The Adventures of Richard and Skylar

Christmas Program

2011-12-12T18:14:00.001-08:00

The kids had their Christmas Program at school this past Sunday. It was a beautiful presentation, and I am so proud of them all for the great job they did! Luckily they sing a lot better than I take pictures...

An Early Christmas

2011-12-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

My mom is going to Ohio to spend some time with her parents, siblings, extended family and friends that she grew up with. We were having a hard time figuring out when we could do Christmas with everyone's work schedules, so we decided to do it before she left. Mom and Al came over on Saturday. We started with brunch, then we exchanged gifts! It was a very nice day! From the kids, Tim and I, thank you both for everything you for us not only at Christmas, but all through the year! We love you both bunches!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-12T17:49:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Thanksgiving Lunch at Mom and Al's this year. It was just the kids and I as Tim was at home sleeping. He had to work the night before and the night of. We had fun taking turns with the camera and trying to figure out the timer on my camera! Thanks Mom and Al for a very nice day.

After we left there we went straight to Cindy's. I kept saying I was going to get the camera out and get a group shot of everyone there. Apparently, that never happened. I don't have one single picture from their house. But once again, it was a great time and thank you for having us!

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

Today was the second annual Thanksgiving Feast at the kids' school. The students and staff were Pilgrims, and they hosted a meal for the Indians (the guests).

Here is me and my two little pilgrims. Skylar made my head dress.

Richard made Gigi's.

The kids worked very hard on setting everything up and making place mats for every body.

Aren't these the cutest napkin holders ever?!? They made these as well, and place cards for everyone. They really went all out!

Pilgrim Richard

Pilgrim Skylar

The food was amazing so was the atmosphere. The kids gave us a small preview of what we have to look forward to at the Christmas Program! I think I am finally in the Holiday Spirit now. This festivity was so nice and I am very thankful for all that I have.

A Man and His Dog

2011-11-16T19:11:00.001-08:00

Rocky and Tim

Makayla and Jaden's Costume Birthday Party

2011-10-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

How fun does this look? We all had a blast and I just wanted to share the costumes!

Steven, Heather, Hannah, Emma, Makayla, and Jaden

Mom and Dad

Randy and Brenda

Somehow this is the only picture I have of my kids on my camera, and we obviously weren't ready for the photo op. I will have to see if Heather has any that I can steal! :)

Snooki and Tim

School Spirit Day

2011-10-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

The kids have to wear uniforms to school everyday, but when the Rangers made it to the World Series this year, they decided to let the kids show their spirit if they chose to.

The kids asked if I would get them some T-Shirts so they could participate. It was not easy finding shirts for them on the day of Game 6 (Hence the #1 Dad shirt that Skylar was sporting).

I showed Skylar her shirt, not knowing what she was going to think and she looked at it, smiled and said, "Well, I do have the number one dad!"

All I could find was adult sizes, so after going to 3 stores, I settled for those. Richard is a big fan of Josh Hamilton, who is very proud and strong in his faith.

We had a lot of fun cheering on the Rangers, even if they didn't win the World Series this year, they were still the ALCS Champs!!

GO RANGERS!

Masterpieces in Full Effect

2011-10-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

Created by Skylar

Created by Richard

Created by Gigi

Created by Yours Truly

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

Gigi came over the other evening for a visit and we just happened to have 4 pumpkins that needed to be carved. She took the kids for a short little excursion outside to play while I got the table ready for the mess that was about to ensue. I love the smell of fresh pumpkins, and cleaning them out! I ordered the pumpkins from the vegetable co-op that I belong to, and I was quite impressed!

No matter how many times you have seen it, the "I'm puking up pumpkins guts" photos never get old, to me at least....

Previously mentioned mess

But in the end, it was all worth it. Not only did we get 4 awesomely carved pumpkins, we got fantastic roasted pumpkin seeds too. Can you guess who did which pumpkin? Okay fine, I will tell you. From left to right, Richard, Gigi, Me, and Skylar. Not too shabby, right?

Air Show

2011-10-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

One advantage of living where we do is that we can see the air show from our backyard. It has become a tradition on the weekend of the air show for us all to be out in the backyard watching the planes fly by, and laughing when they fly over making those booming, screaming engine noises. Sometimes it is so loud, that we can't even hear each other! With a backdrop of beautiful clouds, here are some of the planes we saw today. The weather outside was perfect, I couldn't have asked for a better day.

Wisdom of Bob Marley

2011-10-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

I read these words and found a great deal of comfort in them. I wanted to share them with you.

He's not perfect, but neither are you. The two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto to him and give him the most you can. He isn't going to quote poetry, he's not thinking of you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you can break. Don't hurt him, don't change him, and don't expect more than he can give. Don't analyze. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he's not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don't exist, but there's always one guy that is perfect for you.

