gone every year since we have lived here and it is so awesome. It is entirely volunteer based and it is free to attend. Saturday they had "snow" for the kids to play in.

The lights are so much fun to look at. There are tunnels to walk through and so many different themed lights. The kids can even decorate a cookie in the cookie shop.

The only complaint about the experience was the weather. It was a bit humid and it was in the 60's. It was a little hard to get in the Christmas spirit when you are warm. We still love going and will probably go several more times this year.

Blog Catch Up - Take One

2008-12-19T21:45:00.006-06:00

I just love the Holidays and this year I could just kick myself for deciding to let contractors come in and do my hurricane repairs in December (I know, what was I thinking, right?). I just don't know if forgoing the decorations was worth it. We have not put up any lights or outside decorations and all we have inside is our tree and stockings. I could put them out know, but I feel like if I can't get them out Thanksgiving weekend then its not worth the effort. I will liken it to those who buy lottery tickets, but only if the lottery gets up to 215 millions dollars - like 2 million isn't worth the trouble. Anywho...let me summarize the last couple of weeks of our oh so interesting life.

Just about everyone in my family has a birthday in November (Dad, Mom, Sister and Nephew). We decided to meet up at Dad's to celebrate my sister's birthday the 3rd weekend in November. During our visit I had vivid flashbacks from my childhood when my Dad used the "claw" to tickle me. The "claw" especially like to tickle the knees. My kids and nephew got a visit from my childhood nemesis ( I seriously hated that thing).

The Claw in all it's fury

Luckily they all survived the wrath of the claw, BTW Theron was spared the torture.

While we were waiting to be able to get our tree up, the kids decided they would help their Mimi and Papa get theirs up. We helped get at least a dozen boxes out of the attic to deck the halls at the grandparent's house. Collin and Meda did a good job helping out.

This was supposed to be a candid photo

Collin his the jackpot with this "Christmas Taco"

Theron enjoyed watching for now

After 2 weeks of having contractors in our house, they were finally finished on December 12th, but I can't post pictures yet because I still have an inch of sawdust on most everything in my house. Yesterday was my last day of work until next semester so I should be able to get it in shape soon.

Here's more holiday fun

2008-12-16T05:59:00.002-06:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Oh, how I need sleep...

2008-12-16T05:49:00.002-06:00

I really wish that my sweet little baby boy would sleep through the night again. He's been up 3 times tonight. He isn't hungry, but he acts like he's in pain or something. Okay - I'm done complaining. Have a good day.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-11T23:22:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Crazy Dogs

2008-12-11T22:47:00.003-06:00

Our dogs are really CRAZY! I looked out on the patio to see what they were doing and I saw this:

I'm guessing cat food tastes better than dog food. Good enough to jump their crazy selves up on my table and eat it. What gives?

Magical Night

2008-12-11T22:38:00.003-06:00

Last night our family made some really fabulous memories. For the first time in several years it snowed here and it was absolutely magical for the kids. We were all in Home Depot around 8pm last night and when we left the flurries were clearly visible. Meda and Collin ran around the parking lot with their tongues sticking out trying to catch a flake or two. After we had been home for a about an hour we looked outside and to my surprise the snow was actually sticking and you could see a white blanket covering our lawn. I let the kids stand on the porch and look at the snow and then I sent them to bed. I could hear some talking so I snuck down the hall and peeked into Meda's room and this is what I heard as they both sat at Meda's window staring out at the night sky(tear in my eye):
Collin: "It's just what you wished for Meda"
Meda: "I know! Let's sit here all night and watch it"
Me: "Do you guys want to go out and play in it?"
M&C: "Oh Mom, can we?"
So we all got our shoes and coats on and ran outside for snow angels and snowball fights. To my surprise, the entire neighborhood was busy with kids running around in the snow. It was awesome.

The view out our front door
My little angel

My other little angel

Look how much fun they are having
They really appreciated the snow

November 27th

2008-11-27T20:56:00.004-06:00

Yes, today is Thanksgiving and we are prompted to count our blessings and to thank God for all He has given us. We had a wonderful day. We spent time with family and enjoyed a wonderful meal. We definitely have so much to be thankful for. We are healthy, our jobs are secure (in spite of the struggling economy), we have comfortable shelter (in spite of Ike) and we have 3 fabulous children. Our Father in Heaven has truly blessed us and for that we are grateful.

Today was also my handsome nephew's birthday. We met up at Main Event and went bowling to celebrate his 12th (yes I said 12th) birthday. My how time flies! Hunter is spending the night tonight and my kids and dogs couldn't be happier.

These dogs have really adapted to our family and absolutely LOVE attention. You wouldn't be able to tell that by these pictures though :-p

One last wish...Happy Birthday, Mom! I hope you had a good Thanksgiving Birthday today.

