helllooo, helllooo, helllooo.....

it's been awhile and i promise to post, but first things first-i'm going private. send me a note if you want an invite.

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Only Houston

He's a singer, dancer, lover of music and says some pretty funny things. He's irresistible and makes our family laugh all the time.


Yesterday he says to me, "Mom your da Best of Both Worlds". Wow, i really must be somethin'. Absolutely LOVE this kid!

The Pacific Half Marathon

WARNING: this post is for my kids. So one day they can look back and know their Mom didn't just sit around eating bon-bons all day. (not that i think any of you do, but if you do, save me one)

This running thing - i have come to crave it (notice i said crave and not love) i wanted to see, or a better yet i wanted to feel what all the hoopla with running is about.
My friends who run tell amazing stories of their beautiful morning run, how much fun it is to run in the rain and how much it sucks to run in the wind. They have met people on their runs, fallen, been chased by dogs and most importantly grown mentally and/or spiritually in some way or another through each run. I wanted that. I wanted that but couldnt even imagine running and thinking of anything other then, " i hope i'm almost finished" or ''I HATE THIS" over and over again in my mind. I'm sooo NOT a runner and It's been a really long time since i set a goal like this for myself so my goal (if you can even call it that) for the Pacific Half was to just do it, get through it, finish it. My expectations for myself needed to be set low okay, did i mention i'm not a runner? :) I didn't want to set myself up to fail . I am thrilled to say i did it!! I finished it! It really is a great feeling. I get to check this goal off my list. I am even happier to say i enjoyed it. I enjoyed ALL of my long runs with friends, my short runs, my time alone, my time to think, notice, and enjoy the beauty that is all around me. I loved the excitement, and adrenaline of the serious runners the ones with a "real" goal in mind :) they are an inspiration. I love the friends i have made through running, the friendships i have strengthened. I learned more about myself, i found out i love running in the rain, i love running with friends the most, i love the surge of energy that fills the air on race day, and i learned that boys still honk at girls running on the side of the road no matter what your age .......
All in all it was a great day, one i will never forget. Who knows, maybe i'll try another one someday

Okay, maybe we do look alike.

Kinergarten pictures-gotta love em' right? Shaylee and me (chapped lips and all). I love it, i love that there is proof she is mine and i can finally see it....i didn't go through 9 months of "pure joy" for nothing. :)
I know her birthday is not for a few months (may), but i can't believe she will soon be 8. My only girl is stuck in between 2 very active, athletic CraZy boy's. So in return she is able to claim her stake in this house (or anywhere else for that matter) because of it. Her Dad likes to call her "Spidermonkey", or his more endearing nickname for her is "Pepper-sprout". Some of her likes/loves are: guitar lessons with her dad
playing the guitar with her Papa Vince
mani's, pedi's, and shopping with her Mama
Hannah Montana
Jonas Brothers
singin and dancin in the mirror
playing school (esp. when she's the teacher)
holding her baby cousin Ruby Belle
a pick up game of football with her brothers
soccer games
riding her quad
jumping on the tramp
junk food 24-7
camping
fashion design
horses. feeding,riding petting anything to do with them
dude ranch trips every other year
wakeboarding
animals

Want's to be: a vet. when she grows up

Has a crush on: Joe Jonas

BFF's: Hannah and Brooke

Favorite Color: Purple
Favorite Food: does candy count??

black-ish, brown-ish

This is Cade's portrait of Martin Luther King.....not bad, cute. When i asked each of my kids about Dr. King here's what they said:



Cade: "Well, he's black......and he was a good leader, and then someone shot him". Pretty good for a kindergartner , right?

Shaylee: "He gave such amazing speeches, people just loooved to listen to him." Interesting that that's what she remembers about MLK..

Now for Hunter. I remember having a little bit of an identity crisis at his age. By crisis, i mean i never quite knew where i fit in, I knew i wasn't just white. I think the same goes for Hunt. Hunter, i like to say, is "White on the outside and brown on the inside" . His uncle likes to chant, "WT" (White Tongan) with the boy's.( Hey, we gotta take what ever "browness" we can get right?) I discovered Hunter was a little confused in first grade when his self portrait was of a very (adorable)dark brown boy. But i thought he had it kind of figured out by now that he's pretty white. Well, after asking him about MLK i now know he is still confused. Here's how it went: "So Hunter did your class talk about Martin Luther King today?" Hunter replies with, "Mom, wait...how black am i?" "What?" I said, "You aren't black....brown maybe, but not black" After a lengthy discussion on how black he is-or isn't for that matter. I thought we were on the same page, until a few minutes later he say's "so is it okay to say i'm black-ISH?" I love the innocence...maybe i'll just let him believe he's "black-ish" and who know's maybe the "black-ISH" part of him will help us get college scholorships someday......

Joshua Tree, Hawaii and Big Bear 08'

The past month has come and gone in a flash. Nothing but fun for us- spending Turkey day 5 star in the 5th wheel at Joshua Tree, on to Hawaii, then home a week before Christmas, and then 5 days in Big Bear for New Years. We have had a blast, but i think i'm ready to be home for a little bit. All of this fun can make a girl tired and needing to get back into some sort of routine, especially an exercise routine! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving


Here we are getting ready to go out for a ride.....


The "Oasis"

My girl :)


Hawaii....a little R&R. We did alot of this...eating!

Beautiful Kona sunset

The Kona Christmas Parade...we were trying to get a picture with the Santa in the backround.

We can never get very far without him having to kill something.

Shane's hunt at Parker Ranch

Getting ready for Christmas....

Christmas jammies
It's always a good time together!!


Big Bear:
Papa and Houston having fun in the Snow.

Megan and Matt during our New Year's Eve bubble gum blowing contest.



Here's Amber modeling the most popular purchase of the week...fashionable snow boots from the local K-mart.

Snow Bunnies :)
Shay and Emmajane- glad they landed safely on this one, that is until the boys came flying down the hill-plowing right into Emma

B.F.F's :) Snow Ball fights seemed to be the hightlight even for the "adults"
more from the bubble gum contest. All the marks on the kids faces are from snowballs, mostly from the adults, but some of the adults had these same battle wounds! Good times!


And these two boy's could hardly take a break from eachother.

One fun Mema with Hunter and Miles.



Mema and some of the grandkids.


Thanks Vince and Wendy for a great week, full of laughs and wonderful memories!

HE DID IT!

He made it to the spelling bee, great job Hunter!