Dawn, Eric, Lauren, Ashley & Haley - All About Us!

Where have we been?

2011-06-11T21:48:00.004-05:00

2011 has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride! We started in January with Lauren in the Hospital because she couldn't walk. A viral infection had attacked the muscles in her upper left leg as shown on an MRI, and she was on crutches for several days before she could walk again. Bear was also recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, and then the cancer returned, and we lost our faithful friend after 12 years on February 16, 2011. We are still mourning our dear furry child, and it has been a hard adjustment for our family without our loyal companion. Then, Haley broke a bone in her leg in February in Gymnastics, and was in a leg cast for several weeks. Right before Lauren's 9th Birthday, I fell down our front concrete steps directly on my left knee and tore my PCL ligament (ligament behind the ACL), and damaged cartlidge behind my knee cap. I did Physical Therapy for over a month 3 times a week, and I am still working on the range of motion in my knee. Then after my fall, Lauren fell and broke a bone in her finger/hand from a Gymnastics landing. She just got released this past week to do sports again. It has been a long road for all of us, but we are out of school for the summer now, and things are starting to turn around! We have decided to get another chocolate lab puppy to love, and we will be bringing her home sometime around June 23rd. We are looking forward to raising another Lab, and the girls will be big participants in this dog's life. Bear was several years old already when we had kids, so this is their first exposure to puppyhood! It will be like having another child in the house! I will post some pictures with my next post, and will try once again to keep you updated!

Happy Halloween 2010!

2010-11-02T21:15:00.000-05:00

I can't seem to keep up with Facebook and this Blog no matter how good my intentions! I have skipped from Easter right over Summer, starting school, and now it's already Halloween! Lauren started the third grade, Ashley & Haley started first grade, and they are all doing great! The girls had a great Halloween as a Black Cat Witch (Lauren), Pumpkin Princess (Haley), and a Twinkle Witch (Ashley). Here's some pictures of our Pumpkin Carving and Halloween Night!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T08:30:00.012-05:00

Easter Weekend was filled with lots of fun activities from neighborhood Easter Egg Hunts, Dyeing Eggs, Butterfly Release at Church, and our Easter Egg Hunt Easter afternoon just to name a few. The girls are really growing up and changing so much. We are having so much fun now with everything we do, and it is always so neat to see the world through their eyes. It's like having a second childhood again! I am still so behind on all my Blogging. Lauren turned 8, and we celebrated it buy making our first trip to Disneyworld. What a truly magical place! Pictures to come! For now, I hope everyone had a Happy Easter with all of their families!

Happy 39th Birthday to Eric and Snow Days!

2010-02-12T20:26:00.012-06:00

I can't seem to keep up with my Blog, and I have missed so many updates for our family, but I am still going to try and go back at some point and fill in the gaps. Today was Eric's 39th Birthday, and we woke up to 12.5" of Snow. It started snowing around 3am Thursday morning, and didn't quit until midnight or so Friday night. The girls were beyond excited. Ashley got up at 11pm, 2am, 5am, and up for the day at 6:15am, because she was so excited about the snow! Needless to say, I am running on empty and I have caught some sort of crud to make it all worse, but we had a great day in the snow! Eric had a great birthday being at home from work with the girls, and we made a tropical snowman! Come on Spring!

Halloween Fun!

2009-10-31T20:50:00.007-05:00

Wow, I haven't even posted pictures yet of the girls starting Kindergarten, and now it's past Halloween. We stay so busy with all 3 in school and our activities! I am still going to try and go back and catch up some missing posts from the summer forward for anyone still reading this outdated Blog of mine. The twins are enjoying Kindergarten, and Lauren is doing great in 2nd grade. We are enjoying the nice fall weather and 6 days out of 7, the girls are all riding their bikes (everyone without training wheels!). I turned 40 this month, and we celebrated by taking a trip to the Cayman Islands. Eric and I were able to spend some time with just us, and we had a great time in the Caribbean. Pictures coming soon. For now, here's Halloween:

2009-08-12T11:23:00.001-05:00

Summer Vacation - Part 1 (See Pictures above this Post)

2009-08-02T11:43:00.004-05:00

2 weeks, 2000 miles, 3 kids, 1 mom driving out by herself, several life events along the way leads to some Crazy but Memorable times. We started out our trip in Louisiana at the girls great-grandmother's house. What a drive down by myself - this trip normally takes 8 1/2 hours, but due to several traffic delays and handling kids by myself, the trip took 11 hours. The girls were very good all things considered, but this is the first time I have attempted this long of a drive with them all by myself. They had a great time seeing everyone from La. and their grandparents from MS, and the 4th of July parade was the highlight of their trip. Florida was the next stop - pictures and stories to follow!

Happy Mother's Day 2009!