6 months old

2008-11-26T21:48:00.002-06:00

My little manlet is already 6 months old, I just can't wrap my head around how fast time flies these days. I took him to the doctor today for his check-up and shots. He got the same 3 shots that he got at 2 months and 4 months. He seems to be having a reaction this time. He is running a fever and vomiting. It breaks my heart to see my children not feel well. I had to give him tylenol suppositories because he throws up every time I try to give him the drops.

On a cheerier note - his visit went well. Although he is still on the smaller side of "average" he is growing well so that is all that matters. Its actually kind of nice having a little baby, my last two were (and are) ginormous. Collin weighed more at his 4 month appointment than Theron weighed at his 6 month. Theron was 16#5oz and 26 inches long. Too sweet!! Collin weighed 19#1oz and 28 inches, but he was 3 1/2 pounds bigger than Theron and 2 inches longer at birth, so Theron is closing the gap!

I hope that Theron feels better soon and he sleeps well tonight.

Humphrey met Sally...

2008-11-24T22:53:00.004-06:00

Then they came to live with us. We have been looking for a dog to adopt for quite some time and on Saturday we found the right dog (well make that plural) for our family. Sally and Humphrey are a pair of basset hounds that used to live with an elderly couple who are no longer able to care for them. They are very gentle and good with the kids. They both think that they are lap dogs and love attention. Sally is about 2 1/2 years old and is Meda's dog and Humphrey, 4 belongs to Collin. They are doing a good job taking care of them so far. Take a peeksy.

Sally can't hide her excitement

Neither can Humphrey

Look at how crazy Sally sleeps. You can see where we had to rip our carpet due to water damage from Ike.

Collin

2008-11-21T06:10:00.003-06:00

It is absolutley amazing being a mom. You get to experience so much joy by way of your children, especially their cute little -isms. Collin is a funny little guy. He is very particular about what he wears and how he looks. For example, Jeff has always wanted Collin's hair cut VERY short (like his) and Collin decided a few months ago that he no longer wanted short hair like his Daddy. It killed Jeff to see his longer hair (not hippie long, but regular boy cut). Jeff took him to the barber shop a few weeks ago and more or less tricked him into getting his hair buzzed again so now Collin goes absolutely no place without his hat (with the exception of church, of course). He even wore his hat for his school pictures yesterday!

He also seems to categorize his apparel. Yesterday Jeff tried to get him to a belt that Collin refused to put on because it was a "church belt" not a "school belt". Collin wasn't giving up and Jeff wasn't going down without a fight. He ended up changing into a pair of jeans that didn't need a belt to stay up. Geez...

Okay, one more Collinism and then I have to get off here. Collin recently got a new package of socks. For some reason in this package half of the socks have blue trim and half of them have red. When I folded them I just put whichever ones I could find together, some blue+blue, some red+red, and some blue+red. Collin had a FIT!!!

Collin: "Mom, why do you keep putting the different socks togeder?"
Me: "Well, Collin it doesn't matter. They are the same kind of sock and you can't see the red or blue anyway, it is inside your shoe."
Collin: "but I take my shoes of at naptime, I don't want anyone to see my socks don't match."

How could I argue with that. The next 6 minutes was spent searching for the other blue trimmed sock. I can't have that happen to my baby boy :0)

2008-11-18T22:40:00.003-06:00

It's way more fun dressing up a girl than a boy. I tried to put Theron's hat on him that goes with his little Winnie the Pooh outfit and he thought it might serve a better purpose.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Nocturnal Gas?

2008-11-18T14:41:00.003-06:00

Is there such a thing? I swear for the past 5 days Theron has been waking up 2-3 times per night because he has to pass gas. He cries so I go check on him and he is squirming around. I pick him up and he cries some more until WHOA...you know. I'm praying for a not so gassy night tonight.

I'm so proud of my little smartie

2008-11-07T10:28:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone take a look at Meda's first 9 weeks report card. This is the first year she gets actual grades and voila'....all A's!!! Way to go sweetie!

1st9wk
1020 RD-Reading Gr 1 - - 91 Guidry, A.
1030 LA-Lang Arts Gr 1 - - 92 Guidry, A.
1040 LC-LA Composite 1 - - 91 Guidry, A.
1050 MA-Math Gr 1 - - 90 Ivory, J.
1060 SC-Science Gr 1 - - 97 Ivory, J.
1070 SS-Soc Studies 1 - - 99 Ivory, J.
1080 MU-Music Gr 1 - - S Silva, J.
1100 PE-Phys Edu Gr 1 - - S DeLaFuente, J.
1110 AR-Art Gr 1 - - S Hatfield, R.

My Lil' Chick Magnet

2008-11-05T23:02:00.001-06:00

This post requires no words...

