It wouldn't be a break if we didn't do something to the house. So on Sunday we decided to tackle the front living room. The paint was bad in so many places. The previous owners tried to fix holes but didn't primer it so it showed through the paint. The colors also didn't quite match our decor anymore. Now it a officially a playroom/dining room!

Go Cowboys!!!!

Jeremy won tickets to the Cowboys vs. Niners game this past weekend and WOW! did we have a blast. It was a very fast weekend but it couldn't have been better. We stayed 2 miles from the Texas Stadium and then had parking right in front of the gate. Everything was perfect expecially since The Boys won!!! I don't think Jeremy knew how much I can get into football. To survive growing up in my house with my Dad I had to learn everything about football, especially The Cowboys!!!

I had to get a picture of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders!!!

Now those were the Boys that I grew up watching.

Good old Troy, Emmit, and Michael. Too bad the Moose isn't up there.

Can't you smell the sweat?

Oh, and what game would be complete without Drunk Man sitting

in front of you? And yes, he is completely passed out in his seat!

I'm Tagged!

Let me start with saying,"Sorry, it took me so long Amy".

Self-Portrait

Favorite Destination

I can't wait to take the kids!

The Laundry Room
Newly remodeled

My Bathroom

Another view



Favorite Room

My Closet

Favorite Shoes

Black flip-flops go with everything!




Kitchen Sink

The Fridge

Fridge #2

Doesn't everyone have one just for drinks?




What the kids were doing while I did this


Gage played with his weekend friend Lucy

I occupied Molly with food (of course)

So now it's time for me to tag others. So Kristin, Marcy, Amanda, and Ashley here you go!

Back to Work...Ugh

The summer is officially over. I went back to work last Tuesday and while it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, I still would rather be at home. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with Gage and Molly. It is amazing how much they can change in just two months. Molly has gone from baby to full blown toddler and Gage has gone from sweet, little, innocent Gage to karate choppin", monster shooting, sword fighting Super Gage.

Now to explain the pictures below. Since I was home all summer Jeremy never really got any alone time with he and the kids. So on Wednesday he kept them instead of them going to Nana and Papa's house. Now when the kids are with we we play with a toy and them put it back where it belongs before we get out another toy. Things are kept nice and tidy when I'm at home so you can imagine my thoughts when Jeremy sent me an email with the picture below.

Fort Davidson

Of course my intial thought is "I swear that had better be cleaned up before I get home!"

Which it was (kinda). As you can see there was much thought put into this fort. It even has a door. The kids loved it and now I'm sure they'll want Daddy to stay home with them next summer. He's the cool one.

Flying by the Seat of Our Pants

We left for the valley Wednesday morning. By the time we got to Austin to drop Hailey off Hurricane Dolly had hit and Uncle Jim had no power. This meant all plans were off and we quickly had to revamp our vacation. As we were driving into Austin Nana called the hotel we were planning on staying at on the way home to see if we could change our reservation. Unfortunately, they could not. Which this was the story for about every hotel in San Antonio unless we wanted to pay $250 + per night. It seemed that everyone fleeing Hurricane Dolly fled to San Antonio.

I called Stephanie who lives in Uvalde and asked if she had any ideas. She suggested the town Castroville which is the first town West of San Antonio on 90. She gave me the name of a hotel and so I called. Well wouldn't you know it but they had a wedding and the whole place was booked. So the nice lady on the phone gave me the # of a few B&Bs. Jeremy and Papa were a little skeptical of a B&B. They didn't like the idea of staying in someones home that we don't know and sharing their bathroom. I called the number anyway. When the sweet old man on the line told me that a room would be $75 a night Nana and I were sold. We could never have found a hotel that cheap. This of course added to Jeremy and Papa's skepticism. They thought that any place for $150 was going to be a dump.

When we got to Hailey's house we went online to check this place out. I have to admit the pictures made me a little scared. All of the pictures were really small and didn't show much. I checked my email so I could pay through paypal. When we looked at the price we were all confused. For two rooms a total of 4 nights it was only $320. So in fact the total was $75 for two rooms. Now I think we were all skeptical and worried about what we were getting ourselves into. We searched some more for hotels and finally decided that if we got there and didn't like it we could try to figure things out.

When we pulled up our spirits began to lift. This was the cutest town I've ever stayed in. A man from next door came out and took us to OUR OWN HOME next door. Yes, that's right we got an entire house to ourselves for 4 nights. The fridge was fully stocked with milk, bread, and all sorts of snacks and goodies. The beds were AMAZING and the house was totally kid proofed. Gage and Molly just ran circles and had a blast. They loved the goats in the neighbors backyard. Another huge bonus was that it was only 20 minutes to Sea World and downtown. So if your ever looking for a place in San Antonio opt for Castroville and stay at the Three Cedars Ranch instead. It's great! http://www.threecedarsranch.com/

So with this vacation, that we never thought was going to pan out, we made lots of wonderful memories. We went to the San Antonio Children's Museum and the River Walk on Friday. Then on Saturday and Sunday we went to Sea World which I highly recommend. There is just too much to do it all in one day. I was so proud of Gage riding the big boy rides however, if asked to ride them again he would reply with a very polite. "No thank you!"

Gage and Molly were both great on this vacation. I am already beginning to plan next year's. Amy, I hope your all settled in PA by next summer cause Sesame Place is high on our list!!

Jeremy and I had shirts made too!
The front living room
Kitchen

sun room
sun room


Bedroom one
Bedroom two

family pic at the Children's Museum

I had to take a picture of Molly's curls. The humidity made them really tight.

Summer Projects

Summer is always filled with projects. This summer's projects have included remodeling the laundry room, painting the kid's hallway, hanging all new doors in the house, finishing the tree house, and learning how to sew. It occurred to me recently that I have NO IDEA how to sew. Growing up my Mother could always make me whatever I needed whether it be a dress or costume for some play. I would like to be able to do the same for my kids so I called upon my Mother to teach me. I am quite proud of the finished product. I still have a lot to learn but at least I am learning.

Jeremy finished the tree house by decking it out with a steering wheel, periscope, and binoculars. We tested the strength of it the other night while the Lufts were over for supper. That sucker held: Jeremy, Garrett, Me, Kristin, Annie, Gage, and Molly. My husband amazes me with the things he can do.

Here's the kid's hallway. I love displaying their pictures!

And finally the laundry room. I love that it's nice and clean now.

5 Years Already??

I totally can't believe that we have been married for 5 years. To celebrate we treated ourselves to a Santa Fe Get-Away. It was nice to be alone but we very quickly began to miss our little terds. It's kinda sad when the excitement of your trip is finding a toy store or stopping at every stinking McDonald's to try and get Gage a different Kung Fu Panda toy. We enjoyed some great food and good art but we were very ready to come home

We hiked up to Nambe Falls. We were disappointed that we couldn't get any closer than this.
The beautiful Loretto Chapel

The miraculous staircase inside the Loretto Chapel.
A picture of the staircase before railings were added.
To learn the story behind the staircase go to http://www.lorettochapel.com/history.html