2009-05-14T22:36:00.000-05:00

It has been forever since I have written on my Blog! I am going to start with Mother's Day from last weekend, and then work my way backwards since Lauren's Birthday in March. More updates to follow from the last 2 months as I have time to write them. Time gets away from me these days, and three little girls keep me going in lots of different directions! :) We had a nice Mother's Day, and I actually got to sleep until 8:30! It was the best gift, and we had a had a nice day spending time together. The favorite part for the girls was feeding the horses, and my favorite part was watching them. They are growing and changing so fast - where did the babies go? I think if I blink too quick - they will be in highschool before know it. YIKES! Happy Mother's Day to all the great mother's out there!

Lauren's 7th Birthday Party!

2009-03-10T21:44:00.005-05:00

Lauren had her 7th Birthday Party at Eagle Gymnastics. This is our second party there in the last 2 months (the twins had their party there)! She wanted only 1st grade friends there besides her sisters, so that's what we did. She had a great time, and she really enjoys taking Gymnastics. She has been going for almost a year now, and she has really progressed a lot from when she first started!

Happy 7th Birthday to Lauren!

2009-03-04T22:18:00.005-06:00

Lauren turned 7 today - WOW 7! Where did the time go, and now my little girl is turning into a young lady! We had a birthday party for her at home after school, and she loved everything, especially the cake! Lauren is wise for her 7 years, and she teaches us so much every day. She is a beautiful person inside and out! We love you Baby Tad!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

2009-02-14T15:44:00.005-06:00

Eric's 38th Birthday!

2009-02-12T20:21:00.010-06:00

Eric turned 38 today, so he is trying to catch me in age! :) He still makes fun that I will turn 40 first. The girls all wanted to make Daddy a football cake for his Birthday (Ashley's original idea), so we tried. It would have helped if my cake decorating tips had fit the icing tubes I bought, but we made do and it passed the little one's inspection! Our family is finally starting to feel better, but just very tired after the fever broke from the flu. Eric enjoyed a quiet birthday at home.

The flu has taken two down....Haley & Eric

2009-02-10T19:31:00.003-06:00

Eric came down with the Flu too later last Saturday night after the Daddy/Daughter Dance. It really hit him and Haley hard with four days of fever, congestion, coughing, ear infections, and generally feeling miserable. All of us are on Tamiflu and hopefully no one else will get it, because it is Flu Type A, which is the worst type that can lead to other complications. What a rough couple of days with no real sleep to speak of!

Daddy/Daughter Dance & Haley has the Flu (02-07-09)

2009-02-07T17:42:00.012-06:00

Our annual tradition - the Daddy/Daughter Dance, with one glitch. Haley was diagnosed with the flu the morning of the dance. Being the trooper that Haley is, she decided to put her dress on and take pictures with her Daddy and sisters. Ashley and Lauren had a great time dancing with their Dad, and Haley took not getting to go in stride. The girls really are true Daddy's girls!

The training wheels are off for Lauren!

2009-02-01T22:28:00.005-06:00

Today, we took Lauren's training wheels off her bike, and decided to see if she could make a go of it. It was a rough start and she still has some balance issues, but she rode several times on her own until she would realize no one was holding her. As soon as she would realize that she was on her own, she would hit the brake!

Our pediatrician lives behind us, and he put his roller blades on, and rode behind Lauren holding her seat while she was trying to learn. It worked out much better than me trying to run behind her bike, and she thought it was great! In the coming months, I hope she gains the confidence to ride all on her own!

Ice Day (01-28-09) & Hair Styling

2009-02-01T08:53:00.007-06:00

Today, the girls were off school due to the ice on the streets. It started melting by mid morning, but the twins thought it was the greatest thing to see the icicles!

This is Haley styling Ashley's hair after bath one night!

BRRRR - it's COLD outside!

2009-01-27T21:25:00.002-06:00

The high today was in the lower 30's with tonight's temperatures to dip to 21 and below! We are expecting ice to come in overnight with 1/4 to 3/4 inches expected. School will probably have a late start or be cancelled tomorrow. The girls are looking forward to the ice, because they equate ice to snow and snow means a snowman! I wish, but it looks like just ice for now..... I will post more pictures soon.

Our Rainforest Cafe Experience!

2009-01-16T15:11:00.011-06:00

The girls and I went to the Rain Forest Cafe for lunch today, and it was an exciting experience for them. They didn't know what to think of the animals moving and the rain and lightening storms. Lauren liked it, Ashley was a little scared at first, and Haley was amazed by everything! I think the fish were their favorite, and the gorillas were their least favorite. Our table was situated right near the elephants, so that kept their attention. They also liked the scuba diver that was cleaning the fish tanks while we were there! This was the first day of their long weekend off from school. Lauren is off today and Monday, and the twins are off through next Wednesday. All in all, it was a fantastic day!

Ashley & Haley's 5th Birthday Party!