Happy Birthday, Dad

2008-11-05T22:37:00.003-06:00

My Dad celebrated his 29th birthday this weekend (again). Jeff and I took the kids over Sunday afternoon and spent a nice afternoon with him and Laura. We got him a retractable airhose reel and he was very excited. The gift opening process was very stressful on the kids (I'm used to it now). Dad has this very annoying thing he does. He uses a pocket knife to very gently slice the tape so the paper does not get torn. This takes entirely too long for the spectators. After the paper is carefully removed, it then gets balled up and thrown away *sigh*.

Collin's wondering what's taking Papaw so long
Finally!!

Happy Halloween weekend

2008-11-03T22:44:00.002-06:00

Friday night I took Collin and Meda out trick or treating while Mimi and Papa stayed at the house to hand out candy with Theron. Our street is very busy and we easily get 200 kids come by each year so most people on our street just sit in lawn chairs on the driveway so they do not have to stand at their front door.

This was the first year that we went around the entire block. The kids were really enjoying themselves until we were just about all the way around. Collin then asked me to carry his candy because it was too heavy and Meda stated "I want to go to just 2 more houses, Mom. That's it." It was a fun time and I'm still slowly sneaking the loot to work to keep them from eating entirely too much sugar.

Mr. Incredible and my little leopard
Meda really loves pencils

Saturday morning we went to a birthday party for one of Collin's classmates. It was at Jumpin' Jungle (one of the kids' favorite places). I didn't even realize it, but apparently the roof came off of the place with Ike and they just recently opened back up. The smell of brand new plastic was very obvious as they had all new inflatables. M & C really enjoyed playing on all the brand new stuff. Even Theron enjoyed the busy atmosphere with lots to look at.

Blow Out

2008-11-01T22:14:00.004-05:00

You are intrigued by the title of the post aren't you? If any of you have ever nursed a baby, or have had close dealings with a breastfed baby, you are no doubt, well schooled on the baby blow-outs. I'm going to share a little picture story, it goes something like this...

Baby has sweet potatoes (and water)

Baby LOVES sweet potatoes

Mimi gets ready to clean up Baby

Mimi picks up baby

This is what is under baby

Happy Baby (post bath)

Any questions??

Trunk or Treat

2008-11-01T21:58:00.003-05:00

Every year our church's halloween activity is Trunk-or-Treat. It is a very fun event where we ate a potluck dinner, the kids had lots of carnival type games to play and after a costume parade the kids get to go from car to car and "trunk-or-treat" for candy. The kids always enjoy it and we do, too. Our "trunk" won best lighting award (woo-woo). Mimi and Papa came out and enjoyed the fun as well.

Isn't this the cutest little lion you ever saw?

Don't you think Mimi and Papa should dress up next year?

Memories

2008-11-01T21:49:00.003-05:00

A dear friend at work is always telling me to enjoy my little ones while they are little because they grow up so fast. After taking her advice, I decided to get the kids pictures taken in their costumes so I can always look back and remember them at such a sweet time in their lives. As with any other day in my life, it was not perfect. I forgot the make-up to make Meda's cat nose and whiskers, but it is a sweet picture anyway.

Life Lesson Learned...or Not

2008-10-21T22:21:00.001-05:00

This week Meda's school is hosting a book fair. Meda LOVES the book fair. I gave her a check for $20 to buy some books. She came home yesterday with her books and a request for some more money. Our conversation went something like this:
Meda: "Mom, I need you to give me a check tomorrow with $25 on it to buy more books from the bookstore"
Me: "Meda, I'm can't just give you money everyday for the book fair"
Meda: "I don't need money, just give me a check"
After I spent a little time explaining to her how a check really is my money this is what happened next...
Me: "Maybe you can do some chores around the house and earn some money" (that's my effort in trying to teach my children responsibility and all that good stuff)
Meda: "Can't I just ask Mimi for some money"
Me: "No, you can earn money if you want it"
I then go upstairs to do something and the next thing I know the little toot comes in with $20 she squeezed out of her daddy with little effort. There goes my life lesson for my daughter *sigh*

Tagged

2008-10-20T15:23:00.003-05:00

OK, so here is mine:

10 years ago
1. I was newly married
2. My sweet little Hunter was not even 2
3. I was working at Memorial Hermann Southeast doing respiratory
4. Gas was $1.03/gallon
5. I was driving a red camaro

To Do List
1. Laundry
2. Clean my house
3. Pack up all the clothes my kids have outgrown
4. Get Theron's pictures taken
5. Return overdue library books

5 snacks I enjoy
1. string cheese
2. crunchy grapes
3. chewy brownies
4. nacho cheese doritos
5. cereal

Places I've Lived
1. Story City, IA
2. Oyster Creek , TX
3. Alvin, TX
4. Nassau Bay, TX
5. Dickinson, TX

Jobs I've Had
1. Burger King
2. Courtesy booth checker
3. Assistant Manager at GNC
4. Respiratory Therapist
5. College Educator

