Home Sweet Home...Under Construction

We now have a "purchased sign" on our new dirt and we could not be more excited to see construction begin on our new home! As of March 6th, 2013, we are officially under construction and scheduled to close August 19th.

The adventure begins...

 

On May 8th, we finally broke ground on our lot!

 

 

Due to a shortage of construction crews in the area, things are pretty slow going. So we were thrilled to see our crew working hard and laying our pipes on June 6th.  Hopefully the ground work will be finished soon and we will have a foundation.  Our close date has been pushed back to September 6th, due to the delays. We are a bit disappointed, but still very excited for our new home.

 

 

Early in July, we discovered the foundation had cracked and that the construction on our new home was just not acceptable. So, we prayerfully walked away from this endeavor and purchased a different home instead. It turned out to be the best decision for our family, and we found a beautiful new place to call home that was within walking distance of Jack's high school.  We moved into our house at 5020 Grampian Way in mid-August.

 

 

Home Sweet Home looked different than we planned...but turned out even better than we had hoped.  We are looking forward to making many beautiful memories together as we fill the rooms of this house with love and laughter.



Spring Break Continues 2013

The second half of our week of Spring Break brought Grandma Tina and Aunt Minniette from Iowa for a visit with us. We loved having them here and we put as much fun into the few days they were with us as we possibly could.

Of course, our first stop was our "new dirt" so Mom and Minniette could see where we will be living soon. They loved the lot! Mom even took home a rock from our site so she has a little piece of Texas with her in Iowa.



 It is still quite cold in Iowa this time of year, so Mom and Minniette were excited to get outside and go for a walk. We strolled around Adriatica, got some lunch, and visited Starbucks and the Guitar Sanctuary.

 Enjoying the bright blue sky and the warm Texas sun...

 Starbucks Stop!

 Playing in the fountain at Adriatica...

A perfect day with Grandma Tina and her Texas grandbabies...

 Minniette and Jack were in Heaven at The Guitar Sanctuary...

 Jack fell in love with this beautiful acoustic/electric guitar. He is saving his money to buy it. Grandma gave him a donation to help in his efforts. It "only" costs $1300.

 Of course it wouldn't be time with Grandma without a little shopping. We took Mom and Minniette to Waters Creek and the girls introduced Grandma Tina to Vera Bradley and Bug got a new wallet.

 Lily wanted to look more "grown up" since middle school is right around the corner. So, Grandma thought it would be nice for her to get a mini-makeover and some new make-up. (With Daddy's permission of course). Lily got blush and lipstick and felt like a rock star!

 Our little girl is growing up...

 Jack was SUCH a good sport about all the shopping. I was so glad he came with us! It's not the same when he is not around.

 To make it up to Jack, we took him to a movie. Here we are with our 3-D shades getting ready to see "Oz the Great And Powerful". It was awesome!

 We ate a LOT of great food!

 Mom got to watch Bug play soccer. Sofie even scored a goal for Grandma!

And my cousin Randy came up from Ft. Worth to say hello while Mom and Minniette were here.

 It was a special treat getting to spend some time with him!

Having Mom and Minniette here with us for a bit was a perfect way to celebrate spring!!

Beaver's Bend, Oklahoma 2013

Every year, during Spring Break, we try to get away for a little "glamping" (glamour camping) with our friends the Recks and the Bransons at Beaver's Bend National Forest in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. It is a trip we all look forward to all year and we are never disappointed. This year was no exception.

 We have stayed in a different cabin each trip. I think this one is my favorite so far. It was absolutely perfect!

 The first morning was rainy and cold, so I enjoyed sitting on the covered porch with a hot cup of coffee. It was so peaceful.

Most of the kids enjoyed the hot tub...

 But Jack preferred to use his "down time" practicing his guitar.

After a stressful last few weeks of school, it was the perfect way for him to relax.

 We spent a lot of time snuggling under blankets outside.

And I even caught Marty actually relaxing for a bit!

 It was great to be able to just do whatever we wanted without any schedule.

 There was lots of snuggling...

Lots of cuteness...

 Some basketball...

 A lot of exploring...

Warm campfires...

 And new adventures...

Daddy taught Bug how to whittle...

 Lily and I went horseback riding while Marty, Jack, and Sofie went to drive the Go Karts.

My Cowgirl Diva

Another year of Happy, Happy, Happy!

Jack's 15th Birthday

Marty had to leave town for a business dinner so we celebrated Jack's birthday a bit early this year.

 He loves Mexican food, so it was no surprise that he chose to go to Cristina's for dinner. He ordered his usual...chicken tacos al carbon. Then the restaurant surprised him with fried ice cream.

As exciting as that was, Jack still preferred his requested birthday cake...homeade chocolate with chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles.

The morning of his birthday, Jack woke up, looked at me and said, "Hey Mom. We gotta go get my permit soon." He is just a little excited about learning to drive. I still can't believe my baby will soon be behind the wheel. He is growing up way too fast!

Third Grade Musical

The Glen Oaks Elementary third graders presented a wonderful musical for us titled...

Sofie was a "Kissy Fish" and she was just about the cutest little fish I ever did see!

Marty's 44th Birthday

Marty doesn't like to make a big deal out of his birthday, but we force him to celebrate anyway. For his big day, we made him a dinner at home, at his request. Then we celebrated with gifts and cake. We even got him to pose for a picture or two. Marty is a great man...and we celebrate his life! Happy Birthday, Honey. We love you to the moon and back!

Lily's 11th Birthday

Lily just turned 11 years old, and she is all glitz and glamour. For her birthday, she wanted to celebrate in style with her besties. So, we spent the afternoon doing some of Lilybelle's favorite things. We started off with manicures at Star Nails...

Then, we went home to decorate our own designer bags...

For desert, we celebrated Lily with her favorite red velvet cake from Nothin' Bundt Cakes. She picked out individual Bundtlets for each of her birthday guests.



A party just isn't a party with some singing. The girls had a blast with Karoeke...

Kinley, Brylee, Lily, Hailey, and Sofie...This is what FUN looks like!



Happy Birthday, Lilybelle!