2009-01-10T21:52:00.018-06:00

Ashley & Haley had an all girl (well almost! :) - Justin & Ryan were there, because they said it was ok for their "buddies" to be there. They are little boys of one of our college friends) gymnastics party for their 5th Birthday at Eagle. They had a great time with all their friends, and now Lauren thinks she wants to have a party there too! It's still hard for me to believe they are 5!

Haley & Ashley

Our first experience with American Girl/Happy New Year's 2009!

2009-01-05T22:03:00.008-06:00

We are finally diving in slowly (it is a process!) to the whole American Girl Phenomenon. Lauren got her first doll that looks like her (Just Like You Dolls) after Christmas. Ashley & Haley are starting with the Itty Bitty Twins for their first American Girl Dolls. It is truly an experience to visit the store and take it all in. There are dolls and accessories everywhere you look, and they have a cafe on the 2nd floor where you can have lunch with your Doll. Things sure have changed since I was growing up! Anyway, their faces lit up over receiving their special dolls!

Happy New Year's 2009!

Ashley & Haley's Birthday Pictures (December 30, 2008)

2009-01-05T22:02:00.010-06:00

Ashley & Haley's 5th Birthday!

Happy 5th Birthday to Ashley & Haley!

2008-12-30T18:19:00.006-06:00

Five years ago today, I gave birth to our twins. I was just over 36 weeks and Ashley was 7lbs., 5 oz. and Haley was 6.94 lbs. I was so ready for them to come, as you can imagine by the size of each! They were a good size for a normal baby much less 2! Saying I was miserable is putting it mildly. Our lives were forever changed on that day, and every day thereafter! Lauren was 22 months old when we brought the twins home, so we had three children under 2 and we were thrown in the fast lane! We wouldn't change any of it (well, maybe some of it), and our three girls have taught us so much about love and embracing life! We had a wonderful day today. The girls started out their day with doughnut holes (a treat for the sugar sensitive twins), presents, lunch at the Mall, riding the Carousel twice, riding bikes and scooters for a couple hours, and then finishing off the day with a family birthday party with chocolate cake and strawberry ice cream! They are a having a birthday party with their friends (girls from preschool, and a few close friends) on January 10th at the place where they take Gymnastics, so we will be celebrating for a while! Pictures to follow soon, and as you know I always have too many!

Merry Christmas 2008!

2008-12-25T21:37:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

2008-12-24T19:14:00.008-06:00

The girls wanted to go see Santa one last time before Christmas, so we went to go see him on Christmas Eve before he went back to the North Pole. We planned on just waving at him from a distance, because we knew there would be people in line for pictures. We know the lady taking the pictures, so she motioned at Santa and the next thing we knew he was calling them in to come in for a hug. They loved it, and were so glad to see him. We spent the rest of the day preparing for the big day! The girls can't wait for Christmas!

Lauren loses her 2nd tooth!

2008-12-24T19:12:00.006-06:00

Lauren lost her 2nd baby tooth on December 16th. She was so proud to lose another tooth on the bottom next to the first one she lost! She sure is changing! Lauren's holiday party at school was on December 18th and the twins and I went to her school to join her. The twins had fun reading the books in Lauren's class, while she enjoyed hot chocolate! Unfortunately, we have all been sick for a while just in time for Christmas. Ashley & Haley have been the worst, but their breathing treatments have been helping them.

Merry Main Street - 12/6/08

2008-12-19T22:31:00.001-06:00

The Big Guy (Santa)!

2008-12-19T22:06:00.010-06:00

Click to Enlarge!
We had to go on a quest to find "our" Santa this year. We have taking pictures for the last 6 years at Stonebriar Mall with the same Santa. We went to the mall this year and there was an imposter in his place! The twins immediately wanted to know where the "Real" Santa was. We found him in Allen after searching on the internet, and this is the first year that all three girls ran up and hugged him. Last year was the first year that the twins sat on his lap without crying, but this year they were very glad to see him. It was so worth seeking him out!

Christmas Card Pictures

2008-12-19T21:42:00.007-06:00

Trying to get pictures for the Christmas card has in the past been exhausting, but the girls are getting older and they will humor me for a little while now. I have memories of years past of trying to put (or stuff as the case may be) three kids in a plastic bucket to get them to stay in the same place, etc., and it makes me laugh now. What I used to go through makes me appreciate where we are today, even though we still have our days! The last picture here is the card I put together. Hope everyone out there is having a great holiday season!

Decorating the Tree

2008-12-19T21:11:00.004-06:00

I am a little behind on my posts. December is doing me in as I know most of the other mothers out there feel my pain. When we got back from Thanksgiving, the girls decorated their little tree, and we put the big tree up too. Of course, we have thousands of other decorations to put out as well - it is an all day affair! This is the girls favorite time of the year! Christmas brings out a certain magic in the little one's eyes that just can't be replaced.....

Ashley & Haley

Pictures from Thanksgiving, 2008!

2008-12-09T20:56:00.024-06:00

Visiting at Maw Maw's in La. with PawPaw & Nana on Thanksgiving & visiting

with NaNa & Pap in MS

Thanksgiving, etc.