Pet Peeves
1. Those dear boys in my life who pee on the toilet seat
2. not turning off the bathroom light
3. wiping your face with the dish towel
4. people putting their fingers in my baby's mouth (Collin got Shigella)
5. taking pride in your work

I tag Melinda, Meredith, and Tammy

2008-10-19T18:54:00.002-05:00

We planned on taking the kids to pick out a pumpkin this weekend, but instead of going over to the local Methodist Church and pick out a perfectly good pumpkin we decided to go to Dewberry Farm. The place looked super fun on the website, so we loaded up the car (one papa included) and drove the 75 miles to Brookshire. If we hadn't driven so far we may have left when we saw the gigantic line to buy tickets. We waited in line for 25 minutes and finally got in at about 4:15. The place is actually pretty neat, but I feel a bit overpriced at $11 a person which doesn't even include everything (not even a pumpkin). The kids had a grand time though. They rode the zipline, shot corn out of cannons, rode the human 'hamster wheel', and pedaled go-carts. We caught a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and let Meda and Collin pick their own pumpkin. Meda chose the fattest one she could find. I thought she was going to kill Papa in the process since he had to carry the thing back to the stroller turned pumpkin cart. Although we didn't get back home until 10 pm, the kids really enjoyed themselves and that was enough to make it worth it. Here are some pictures from the day.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2008-10-16T18:06:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the long hiatus, but what can I say besides life is busy! Meda is doing very well in kindergarten. She brought her progress report home last week and she has all A's and one B. Collin is having fun in preschool and Theron is growing like a weed. I can't believe he will be 5 months old next week. I am feeling really guilty, but it is so true that the more kids you have the fewer pictures get taken. I guess I know what I need to do this weekend :-) Here are a few pictures of my sweet little Therry Berry!

Theron's bib can't decide if it wants to be a bib or a cape

Meda is so good with Theron and he really enjoys playing with her

Look a the sweet boy in his Bumbo chair

Happy 4 months Theron!

2008-10-01T20:08:00.002-05:00

Theron turned 4 months old on September 22nd. I had his check-up scheduled for that day, but his pediatrician's office was blown away in the hurricane. Today I took him in and GUESS WHAT?? He has officially "caught up" on his weight. He was born in the 5-10 percentile and now he is in the 50th. My sweet little baby weighs 14 pounds and 7 ounces and he is 24 inches long. He is changing each day and always doing something new. I recently was able to catch him on video laughing. Meda was playing with him and he just belted out this cute little laugh. He really knows his sister & brother and is always ready to give them a smile!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Gulf Coast Humor

2008-09-26T08:42:00.000-05:00

My neighbor emailed this to me today:
You know you're from the Gulf Coast when....
You have FEMA's number on your speed dialer.
You have more than 300 'C' and 'D' batteries in your kitchen drawer.
Your pantry contains more than 20 cans of Spaghetti Os.
You are thinking of repainting your house to match the plywood covering your windows.
When describing your house to a prospective buyer, you say it has three bedrooms, two baths and one safe hallway.
Your SSN isn't a secret, it's written in Sharpie on your arms.
You are on a first-name basis with the cashier at Home Depot.
You are delighted to pay $3 for a gallon of regular unleaded.
The road leading to your house has been declared a No-Wake Zone.
You decide that your patio furniture looks better on the bottom of the pool.
You own more than three large coolers.
You can wish that other people get hit by a hurricane and not feel the least bit guilty about it.
You rationalize helping a friend board up by thinking 'It'll only take a gallon of gas to get there and back'
You have 2-liter coke bottles and milk jugs filled with water in your freezer.
Three months ago you couldn't hang a shower curtain; today you can assemble a portable generator by candlelight.
You catch a 13-pound redfish - in your driveway.
You can recite from memory whole portions of your homeowner's insurance policy.
You consider a 'vacation' to stunning Tupelo , Mississippi .
At cocktail parties, women are attracted to the guy with the biggest chainsaw.
You have had tuna fish more than 5 days in a row.
There is a roll of tar paper in your garage.
You can rattle off the names of three or more meteorologists who work at the Weather Channel.
Someone comes to your door to tell you they found your boat.
Ice is a valid topic of conversation.
Your 'drive-thru' meal consists of MRE's and bottled water.
Relocating to South Dakota does not seem like such a crazy idea.
You spend more time on your roof then in your living room.
You've been laughed at over the phone by a roofer, fence builder or a tree worker.
A battery powered TV is considered a home entertainment center.
You don't worry about relatives wanting to visit during the summer.
Your child's first words are 'hunker down' and you didn't go to Ole Miss!
Having a tree in your living room does not necessarily mean it's Christmas.
Toilet Paper is elevated to coin of the realm at the shelters.
You know the difference between the 'good side' of a storm and the 'bad side.'
Your kids start school in August and finish in July.
You go to work early and stay late just to enjoy the air conditioning.
This is sent because we are in need of a smile, but you who have lost much are in our prayers.

