Merry Christmas - 2009

Autmn, Chelsea, & Taggart pretending like they have been nice all year......HA!!

Our good friends the Pavia's came to visit South Texas for Christmas. We had a great time with them.

Santa's mad helpers attempting Ginger Bread Houses.

The finished product.

Isaiah just heard Jason say that he had been "good" all year.

The kids & Sienna Pavia jammin out on Rock Band, Christmas morning.

Thanksgiving

My parents, Grandma Susan and Grandpa Philip, hopped in the minivan and drove (yes, drove 30 hours) to have Thanksgiving with us this year. They actually got to enjoy some much cooler weather this time around. The kids especially have a great time when Grandma and Grandpa are here to spoil them and spend time with them. This is the only picture we got...we didn't even get one around the Thanksgiving table. This is at the Hidalgo Festival of Lights. There is a driving tour of lights and also a walking tour of these beautiful lighted sculptures. And now, as we "go around and say something we are thankful for", I am thankful for my Mom and Dad, who are generous and thoughtful and a lot of fun.

Let the Basketball Games Begin!

Autumn made the 7th Grade A basketball team this year and we have dedicated and designated our Monday night FHE to family bonding, courtside. Autumn was fantastic (and I am not just saying that because I am her mother). She led the team in scoring this year, played right

forward, and survived only 1 minor injury (sprained ankle). Now, for those of you not familiar with 7th grade girl's basketball, let me tell you, it is aggressive, comical, and very entertaining all in one. There's a lot of "huddle" ball and a lot of missed free throws and a TON of fouls--but we love it! My favorite picture of the season: 1st jump ball, very 1st game of the season. I included the score board at end of game. Autumn made 12 of those points!

Halloween

Halloween pics! We are not sure what either Chelsea or Taggart were for Halloween this year. Chelsea chose something with wings yet again (3rd year in a row). I think the official costume description labeled it as "Vampire Fairy". Taggart just wanted to be something scary with black and with a skeleton mask---well he was a skeleton last year and didn't want last year's costume, so he came up with this one. Part of the night, he wore the mask from his last year's costume though. Autumn handed out the candy with no costume and since the the only pics I got of her are her actually eating the candy instead of handing it out, I decided not to include them. Andy, as always, was a good sport as long as we held a treat in front of him. We snapped the pics as we bribed him and then he quickly clawed the wig off his head and ran away. He is sporting the marilyn monroe wig this year.

The Music Man

One time per year, each grade at John H Shary performs at the monthly SPTSO meeting (this is to con the parents into attending at least one meeting a year). Chelsea's 5th grade class did excerpts from The Music Man this year and I must say, it was actually quite good. The boy who played the music man did a fantastic job. Now, for all who know Chelsea, she does not enjoy being in front of people. But, to our surprise, she sang a solo for the program. She did a beautiful job.

Happy 13th Birthday!

I have selected the most embarrassing photo to document Autumn turning 13--teenager! Of course, from now on, everything we do is embarrassing....we love you Autumn.

TEXTING

Because Autumn started JH this year and has a very busy schedule and is hard to keep track of, we relented and Autumn got her most desperate, pre-teen wish fulfilled: a cell phone. In case you do not have a preteen or teen and don't live in the tween universe, the cell phone is the most prized possession. You can't actually talk to anyone on it though. You must TEXT. I'll admit that I also enjoy texting. It is convenient sometimes. But I am a complete novice compared to Autumn.

We got the phone for Autumn the Friday before school started. The school has very strict policies about cell phone use during school. No talking, texting, using your phone for anything at all during school hours. You cannot even have it on. The consequences of which are having your phone taken away and not getting it back until your parents come after school to get it. And you have to pay to get it back. We established our own rules at home too. Cell phone off and charging on kitchen counter at 8:30 pm, where it must remain until the next morning.

After the first week, Brice was curious about how many minutes Autumn had used. Keep in mind this is the last week in August, so any minutes accumulated by Brice or myself on our phones have been accumulating for the entire month. For Autumn, just one week. Brice had sent about 500 texts, me about 200, and Autumn----1800!!! IN ONE WEEK! And she can only use her phone for about 4 1/2 hours a day! I don't think she even used any regular minutes. Well, all I can say is thank goodness for unlimited texting.