2008-11-30T22:18:00.004-06:00

We had a good time in MS and La. for Thanksgiving. We left on Tuesday, and ended up coming home a day early (Friday). We all managed to get sick (except for Eric, of course), and we are now trying to recover and start the Christmas rush! There are Christmas card pictures to take, annual letters to write, Christmas Decorations to put up, Memory Books to work on, lots of Shopping, presents to wrap, and the list never ends! I think the holidays overwhelm most of us, but the look in my children's eyes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day makes it all worthwhile! At least, I will keep telling myself that now in the middle of all the stress! :) I will post pictures from our trip soon....

In other news, Lauren has her second loose tooth! Her new tooth is already starting to come in though before the baby tooth has fallen out. She thinks she may lose all her teeth in 1st grade! :)

Our Ten Year Anniversary! (11-7-08)

2008-11-21T21:35:00.004-06:00

Eric and I have been married for 10 years now, and we have been together for 17 years. I can't believe how the time is passing by! Of course, the last 6 1/2 years of kids have been a BLUR. They are babies one minute and you can't wait to get out of that stage, but then they are starting Kindergarten and you feel like you have missed something because the time goes so fast! The twins have another 9 months before Kindergarten, but time is FLYING, and now I want to slow it down! Eric and I met in College, and I don't think either of us imagined the busy, crazy life we have today, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Our girls mean the world to us, and my marriage means everything to me! Here's to the next 10 years!

Lauren's Surgery (11-06-08)

2008-11-21T20:56:00.016-06:00

Lauren had her tonsils and adenoids out on November 6th. She did really great that day, and she was very brave! They asked her if she wanted to walk back to the operating room or be wheeled back on the bed, and she chose to walk back to the OR. She then told them that she wanted to take her tonsils out sitting up, so they put her to sleep sitting up! :)

We had our 2 week follow up visit today, and her throat is 85% healed and she can resume normal physical activity. She had a very rough first week after surgery, and a better second week but she is still not completely herself. Also, her voice is still not completely back to normal, and her throat still bothers her some, but she is sleeping so much better now after the surgery. The ENT Dr. said she had a mild case of sleep apnea and severe sleep disordered breathing. It seems the constant purple circles she had under her eyes are starting to finally clear up! All in all, it was the best thing for her.

Lauren playing computer before surgery

Lauren right before & after Surgery

Hat Day for the Twins at Pre-K (11-5-08) & Grandparent's Visit

2008-11-21T20:39:00.012-06:00

Ashley & Haley Jackson

Haley, Lauren, Ashley, Gran & Papa

Halloween 2008!

2008-11-17T10:23:00.001-06:00

Ashley & Haley's School Picture Day (October 28, 2008)

2008-11-17T10:01:00.002-06:00

It has been a WHILE since I posted with everything we have had going on, but I am going to try and get caught up today! The following are from school pictures day for the twins. Stay tuned - I am posting a Halloween slideshow soon.....

More updates..........

2008-10-26T21:22:00.007-05:00

Eric's parents visited last week with the girls, and the girls had fun baking NaNa's green cookies with her (or should I say Eric's green cookies). They always love when we have company - the more people to pay attention to them! Unfortunately, we also found out last week that Lauren is going to have to have surgery on November 6th. She will be having her tonsils and adenoids removed. I am worried about her being put under, but the surgery will be the best thing for her on so many fronts. Please keep your prayers with us that day as we take our oldest daughter for her first surgery.

Lauren has joined the Girl Scouts and is a member of a neighborhood Daisy Troop. There are several of her friends from school that are in the troop and she really loves it so far. She especially loved doing a community service project at a local church recently, which involved unloading little pumpkins for their pumpkin patch.

Bear gave us quite a scare recently. He stopped eating for several days and he would not come inside no matter how much we begged! I took him to the Vet and they did an X-ray, which showed he was completely blocked. He spent the night at the Vet, they gave him some relief, and he joined the world again! We were extremely worried with how withdrawn he had become and how much he was slowing down. He is getting older (now 9 1/2), but he has some spark back in his eyes, and we have averted another crisis for the time being.

You can never see enough Pumpkin Patches in October!

2008-10-26T21:02:00.008-05:00

We have now added two more pumpkin patches to our list this year. Ashley's Pre-K class had an outing at The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm in Celina, TX where they had a lot of fun feeding the goats and going on a hay ride! This past Saturday, my PAMOM (multiples group) went to a local pumpkin patch in Frisco for some more Fall fun! The girls favorite part was having their face painted at the end. They continue to love picking something from the sea of pumpkins at the patch!

39 today - last year in my 30's....

2008-10-22T21:00:00.009-05:00

Today was my 39th Birthday and I had mixed feelings over the approaching day. It's a

realization of sorts that I am not so young anymore, and that scares me! I am not sure why I don't want to be 40, but it seems like I will be leaving that part of me that still feels connected to my youth. 40 is not old, but there is something about leaving your thirties that seems surreal! For now though, I have one year left in my 30's and I plan on enjoying it!