I'm addicted! Counting the days till 11/21

2008-09-20T12:38:00.002-05:00

random thoughts

2008-09-19T21:13:00.003-05:00

Today I was sitting here thinking how incredibly blessed our entire family has been throughout this disaster. We have minimal damage, but most importantly we were prepared for this event. Living on the Gulf Coast you must be prepared for the hurricane that might hit every year between June 1st and November 30th. This means keeping your gas tanks full and keeping non-perishable food and bottled water in your house. We have a small food storage and plenty of water. We were lucky enough to have a neighbor bring us back some fresh milk, eggs and meat from San Antonio, but we do miss the fresh produce. Its almost surreal to go to a grocery store right now. First of all, there are curfews in place and most stores are closed by 5pm. The reason for some of them is they are running on generator power and must conserve their fuel for the busiest hours. It's so sad to go to the store and see a line for eggs or milk. People are so desperate...they wait for hours for the delivery truck to be unloaded. The aisles with the frozen foods are all empty, meat and dairy is very hard to come by and the produce department consists of onions, potatoes and bananas if you are lucky.

I have been so lucky to get to go back to my safe home (now with electricity) and the only problem I am facing is the satellite company can't come out until next Thursday. I went to Radio Shack today to purchase some 'rabbit ears' so that we can get the local channels and I am grateful for that.

It's times like these when it feels very good to be in the service of others. Tuesday Jeff was outside cutting up our trees that fell and out of nowhere, 4 men from our church show up to see if we need assistance. That was absolutely amazing! We were so touched by their service to us that Jeff joined them to help others. He is going out tomorrow to continue the efforts to help those still in need. It's sad that it sometimes takes tragic times like these to make us slow down and focus on the things that really matter.

The college is supposed to reopen next Wednesday if they get power. It is still up in the air when Meda's school will open again, there was some pretty bad damage to several campuses in the district.

With all this babbling, I guess what I am trying to say is:

1. be prepared
2. be thankful for life's little things
3. take a moment to help someone in need (it feels good)

Good Night.

Theron's first food

2008-09-18T20:34:00.003-05:00

Lately my little bouncing bundle has been eating soooo much. He has been eating every 2 hours during the day and even waking up at night to eat **sigh**. I was trying to wait until after his doctor's appointment on Monday to introduce solids, but I decided we would give rice cereal a try this evening. The entire family took a turn feeding him and as you can see he seemed to enjoy it.

The storm's over!

2008-09-17T15:37:00.005-05:00

We got our power and phone service restored so I can finally get on here and post an update to everyone. Thanks so much for all the phone calls and emails checking on us. We were refugees for a few days, but we were very blessed to have places to stay until the storm passed through and our power was restored.

On Thursday Jeff and I took the kids and followed my dad to his friend Brad's house in East Texas. We still felt some of the effects of the storm there, but we were very prepared with a generator (a really fancy one) that kept us with power and A/C. On the way back to Houston on Sunday there wasn't a town that we passed through that had power (and therefore gasoline). We stayed with Dad on Sunday night since he has the same generator that his friend has. On Monday night we stayed with Melinda and Richard since they had power. Yesterday we were able to come home and sleep in our own beds.

We were very fortunate that the damage to our house was as minimal as it was. We had some shingles come off the roof, 3 trees down, fence blew down, water blew in around our door and windows (that was STRONG wind). One of the trees fell on the kids trampoline. But over all, we survived!!

This is disturbing...just posted on local news website

2008-09-11T00:03:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Ike could make a direct hit on Galveston
If the latest forecast track is accurate*, Hurricane Ike could make a direct hit on our local coastline. The update late Wednesday brought the center part of the forecast cone even closer to Galveston Bay while moving away from Matagorda Bay.
If the storm makes landfall near Freeport or San Luis Pass, then Galveston Island and the Bay could be on the dirty side of the storm. This could push a 15-22' storm surge onto the Island. Winds could blow over 100-120 mph....or more.
The track early Wednesday put the dirty side into Matagorda Bay. But as of late Wednesday, it looked like Matagorda Bay would be on the west side of the storm. A north wind blowing across Matagorda Bay could still cause some flooding by pushing water out toward the Gulf, but it wouldn't be as bad as having a 120 mph south wind blowing water into the Bay.
*The forecast will likely change several times over the next 72 hours. This is not like Gustav, or even Katrina or Rita. Ike is tracking around the edge of higher pressure north of the storm and it's being pulled northward by a trough of low pressure coming in from the west. This is a particularly difficult hurricane to forecast because it won't be moving in a straight line by the time it reaches the western Gulf of Mexico. And a minor change in the path, can have a major effect on our forecast

Take a hike Ike

2008-09-10T23:53:00.003-05:00

It's looking more and more like Ike is going to make landfall close by. The latest computer models show that it will come in right at Freeport which is VERY close to us. That puts us on the "dirty" side of the storm. We are planning on heading over to Dad's house tomorrow and from there we will caravan to Toledo Bend which is in East Texas. I just hope that we have our house intact when we return. Please keep us in your prayers.

