And The Winner Is....

Jack has had a phenomenal year as a Freshman in Boyd High School Theater.

 

 Last Fall,  he participated in some very competitive auditions and was selected to be part of the Ensemble for the cast of the musical "Legally Blonde".  The show was selected to be one of 8 shows in the United States and Canada to peform at Nationals in Lincoln, Nebraska this summer. As the National Company for "Legally Blonde" prepared for the show, Jack was named Understudy for one of the minor roles in the play and even got a line in the play as a Shopkeeper.  And if that wasn't enough excitement, he closed out his year by being awarded "Most Outstanding Newcomer" Award at the McKinney Boyd Broadway Broncos Banquet this evening. We are so proud!

At the banquet, Jack was inducted into the International  Thespian Society, which is an honor society for young actors. It is a great honor and we are so proud!

And he socialized with great friends he has made throughout his time with theater...

 He's off to a great start with the Boyd Broadway Broncos. Next year, they perform "Shrek the Musical". I can't wait to see what happens next! LET 'EM RUN!! Indeed!

Lily and Sofie's Day Off

The school year is winding down and we are excited that spring has finally sprung.  We decided to take a day off together.  We slept in, had Starbucks for breakfast, and then went to Town Lake City Park for a day of fun in the "sun". It was a bit cloudy, and we knew rain was coming our way. But, we didn't let that stop us from making the most of our day off together.

 

 

We hung out on the playground for a while.

 

 

 

 

We went for a walk around the lake and talked about anything that was on their minds. Mostly school and friends.

 

 

 And we took in the little surprises of nature, including baby ducks swimming and baby turtles sunning on logs.

 

 

All that adventure made us pretty hungry. So, as it started to sprinkle, we headed off to the car and went for lunch at JC's Burgers.

 

 

My girls are so much fun!

Glen Oaks Leadership Summit 2013

 Lily received her Leadership Badge at the Glen Oaks Leadership Summit this morning.

After a very tough year filled with many growing pains, she is truly a leader with or without the badge. She already has more character than many adults I know. Still, getting to walk across that stage and receive her pin today sure was a sweet moment of reward for all her perseverance, courage, and endurance.

She got to hear from an Olympic runner named Marshavet Hooker!  Her message was both inspiring and confirming. Perhaps the most powerful part of her speech was when Ms. Hooker expressed the importance of choosing the right friends.  This has proven especially true this year, as Lily has struggled with finding her way and enduring "mean girls".  As Lily finishes up elementary school, we are thankful for true friends...and fellow future leaders.

 

Lily and Brylee have been friends since first grade.

 

 



 

Skyler and Raylan are new friends who help make Lily's days fun, even when they are hard.

 

 

Next year, Lily will move onto Cockrill Middle School for a brand new start. We hope she will take the lessons of this past year with her. No matter where she learns, Lily is a natural leader. We are so proud of her!

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!