I will post pictures soon of all of the things we have been doing in the month of October. I am behind on my posts, but there is more to come!

My three girls were in the Paper on Friday!

2008-10-12T09:09:00.004-05:00

The girls were featured in the NeighborsGo section of the Dallas Morning News on Friday, October 10th. See the enclosed link to their picture and story in the online version of the paper.
http://www.neighborsgo.com/index.php?page_id=1000&site_page_id=301&sblog_id=613&post_id=12032

They were so excited, and the twins carried the paper around for the better part of Friday! I will post some pictures soon of yet another pumpkin patch we visited on Thursday for Ashley's class outing. Fall is definately here, although we are still in shorts most days!

Pumpkin Patch (10/05/08)!

2008-10-08T22:11:00.002-05:00

We had our annual Pumpkin Patch Outing on Sunday. This starts our family's favorite time of the year! The girls LOVE pumpkins and all the things associated with the Fall. We will probably be visiting several Pumpkin Patches before the month of October is over! The countdown to Halloween has begun, and the girls are looking forward to dressing up and going trick or treating!

All Smiles!

2008-09-26T19:45:00.006-05:00

Lauren had picture day at school this week, and she said she looked like she should be in college! Where that came from - who knows? The twins were hugging each other and were all about having their picture made, so there you have it - smiles all the way around!

Lauren lost her first tooth this morning!

2008-09-21T21:25:00.006-05:00

Lauren lost her first baby tooth this morning. It has been loose for a couple weeks now, and
we have been wiggling it every day trying to help it along! It was hanging on yesterday by a thread, but she did not want to pull it after we tried to wiggle it harder several times last night. She was sitting beside me this morning and it fell out all on its own! She was so proud for her tooth to fall out, as she is behind most of her friends on the losing teeth front. She wanted to know if she would be able to whistle now, and she spent the better part of the day studying her new image in the mirror! She is really growing up, and we can't believe she has entered yet another stage of many!

Plano Balloon Festival on a Saturday Night!

2008-09-21T20:34:00.014-05:00

We took the girls on Saturday night to the Plano Balloon Festival. The balloon launch was beautiful, and they all watched in amazement. It's always neat to see things through your children's eyes as their little faces light up in anticipation! They loved the character balloons!Of course, after the balloons launched, their interest faded and they were ready to go. It was fun while it lasted, and maybe next year they will be old enough to stay up for the fireworks! (Click on the images below to enlarge them)

Hurricane Ike, etc.

2008-09-16T22:26:00.005-05:00

Looks like our family made it through Hurricane Ike. My Dad lives in Houston and he will be without power for potentially a couple weeks, but they were so blessed that they are all ok, and their house is ok. He says that it is hard to find gas and ice! They have been buying groceries one day at a time, because they can't keep them cold. Hopefully, things will improve there soon!

We had our old college friend, Scott Plunkett, out for a surprise 40th Birthday Party. We had a great time and I think he was surprised! Eric flew to AL to get him, and Scott didn't know what to think when he saw Eric in AL with a ticket for him to fly back to Dallas with him! It was a great weekend.

Scott and the Girls

Ashley & Haley start Pre-K!

2008-09-07T23:17:00.002-05:00

School is back in full swing, and Lauren has her first loose tooth!

2008-09-04T21:33:00.010-05:00

The twins started back to preschool on Tuesday. They will be going every morning from 8:30-11:20. It has been so good for them to get back into a routine, and they love going to school. They are in the Pre-K program this year, so it should really prepare them for Kindergarten next year. It's hard to believe they are getting so big! They had a big growth spurt over the summer, and they are very tall compared to some of the other children their age. I can't say the same for how they behave sometimes - you might think they were three years old some days! :) I will post their first day of school pictures soon.

Lauren came home from school on Tuesday with her first loose tooth. Her bottom baby tooth is loose, and she is so excited for her first tooth to come out. I, however, was not so excited, because I realized how quickly she is growing up and how fast the years are flying by. I really feel like she is a little girl now instead of a baby and that is hard to believe. When she loses her tooth, I will post a picture of her smiling with one less tooth!

Labor Day 2008 (Feeding the Horses)!

2008-09-03T21:46:00.001-05:00

Hurricane Gustav, etc.

2008-09-01T13:36:00.004-05:00

We have been watching the Hurricane all weekend it seems. We have friends in Little Cayman, and friends/family in La., MS and FL, so we have been watching a lot of the weather channel to see who it is affecting. Everyone is doing well so far, so I hope that everyone will be safe and spared any major damage.

I will post pictures soon of the twins meeting their Pre-K teachers this week, and some from Labor Day weekend.