* I tried to insert a picture of the latest model so you can see how dangerously close we are to this hurricane, but it isn't working. Take a peeksy here.

Gustav is gone, here comes Ike

2008-09-07T20:46:00.003-05:00

We were spared the wrath of Hurricane Gustav, Hannah headed up the East Coast, now Ike is headed towards the western gulf coast (that's us). We have made reservations at a hotel in Schulenburg, TX just in case it really does come this way. I can't wait for November 30th!! Hurricane season in Southeast Texas is nerve wracking.

2 for 2...Yippeeeee

2008-09-05T06:58:00.001-05:00

It's 7am and Theron just woke up!!!! He is so happy and fun in the morning. I just love him.

Milestones

2008-09-04T21:50:00.005-05:00

So I woke up this morning and it felt a bit like I had slept longer than I'm used to. I rolled over to look at the alarm clock and realize that indeed I had. It was 6:08 am and my littlest McKinney was still sleeping soundly in his bed. I got up to check on him - just to be sure. I decided that it was safe to go ahead and get in the shower, but he certainly was going to wake up any minute (starving to death at that). I got out of the shower, dressed, put on make-up then checked on the baby again, still sleeping. So I dry my hair and pour a bowl of cereal, still sleeping. That little cutie didn't make a peep until 7:15!! That is 10 1/2 hours of uninterupted sleep. I had been very satisfied with the 7 hours he was sleeping because he would eat and immediately go back to sleep, but people this is big news. I'll report back if he offers a repeat performance tonight!!

Doesn't he look refreshed after 10.5 hours of rest?

Good Lookin' Kids

2008-08-28T21:25:00.007-05:00

I had the kids pictures taken last month and I still have not been able to decide which ones to order. Here are a few of my favorites. Let me know what you think.

Sweet Feet

I just love the old truck in this one

Collin LOVES being a big brother

This is a very sweet picture of the 3 of them

I know I am biased, with that said, I have some good looking children.

Stay away Gustav

2008-08-28T21:17:00.002-05:00

We have been so blessed to not be the victems of a major hurricane. Rita 3 years ago was supposed to hit us, but she veared to the East at the last minute. We are on the western most border of the projected path with the center being over Louisiana, but we will know with a bit more certainty when he enters the Gulf on Sunday. Gas prices rose 20 cents per gallon since yesterday in anticipation of the storm. Cyndi made us reservations in New Braunsfel in the event we have to evacuate. She tried to get hotel rooms in Northeast Texas, but they were all booked already! Stay away Gustav!!

Happy 3 months Theron...and more

2008-08-28T19:44:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it has been more than a month since I have posted anything on this blog. My life has gotten crazier than ever *sigh*. Theron is now more than 3 months old and sweet as ever. He is really smiling and cooing a lot and recognizes faces. Meda and Collin really love their baby brother and he really enjoys it when they play with him. He has started going to Ms. Loretta (the sitter) this week since I am now officially back to work. I started back last week, but Mimi and Papa helped take care of him and Meda while Collin and I went to the college. Collin's preschool started last week and he is offically a Senior Preschooler and he couldn't be more proud of that. Meda started 1st grade this week. She is doing well, though I'm not surprised I have recieved 2 comments in her daily planner about her talking. The girl likes to talk!! She thinks it's her responsibility to help everyone during their tests (yikes). Here are a few 3 month pictures of our little Therry Berry. :-)

Jeff and I just had our 10 year wedding anniversary, where does the time go? We couldn't really get away for anything big, but we did enjoy a night in Corpus Christi. We left the kids with Melinda and Richard and drove down to C.C. last Saturday morning. We spent the night in a really nice hotel and I got to sleep through the night for the first time in probably 6 months. We drove through Port Aransas on the way back Sunday and had a nice lunch on the water. I was very glad to get back to my kids though, I missed them!!

Happy 2 months, Theron

2008-07-22T21:02:00.002-05:00

I took Theron and Meda in for their well visits today. Meda is still way off the charts for her height. She is 4 ft. 1 in. and 55 pounds. Pretty tall!! Theron is officially not in the 5-10 percentile, he is in the 10-25th weighing in at 10 lb 3 oz. and 21 inches long (Meda was that long when she was born). He is looking good and the poor guy had to take 3 shots in the leg. I'm hoping to fatten him up to at least 14 pounds by 4 months!