-Bob Marley

Pearly Whites

2011-10-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

So, we haven't had a very exciting week. In fact the most exciting thing we have done is gone to the dentist.

The kids did great for their cleanings, and they are very happy to report that neither one had any cavities.

Since I am doing this blog as a way to capture memories, I thought I would show some candid teeth shots, bearing them just they way they are with no braces, retainers or whiteners.

Who knows how long their teeth will look like this before someone will try to "fix" them. I just happen to think they are perfect just the way they are!

School Days

2011-10-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

We have been very blessed to be able to send the kids to a new school this year. They now attend the Classical Lutheran Academy at our church. It is going to be a great opprotunity for them, and it was a relief knowing they are welcomed with open arms every day. Here is a picture from the first day of school. Richard is a 5th grader and Skylar is right on his heels in the 4th grade.

Alive and Kicking

2011-10-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

We are still alive and kicking, I promise. I am just a little slow on the blog. Alot has happened since I have last posted, so instead of trying to play catch up, we will just start anew.

Bowling Pics

2008-12-04T05:42:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of the kids bowling when they spent the night with Gigi. Skylar picked up several spares and Richard got a strike!!

Carving Pumpkins with Gigi

2008-10-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

Tonight Gigi came over and took a stroll down memory lane by carving pumpkins. Apparently it has been years since she has taken a spoon and knife to a pumpkin. We had just as much fun as the kids did!!

Corpus Christi

2008-10-30T18:26:00.001-07:00

I had to go to Corpus Christi for a work conference. It was gorgeous there! Here are a few snapshots I took from my hotel room. I hated to leave!!

Fun Day with all of the family

2008-10-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

This day was a very fun day! Aunt Tarrin was in for a visit and we all went to the airport to eat lunch. It was a blast!! There was a bunch of us. It was me and Tim, Richard and Skylar, Tarrin, Steven and Heather, Hannah, Emma and Makayla! After lunch we went to the Pumpkin Patch and had a good time!

Quit yelling at me people

2008-10-30T04:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know it has been almost a month since I have blogged. I have a few things to post, but just haven't had a chance. HAVE PATIENCE WITH ME PLEASE......

Beauty Queen

2008-10-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

Skylar was in her 2ND pageant this weekend. She had a blast. She won two trophies this time!! One for prettiest eyes and one for best costume. She was a beautiful bride. They were allowed enter a category for creative costumes and she was stoked because we already had her Halloween costume when we found out about the pageant, so of course she wanted to do it! She did awesome. We are very proud of our little beauty queen!!

Training Wheels No More

2008-10-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

With all of the excitement of Richard learning to ride his bike without training wheels, we decided to go ahead and take Skylar's off too! She did very well the first night. She had lots of help from dad and some good pointers from big brother. They rode until they were all hot and sweaty, YUCK!!!

Bicycle Badge

2008-10-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

Richard went to a scout meeting the other night and they learned about bicycle safety. He did very good! He earned a belt loop for his uniform! Way to Richard, we are very proud of you!

Another One Bites the Dust

2008-10-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

Richard lost his third tooth. He was very excited and wanted everyone to see!!

Proud Scout

2008-09-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

Richard has been in Cub scouts since the end of last year and he was very excited to start again. He is a Wolf Cub, which is for boys at least 7 and that have completed the first grade. His den is very active and do some very exciting activities. Here he is in his uniform. When I was taking the pictures of him, he wouldn't smile because he wanted to look "serious", but for the last picture he finally gave in and cracked a smile. Gotta love him!!!

Lunch with My Little "Longhorns"

2008-09-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

This past Friday I went and had lunch with the kiddos. Their lunch schedules work out great for me this year. Skylar goes first, then when she has about 10 minutes left, Richard's grade comes in, so all three of us got to sit together for a few minutes, then I had about 20 minutes of lunch with Richard. It was fun!!

School Days

2008-08-26T18:27:00.001-07:00

Today was the first day of school!! Both kids were super excited! It helped that they went to an awesome open house last Friday night. They had a parade of teachers at the very end was the principal riding on none other then Molly the longhorn, the schools mascot. For being a brand new school it seems to be pretty well organized! Both kids like their teachers (Richard says his teacher is the coolest teacher in the whole school)!

Mom's "pizazz"

2008-08-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

So one day last week, Skylar asked if she could brush my hair. I said sure. So she got the brush and was brushing and all of a sudden she said, "mom you need more pizazz". I said excuse me and next thing you know she brought out my make up and wanted to make me "more pretty". I said ok, and the fun began. She did a pretty good job and we had fun. Good thing daddy was home to take pictures of us!!