Twins Singing Jimmy Buffett's "Come Monday"

2008-08-27T12:38:00.012-05:00

We have some young Jimmy Buffett fans in our house. I can't imagine that their parents had any influence over this? Lauren is also a fan, but she was in school today when I took this video of Ashley & Haley singing "Come Monday." Oh, the ways I amuse myself, as if there aren't a dozen other things going on! :):) This video is too cute though, so hope you enjoy it!

I am also posting a picture when the twins were babies watching Buffett in their bouncy seats. They have always loved music!

Lauren started 1st grade today!

2008-08-25T14:08:00.001-05:00

More Swim Lessons!

2008-08-25T13:40:00.004-05:00

We had several more swim lessons this past week, and the girls are all doing great and have made such progress this summer! I just hope we can pick up where we left off next summer! They are really enjoying the water and I finally have hope that I may be able to manage all of them at the pool soon!

Best Buddies & Makeup Lessons!

2008-08-25T13:15:00.012-05:00

Leapster Playing Buddies & Haley & Ashley pretending to put makeup on each other!

Our Sweet Girls???!!!

2008-08-17T13:55:00.011-05:00

Appearances can be deceiving, but they can be sweet as evidenced in this picture! I always tell them it is a good thing they are so cute with all the mischief they get into! Pictures are getting easier to take these days as you can see. I remember the days of chasing them around, so they could all end up in the same picture and you had about one second to get it before they ran away! We were busy this week with lots of activites and these pictures were taken before we went to Pump it Up on Friday for a class social with Ashley's preschool class. We are trying to squeeze in every last piece of summer before school routines start in between driving each other crazy after being together so long! :) Lauren meets her first grade teacher this Friday and she will start back to school on Monday, August 25th. The twins start back to prechool after Labor Day. More school news to follow........

More water fun and Bear time!

2008-08-17T13:31:00.012-05:00

We went to the Splash Park AGAIN this week to keep cool. We are finally out of the triple digits this week, so that has been nice. We met one of our friends and her daughters there, and the girls had a good time. After we got home, the girls spent some time talking to Bear (our 9 1/2 year old chocolate lab). It's like they know he is getting older. They are so gentle with him, and they have been spending more time petting and talking to him. I can't say the same for our cats. After a year, the twins are still chasing them around the house and holding them down. We have to put them up for their own safety. I keep hoping they will outgrow this, but the cats aren't smart enough or don't care enough to try and steer clear of them! :):)

Haley, Lauren & Ashley

"The Look"

Last day of Summer Camp & Lauren's last day at Apple Creek

2008-08-11T13:33:00.016-05:00

Haley, Lauren & Ashley with the Apple Creek Staff

The last day of summer camp was last Friday, August 8th for Lauren, Ashley & Haley. This also marked the last day that Lauren can ever go to Apple Creek Private Preschool, because you can only go there through age 6 and she will be 7 when the next summer camp starts. It's hard to believe she will be too old for Apple Creek, because she has been going there since she was 3! She has had many great memories there. She did tell me last week that she thought she was getting too old for Apple Creek, so I think she is ok with all of it. She will start first grade in 2 weeks, and the twins will start the Pre-K program at Apple Creek in 3 weeks. The summer has flown by for all of us, and it will be back to routines again soon. I think Lauren is ready to go back though to see all of her friends and hang around kids her own age again instead of her 4 year old sisters! There is never a dull moment at our house........

More Summer Pictures....

2008-08-11T13:14:00.012-05:00

Lauren

Haley & Ashley

Birthday Party Fun!

107 and counting........

2008-08-03T22:23:00.002-05:00

That's 107 actual temperature, not heat index. Did I say it was miserably hot here, because it is! When it's still 100 degrees at 8pm, that's hot! It does not make it fun for three little girls that love to play outside. It is in the 90's by mid morning, so we have a small window of opportunity every day for any kind of play time outside. It's even too hot to take any pictures - wait did I say that!? Gotta love it - come on Fall!

Triple Digit Heat and more Splash Park fun!

2008-07-31T14:47:00.015-05:00

When it's over 100 every day in the fine state of Texas, water is the only cool place to be. My girls love a local Splash Park/Playground that is not far from our house. We met one of their friends (from their preschool class) and her little brother at the park this morning before the afternoon heat started. They all had a great time, and I think the girls will be visiting there often over the next couple weeks before school starts. We have one more week of Summer Camp to go, and then we will have to find some way to entertain ourselves!

Swim Lessons come to a close for July.....

2008-07-23T22:20:00.008-05:00

"Our Swim Class" (Lauren, Haley, Ashley, Mrs. Pat & her son, Jackson)
Under they go!

The girls have been going to swim lessons every day for the last week and a half (also, every Saturday in May). Major breakthroughs have been made, and they are swimming under water! They may not have the perfect strokes, but they can get themselves across the pool fairly well. What an accomplishment! Our swim instructor is the best (Pat DeLange - http://www.friscoswim.com/), and the girls love her son, Jackson.