Mohawk Mania

2008-07-22T08:48:00.004-05:00

Take a peek at Collin's new do. Jeff has been trying to get him to buzz his hair for months and Collin very persistently has declined. Yesterday Jeff went for a haircut and once again invited Collin along in hopes of a win. They compromised on this...

It's hard to pose for a picture when your favorite show is on

He's gonna be a big 'un

2008-07-19T11:59:00.003-05:00

Theron is really growing and filling out now. I took him to work on Tuesday and weighed him in the nursing lab. He weighed in at 9 lbs 12 oz!! He goes in for his 2 month check up on Tuesday and I bet he will break the 10 pound mark. He has chubby little thighs and a neck that you can lose your car keys in.

He is loving bathtime now

Meda and Collin are helping him discover his playmat

Things kids will do

2008-07-19T11:47:00.003-05:00

I've been taking the kids to the skating rink lately. Its good exercise for them and a cool place for me and Theron to hang out. Collin has noticed that some of the kids wear in line skates and he thought he should get some too. He would not stop asking for these things. I thought I'd play the Mom card and tell him if he cleaned up the playroom he could have some. Keep in mind that he NEVER cleans or helps to clean the playroom. He always has an excuse and I honestly didn't know if he could do it on his own. Well...HE DID!! I wouldn't tell him this, but I only said that because I didn't think he would do it. I went upstairs to look at it after I heard a blood curdling scream from Meda. As it turns out the playroom was spotless, but there was a big pile of everything Collin didn't have a place for piled in Meda's doorway. She couldn't even get in her room. I should have taken a picture of it, but I didn't think about it at the time. Needless to say, I got the boy his skates and he is doing awesome on them.

2008-07-16T08:54:00.002-05:00

On the 4th Meda and Collin were able to ride their bikes in the Nassau Bay parade with the Nauticat swim team. Papa rode with them. The parade concluded at the park where there was fun to be had by all. There were clowns, bounce houses, snow cones and more. Melinda joined us since Hunter and Richard are in Canada. Theron slept through most of it, but everyone enjoyed getting to snuggle him.

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Nauticats Award Ceremony

2008-07-15T23:09:00.005-05:00

Well, the kids completed their first official season as Nauticat swimmers. On July 2nd all the kids were honored at an awards banquet. The kids got medals and had a good time with their friends. Collin was upset because he didn't get one of the big trophies...maybe next year, son!

2008-07-15T22:50:00.004-05:00

Meda attended a dance camp the first week of July. She dabbled in several genres of dance including hip hop. On the last day of camp the kids got to perform their routines. I thought this was super cute.

Here are Meda & Collin with their awards. Meda got the "Best Slip & Slider Award" and Collin was "The Most Manly Award". He was the only boy at gymnastics camp.

Happy Birthday Pictures...finally

2008-07-15T22:14:00.002-05:00

The time is just flying by and I have finally got a minute to sit down and post some pictures from Meda's 6th. We had a great time. Meda invited over her friend Emma along with her little brother and sister, Kenny & Sophie. Aunt Melinda, Uncle Richard and Hunter came and the grandparents. The kids played outside in the water and on the trampoline and had a blast.

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2008-07-04T11:27:00.000-05:00

More Free Graphics and Myspace Layouts at pYzam.com

More pictures by Hillary, coming soon

2008-07-03T08:05:00.002-05:00

Yesterday evening I took all the kids over for Hillary to photograph. She found this old aqua colored truck sitting in front of this neat looking building and she used it for the pictures. The kids were easy to photograph as always except for Theron who was having his fussy time. She should have a couple posted to her blog today so stay tuned...

TV time

2008-06-28T15:18:00.003-05:00

Meda and Theron love to take in a Baby Einstein movie on a Saturday afternoon. Cute, huh?

Today

goings on...

2008-06-28T15:07:00.004-05:00

Life with a newborn can be very exhausting - wait, who am I kidding, it IS exhausting. Anywho...my point is we have been very busy and it seems I have no time to post about it. I have been trying to keep the kids out of the house here and there so Daddy can get some quiet sleeping time. I try.

One day this week we went to the mall and had lunch. It probably wasn't super fun for the kids, but we got to enjoy the A/C and have ice cream. As you can see, they LOVE ice cream.

We also went to the skating rink this week. Collin is pretty good at skating, they both are. Aunt Melinda bought them some skates for Christmas a couple of years ago and they use them a lot. We will bring our own skates next time we go because they both got blisters.

Meda is so blazing fast the picture is blurry :o)

Theron even seemed to enjoy the skating rink!

Little Miss Grace

2008-06-27T17:09:00.002-05:00

Jeff and I always joke about how messy Meda is. After dinner last night I decided to take this picture to demonstrate just how REALLY messy she is. We had a simple dinner of chicken and veggies with bread. Meda made herself some chocolate milk. This is what the table looked like when she was finished eating...Geez!!