Silly Skylar

2008-08-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today Skylar received a package in the mail from Gramma Rene filled with school clothes and tons of jewelry. She was so excited as she pulled each new outfit out of the box. She squealed, it was so funny!! I was talking on the phone and next thing I know Skylar had put on one of the new outfits and ALL of the jewelry, true princess style!! She is such a girly girl!

Park

2008-08-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

We went to the park Friday morning and we had a good time. We started off at the playground then we wanted to walk along the path and go to our favorite creek. There is this amazing spot where you can sit on a bridge with your feet hanging over and watch the water and the critters in it. I should have known that when we got there all of the water would be gone since it has been so hot down here. The kids found a patch of wild flowers instead and wanted to pick one. They tried, but the stems were so thick they could not get any off, and their hands got all sticky. So we went back to the playground so they could wash their hands in the water fountain. So we played some more but we had to leave when Skylar walked face first into a metal pole. It was fun while it lasted!!

Weekend

2008-08-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend was pretty nice. We did some swimming. Then the competitive streak came out in Tim and the kids and it turned into a contest to see who could stay under the longest. Skylar came is first locking in at 46 seconds, Richard was next with 42 seconds under the water. Skylar could have stayed under longer but Tim got nervous and pulled her out, he thought she had passed out!

Richard's First "Date"

2008-08-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

So anyone who knows Richard knows that he loves to talk on the phone and not to give him your phone number becuase he will memorize your number and call you 12 times a day, right? Well since he has been staying with Grandma Cindy this summer he loves to call me at work. So he called me one day at work last week and said "Mom, can I talk to April?" I was kind of
curious, so i called him back on my cell phone and went up to April's office and put him on speakerphone. He asked April if she would come over and have lunch with him one day this week. Today was the day, and he was pumped. He asked me last night if she was coming. Then he asked again. Then he called me at work just to make sure I wasn't coming over without her. So when we got here, he acted all shy. We ate and I noticed his hair was kind of shiny. I asked, Richard did you fix your hair today? And he said, "I put mousse in it. And I put on cologne and deoderant, and I cleaned my ears out!!" He was so cute!! So April came and watched the kids play their DS's and had a good time, I think. I had to take pictures to memorialize this special day. He is growing up so fast!

Can't Forget the Four Legged Friends

2008-08-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my kids have been pretty mundane lately, uneventful to say the least. Not that I am complaining don't get me wrong. I really wanted to blog and I was thinking about what to blog about, so I thought this can't be a family blog with out the beloved dogs. So here they are. Our oldest dog is Joplin. She is a rat terrior with the personality of a mouse. She is very timid and scared of people, unless it is one of us. We could never get rid of her because I don't think she would survive without us. Chula is our middle baby. She is a boston terrior and rat terrior mix (also known as a "Brat", really google it). She is a beautiful Brindle color, and still has the energy of a puppy. Our littlest baby is Billy, aka Billy Bad Butt. He is a terror!! He runs this house for sure! We don't really know what kind of mix he is (some say possum, some say goat without the horns) but he is truly special. He is all brown except for his gray afro on the top of his head. He has crazy tan eyebrows that grow straight out. He is a singer! He will sing to cell phones, music, the kids toys and pretty much anything that makes noise. He even won 2nd place at a talent competition for his singing abilities!

Billy

Chula

Joplin

Kids School Pictures

2008-08-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the kids school pics from this spring. I know most of you have seen them, but not everyone has! Enjoy

WOW

2008-08-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, I first have to mention that I have no pictures to post at this very moment. But I wanted to get this off of my chest. I am shocked at how I seem to feel closer to many people through these blogs. It almost makes me feel that people are interested in what my family and I are up to. That is an awesome feeling. I am getting grumbled at because I haven't had a new posting!! I would like to thank each of you for giving me the encouragement to do this blog, and be excited about what is new with us, and I LOVE seeing what is on everyone else's pages as well. Enough of the mushy stuff, have a happy "hump" day!!

First Blog

2008-08-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is my first blog EVER. I am not sure what to talk about since my kids have been pretty normal lately. No funny stories from the weekend, so I will say this. I will try to keep you all updated on a (fairly) regular basis what is going on with us. It really comes in spurts. My kids can be crazy and silly for weeks, then we hit a dry spell. And right now, we are pretty dry....I hope I am not jinxing myself. We have had a nice summer so far. We went on a trip to New York, and that was so much fun. It was hot up there so the kids kept busy on the slip and slide and having water balloon fights. We had bon fires at night with smores. YUM. We took a day and went to Ohio and saw my family. We went on a cruise around Chautauqua Lake, where they even let the kids be "Captain's" of the Summer Wind. We stopped in Indy on the drive home and saw Krista, Jeremy and Lukas. It was a nice trip. Then my parents took the kids to San Antonio for a week and they went to Sea World, the Alamo and the caves. They all seemed to have a really nice time. So now that you are caught up on the summer, stayed posted for more blogs and photos of current times.