Lauren and Haley have been sick this week, but Lauren really suffered the worst with coughing, fever, etc. She had to sit out of swim lessons for two days, but she is doing much better today. She was so happy to be back in the pool! Swim lessons have been a great experience this summer, and we are looking forward to one more week of lessons in August. It looks like I am going to have three fish on my hands!

Sunday afternoon and the ducks.......

2008-07-20T20:41:00.008-05:00

We took off this afternoon to go get ice cream and feed the ducks. What else do you do when it is almost 100 degrees? You know it is extremely hot when you go to the local snowball stand and the line is at least 30 minutes long, so we opted for ice cream instead. The girls loved the ducks and kept saying, "Come here my little duckling!" We have another busy week of summer camp and swim lessons planned if we can all stay well. Haley seems to be starting with something (too early to tell), and it always makes me cringe when she shows signs of anything. We'll see how the week goes.....

Notice the bird in the top of the picture. He kept trying to swoop in and take the duck's crackers!
Feeding the Ducks!
Ashley, Lauren & Haley
Haley
Ashley
Lauren & Daddy
Lauren Haley & Ashley

Summer Camp Begins/Swim Lessons Resume (A Break for Momma!).....

2008-07-14T17:47:00.006-05:00

Summer Camp started today for three little girls that are still out of sorts from all of our travels. They were ready to get back into some sort of routine, so I think this will be good for everyone. We also started back with swim lessons, and they are going every day over the next week and a half, so I hope they will be able to make significant progress. They are so much further along then they were at the beginning of the summer that this may be the summer we finally learn how to swim! A huge plus is that they love their swim instructor, Ms. Pat, and I think she will make the breakthrough with them!

Eric left again for NY, so all the girls are missing Daddy! I can't believe Lauren will be in first grade next month, and the twins have only one year until Kindergarten. Unbelievable - the last several years have been a blur! I hope the next six years don't pass as fast as the last six. The girls are really growing up and they are entertaining to say the least!

First Day of Summer Camp (Ashley, Lauren, & Haley)
Haley, Lauren & Ashley
Haley, Lauren & Ashley
Haley at Swim Lessons
Lauren
Ashley

Splash Park Fun! (June 11, 2008)

2008-07-14T17:08:00.003-05:00

Lauren
Ashley
Haley
Lauren
Lauren & Ashley

Haley & Ashley

Vacation Slideshow 1

2008-07-10T07:33:00.001-05:00

Vacation Slideshow 2

2008-07-10T07:32:00.001-05:00

Vacation Slideshow 3

2008-07-10T07:31:00.001-05:00

Happy July 4th!!!

2008-07-08T13:51:00.008-05:00

We came home after the 4th of July and we were exhausted from all our travels, but it was so great to see everyone! We made many side trips along the way to see all of our family, and the girls enjoyed all the attention! I am going to be posting a slideshow of more of our vacation pictures, so look for that soon. In the meantime, I have posted a few pictures from our trip.

The girls start summer camp three mornings a week next week for the next month, they will resume their swimming lessons next week, and they are still enjoying gymnastics. We will keep you posted on our summer fun!

MawMaw, Ashley, Haley & Lauren

Ashley, Lauren & Haley

More Summer Vacation Pictures

2008-07-08T12:48:00.006-05:00

Haley & Ashley enjoying some Ocean time!

Ashley & Haley

Ashley, Lauren & Haley

Papa, Ashley, Lauren, Haley & Gran

Ashley & Haley

Lauren

Haley, Ashley & Lauren

Lauren, Ashley, Haley & Dawn

Lauren, Ashley, Haley & MawMaw

Haley, Pap, Ashley, Lauren, MawMaw & NaNa

Haley, Ashley, MoMo Audrey & Lauren

Uncle Gerald, Aunt Dorothy, Haley, Lauren & Ashley

Paw, Lauren, Ashley & Haley

Summer Vacation - Or Is It?

2008-06-30T22:15:00.006-05:00

I managed to get three girls through the Dallas Airport and buckled into the plane by myself without too many issues. My Mom & Gary met me in New Orleans to make baggage claim, rental car shuttle, juggling three little ones, etc. a little easier. Then, we were off to Florida for some Beach fun!

Then, the unexpected happened in Mobile, AL. We were traveling 10 East and a truck pulling a large trailer in front of us lost 2 of his tires (no they were not flat). One of the tires went flying across the median to 10 West and hit a truck. As I watched what felt like slow motion, the tire bounced off the truck on the opposite side and came flying back to my side of the interstate at top speed. I had cars all around me, so there was really no where to go. I swerved and the tire hit the passenger side of my rental van and did some pretty significant damage. I kept seeing the tire come through the windshield and thinking what if it hadn't happened the way it did? Our family feels so fortunate and blessed to have been watched out after in this accident. I still keep seeing the what ifs, and we all walked away from the accident without so much as a scratch. My rental car was not drivable at this point, so after 2 hours on the side of the highway without AC, we were off t0 the Mobile airport to get a new rental car. The rest of the day/drive seemed to take forever, but we finally arrived late that night.