McKinney Family Reunion

2008-06-27T09:23:00.002-05:00

The 2nd weekend in June was the annual McKinney Family Reunion. This year it was held in Borger, Texas. Since Theron is so little Mimi and Papa took Meda with them. She really enjoyed her alone time with the Grandparents and I enjoyed the weekend without Meda and Collin going at each other. They took 2 days to drive up since its a pretty long drive. Mimi said Meda traveled very well and was a good girl.

Happy Birthday, Meda!!

2008-06-23T08:07:00.002-05:00

June 18th was Meda's 6th birthday. We had a little party for her on Saturday. It was mostly family and Meda invited a couple of friends. They played in the water outside and busted a pinata. My camera battery died so I will get some pictures from the grandparents and post later.

Beautiful Baby

2008-06-21T21:23:00.002-05:00

I had a photo session yesterday to get Theron's pictures taken. There were some priceless moments captured. I haven't got the proofs yet, but you can take a peek here. Let me know what you think.

For the love of basketball

2008-06-19T15:26:00.003-05:00

Collin LOVES basketball and is quite good at it. He started with a summer league through the YMCA. Papa and Mimi bought a basketball goal for their house so the kids (mostly Collin) can play when they are visiting.

Collin has had 2 practices and his first game is Saturday. I'm charging my camcorder for the big event.

Happy Birthday Grandma Laura

2008-06-19T15:17:00.002-05:00

Laura's birthday was May 30th and with Dad home recovering from his surgery (he had is gallbadder removed), she was overlooked. We finally got together at Joe's Crabshack a couple of weekends ago to celebrate her day. Theron was very good at his first restaurant outing.

Happy Birthday, Laura!!

behind with bloggin'

2008-06-16T22:35:00.002-05:00

I am so behind with blogging my family's news. So much has happened, but Theron does not like it when his mommy is not holding him. I just started this post and now he is crying for me! He is gaining weight, last Thursday he was up to 6 lb 6 oz. Still tiny, but bigger. Gotta go...I'll be back later!

Baby Boy

2008-06-09T21:44:00.005-05:00

Theron seems to me like he is growing. I take him to the doctor on Thursday for a weight check. He is having more wakeful periods (not always at the most desirable time) and is definitely letting us know when he wants something. Here are some pictures of him that I took today.

Interesting...

2008-06-09T09:34:00.001-05:00

This is pretty funny. Supposedly I can take on 10 five year olds, I'm not so sure.

10

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

Where does the time go??

2008-06-05T14:58:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Meda's last day of kindergarten and she is now officially a 1st grader!!! I can't believe how the time flies. The boys and I went to her school for an awards ceremony and her end of the year party. She was recognized for being involved in the AR program (accelerated reader), for being "Most Friendly", and she got a certificate for being promoted to 1st grade.

Meda and her awards

It's official!

I thought this was cute...it is a page from Meda's memory book.

Collin enjoyed being a part of the class party. All the kids know his name and since he is as tall as most of the boys, he really feels like he fits in. He even loves to line up with the kids and show Mrs. LeBlanc his best "gator arms" and bubble. He can't wait to be in kindergarten.

Meda and her best friend, Lauryn

Collin playing at recess like a real kindergartener

Meda has never been a graceful eater

Sweet Collie

Today has been a challenge because school is out. Theron had a fussy spell last night and so I have pretty much been up since 3 am. By the time Jeff came home after 6 this morning the baby tired out and fell asleep. I have been really trying to keep them busy so they don't get bored. We went to Jump N Jungle today for a couple of hours before we went to swim team practice. I can't wait to go to bed! :O)

5/31 swim meet

2008-05-31T21:54:00.003-05:00

Mimi and Pappa took Meda and Collin to their swim meet today (thank you!). Here are some pictures from Mimi's camera. They both swam a freestyle relay, 25 yard freestyle, and 25 yard backstroke. We'll find out on Monday how they placed.

Friday Happenings

2008-05-30T12:24:00.003-05:00

This morning I took Theron to his pediatrician for a follow-up visit. His labwork is all normal!! He is maintaining his weight and Dr. Twining said he looks good and he feels he will "overcome" his smallness.

Collin planted some black-eyed peas after his teacher at church gave him some seeds a couple of months ago. Today he picked his crop and we are going to cook them tonight. He is a proud little farmer.

Ahhh...Home at Last!!

2008-05-28T15:07:00.002-05:00

This morning Jeff and I visited Theron at the hospital and asked to see the nurse practitioner because we needed to know what their plan was. She did an assessment and reviewed his morning labwork and decided to discharge him!! We were not expecting that and I can't tell you how happy that made us. She had us make an appointment with his pediatrician for Friday & scheduled his hearing screening and 'voila' we were putting our baby in the carseat and headed home. It feels soooo good to have him home!!! He looks pretty comfortable, too...don't you think?

The "smile"

2008-05-27T16:58:00.001-05:00

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