St. Patrick's Day Fun

Every year, a leprechaun named Paddy O'Mally visits our home and tries to steal our gold. And every year, the kids set a trap to catch him. So far, he hasn't escaped with our "treasure" yet! This year was no exception.

The kids come up with a new idea each St. Patrick's Day Eve. This year, the used a small green cage with a gold money clip as bait. The next morning, we found Paddy trapped!

Checking the trap!

May the luck o' the Irish be with ya!

We Had Visitors

Over Spring Break, we welcomed my mother and my cousin, Minniette. They stayed with us for a long weekend and we squeezed as much fun as we could during that short time.

We had so much fun checking out the shops in downtown McKinney. The girls even got to dress up and get a picture at a salsa shop.

Introducing our guests to the best breakfast in Texas...Spoons!

Let's Eat!

I don't know where she put it all, but Lily ate this entire chocolate chip waffle!

Making our drink orders. Must. Have. Caffeine. Ha!

Starbucks break on a beautiful afternoon in McKinney.

Jack And Minniette...JAM!

My favorite musicians had a great time dreaming at The Guitar Sanctuary.

We stayed for a night at Embassy Suites and enjoyed swimming in the pool.

The girls enjoyed baking "pillow puffs" with Aunt Minniette. It is a Dutch pastry.

Sofie said, "A dirty face means you are cooking good!"

Watching the pastries "puff up".

My two headed monster staying warm during Bug's soccer game.

Sofie scored 4 goals and her team won the game. I guess Grandma is Bug's lucky charm.

Good-bye came way too soon, but we are so grateful for the time we shared together.

Staycation...Spring Break 2012

This Spring Break, we are having a "staycation". So, the kids and I are getting out and enjoying this beautiful weather in north Texas. Today, we went for a picnic and a walk at Town Lake Park.

Penny was happy to tag-along. Although, she wasn't a big fan of the geese.

It was fun feeding corn to the ducks.

Walking on the dock was a lot of fun, too. The ducks swam up real close so we got a good look at their feathers.

Jack enjoyed naming the ducks. He called these two "Drake" and "Ida"...two characters from Honk, the Musical.

It's a long walk around Town Lake. So, we took a short break and watched the turtles pop up to the surface. We lost count at how many we saw.

Little Bug had fun blowing dandelion seeds in the wind.

We were delighted to find a few small patches of bluebonnets.

I swear this boy is part monkey. He LOVES to climb trees.

Monkey see...Monkey do!

Sweet Lily with a sweet smile.

We had a great day!

UIL Drama Awards 2012

The Dowell Middle School Theater class presented the play "Radium Girls" at district competition thoday. After months of hard work, their efforts really paid off. All five middle schools participated in today's competition. The Dowell production of "Radium Girls" received a Superior rating, the highest possible. In addition, Jack received a medal and was named an actor on The All Star Cast.

We are so excited for Jack today and we know big things are waiting for him next year when he becomes a Boyd Broadway Player at Boyd High School. He has definitely found his niche and he is moving up with a very talented groups of kids!

Congratulations, Jack! We are so proud of you!!

Happy 14th J-Man!

(Dinner at Uncle Julio's as requested by the birthday boy)

It is so hard for me to believe, but Jack is 14 years old today. He amazes me everyday and I am so proud to be his mom. Watching him grow into a man is one of the greatest privileges of my life. I know God has great plans for Jack's life and today I celebrate the gift he is in mine.

Sofie made Jack a special card with an envelope filled with candy. On his card she wrote, "When I first saw you I saw niceness, happiness, and awesomeness. You are the best gift I ever had. I love you." How sweet is that?!

After school, Lily made Jack a birthday cake in her Easy Bake Oven.

I made Jack his favorite cake...chocolate fudge with chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles. After all, there is never such a thing as too much chocolate if you are an Arbuckle. Ha!

Happy Birthday Jack! May the next year bless you with beautiful surprises!

Dowell Middle School Presents "Radium Girls"

Jack has the male lead for the Dowell Middle School play that is being performed for district UIL competition this week. After several auditions, he earned the role of Mr. Roeder in the play "Radium Girls", a historical account of radiation poisoning that took place in a watch factory during World War I.

In the first scene, Jack and his wife are discussing the bright future ahead of them in regards to the opportunities with the use of radium in the medical field. Jack's character sees an opportunity for money, money, money!






In this next scene, Jack and his lawyer (who also happens to be his best friend, Ryan) are discovering that all is not what it seems at the radium plant where Jack's character works.
Jack's character makes a critical decision to cover up what is happening at the factory.

Here, Jack and his wife are discussing the problem. I was amazed by the depth of Jack's emotion in this scene.

The play is being performed for competition on Friday and we are all expecting great results. We are so impressed by these young actors and inspired by their commitment and hard work. And Jack is so comfortable on stage. Everytime I see him perform, I am more impressed than the time before.

Good luck on Friday, Jackman...break a leg!

An Afternoon At The Creek

One of the things I love most about our home is the access we have to a nearby creek and greenbelt. Saturday, we spent some time as a family exploring the great outdoors and taking in the sights and sounds of spring.

For a moment, it almost felt as if we had escaped the city.

Sofie saw this hole in a hollow tree and decided to stop and look for squirrels who might be living there. What a cutie!



Follow the leader...

Lily and Sofie had fun climbing down into the creek bed.

The girls called this the "Halloween tree". It looked a bit spooky!

Happy Spring!