If that wasn't enough, on our 2nd day of Vacation, Lauren started running fever, throwing up, and breaking out all over in splotches and a rash. She has been completely down for 3 days, but she is finally feeling better in time to leave. After a car wreck, Lauren being sick, and a lot of rain, it makes you wonder if it was worth it to leave home. We had a good day in the boat today though, so it made it worthwhile. We did have a few fun times in between all the stuff, so we did have some good times. We are off to La. tomorrow to see the girl's great grandmother and their MS grandparents. More adventures await, but I hope things will be calmer! :) I am posting just a few pictures, and I will post a slideshow once I return home!

Lauren enjoying some water time before she got sick.

Dawn & Lauren

Haley & Ashley out on the Pier

Ashley & Haley

Happy Father's Day 2008!!!!

2008-06-16T12:09:00.010-05:00

A daddy and his girls - what more can I say? All of our girls are daddy's girls and they have no trouble melting Daddy's heart and getting whatever they want! :):):)

Eric had a great day with the girls and they decided they had to wear a dress for Daddy's special day! All of the girls are looking forward to our upcoming summer vacation tour to FL, La. and MS! It will be my first time to take them on an airplane by myself - it should make for an interesting trip! Details coming soon........

All the Girls Piling on Daddy!

Haley, Lauren, Ashley & Daddy

Ashley, Haley, Lauren & Daddy

Ashley, Lauren & Haley (June, 2008)

The Zoo!

2008-06-16T11:55:00.004-05:00

We went to the Ft. Worth Zoo the first Saturday in June and had a good day! The girls loved seeing all the animals and they even brought their toy binoculars with them for spotting the important stuff! We went with Allison, Kevin & their girls (Meagan and Rachael), and they all had a great time! Here are some pictures of the day:

Lauren checking out the Animals!

Lauren & Daddy

Haley

Meagan, Rachael, Haley, Lauren & Ashley

Lauren

Ashley

Ashley & Daddy

Ashley, Lauren & Haley @ the Ft. Worth Zoo

Rachael, Lauren, Haley, Ashley & Meagan

Did you hear it on the Coconut Telegraph? (Haley)

Another Milestone.....Lauren's Last Day of Kindergarten!!!

2008-06-05T16:22:00.006-05:00

Lauren had her Awards Ceremony and End of Year Party for her last day of school. She has come so far since the start of Kindergarten and we are so proud of our little girl! It is hard to believe all of her changes over the last year. She is truly a blessing to us, as all our girls are! On to first grade for our Star!!!!!

Lauren's last day of Kindergarten!

Lauren's Kindergarten Class

Lauren & her Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Funk

Daddy, Lauren & Momma

Lauren enjoying a Frosty after her last day at school!

Ashley & Haley's last day of Preschool!

2008-06-02T20:27:00.010-05:00

Ashley & Haley's last day of their 3's Preschool Class was today. They had a great day and are excited for a summer adventure! Lauren's last day is on Thursday, and she is having a fun last week of Kindergarten. This is a big week for the girls, so more to come.........

Also, enclosed are pictures of Ashley & Haley going to Gymnastics, and Lauren going to College Day at School.

Haley & Ashley on their last day of Preschool

Haley & Ashley

Haley going to Gymnastics

Ashley going to Gymnastics

Lauren on College Day at School - go Eagles!

Happy Memorial Day!

2008-05-26T14:03:00.010-05:00

We headed out for to feed the horses today, and for a family picnic at the Playground. The girls all had a great time and considering it was ONLY 90 degrees, we didn't melt too bad! We are now at home cooling off in the AC, so I thought I would post some pictures of our fun day!

While we were feeding the horses today, Ashley & Haley decided they would eat the carrots too! Lauren is counting down the 8 days she has left of school, and they have all been enjoying their swim lessons. They are looking forward to time off!

Ashley, Lauren & Haley going to feed the Horses!

Ashley, Lauren & Haley
Haley & Lauren
Ashley, Lauren & Haley eating the Horse's carrots!

Lauren

Ashley

Haley

Our Web Page is up and running again!!!!

2008-05-17T13:23:00.003-05:00

Finally, after 3 years or so, I am getting a web page back up for our family. I will try and keep it updated once a week, so you can check here for all of our latest family news, pictures, and such!

We are all doing great. Lauren is 6 and she is very close to finishing her Kindergarten year. She is enjoying gymnastics, reading, and she is looking forward to her summer vacation. Ashley and Haley are 4 and they are enjoying preschool, gymnastics and they are looking forward to the summer as well. Eric and I are doing good also. Eric has been working hard, but he has been traveling less this year, which is good for me! We recently went to a Jimmy Buffett concert with some friends, so it was nice to get out for the day and see Buffett! We have a lot of activities planned for the summer, so I will update you soon!