Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

Went to the jingle bell run this evening. Someone slashed our tire minutes before we got to the car. Heard the hiss and aired the tire up around the corner. Still couldnt make it home. Stuck on the side of the road. :/

Two-fer

Tonight was one of those divide and conquer nights... Lance had a band concert at the same time Hadley had soccer meet the players night... Ay yi yi.

David was asked to cook burgers for the soccer dinner, so he did that duty. I went to the band concert. As soon as Lance's group was finished playing, we dashed over to AHS to try and catch some of Hadley's event. As it turned out, there was a problem with the cooker and all of us-including David missed the player introductions. :( Hadley said when it came time to introduce her family, she just said we didn't want to come. Just kidding! Thankfully they did not introduce the absent parents!

In spite of the bumps we had a nice evening cheering on our kids---at least in spirit!

**Oh. And Lance wore a full set of clothes under his outfit for the concert---jeans and a tshirt! As soon as we got in the car, he ripped off the nice things and was ready to go to Meet the Players... Crazy kid.

My poor, neglected blog... This has been one of those crazy weeks. I've worked the book buy at WT and have had some VERY long days. SO thankful I don't have to do that every week. SO THANKFUL!

I'll try to post some updates soon. For now, I'm looking forward to a great weekend!

Christmas Choir Concert

Tonight was Hadley's Christmas Choir Concert. They sounded terrific--singing DingDong Merrily on High, Away in a Manger and Sleigh Ride. The other choirs performed, too. I snapped this picture during the reception afterward. Pictured left to right: Alyssa, Dia, Hadley, Alli, Jenny Claire and David. Lucky guy. (no actually, I think the girls are the lucky ones. I just love that kid!)

I have a couple Thanksgiving shots to share---I'll try to post those soon. Have a great Monday!

Soccer Ad

Been playing with this little ad for the soccer media guide. I'm very uninspired by it--but this may be as good as it gets! (It's due tomorrow!) They haven't formed teams yet, nor issued uniforms of course. So, we don't know jersey number or JV or Varsity. Thus, this generic ad!

Anyway, I hadn't posted in a while, so here ya go! Have a great week!

Too funny not to share....

Gangstas in da House

Hadley had a few girls over for Halloween. They met at our house for dinner and getting ready, then set out to terrorize the neighborhood trick-or-treat. Afterward, they came back to watch movies, listen to music and spend the night. This is a really great bunch of girls--and they had a great time!

Uh oh.

The lack of posts is indicative of the state of my brain--scattered and busy! I've also fallen behind on my project 365. I took my camera with me the other day to catch some generic shots of things I do every day to fill in the gaps.

While I was driving down the street and about to hit the school zone I thought, "I'll just catch a shot of this--I see it EVERY DAY." Well I grabbed the camera and snapped while driving. Lo and behold---I almost got caught!! I didn't even realize that was a cop until after I took the picture... Thankfully he didn't seem to notice! Ha!

So that's where she gets her red hair...

Preview!

It's finally coming together! It doesn't look like it would take that much time or effort, but oh my! Looks can be deceiving.

Our theater room is up and running--not finished, but running. We still have some cosmetic things to do, like hiding wires, touching up paint, covering the bare wood platform with ?? carpet or something, doors for the cabinet, wall decos--if any, etc.

The kids are beyond thrilled and David is happy we met his latest deadline so he can watch the UT/OU game tomorrow in style.

Just had to share the excitement. Hope you're having a great Friday!

What goes around, comes around

All those times we've been tp'ing, forking, chalking... Sometimes we get it back. I think that's a good lesson to learn in life... :)

TT Family Weekend

Saturday, we went down to Lubbock for family weekend. We tailgated with some Lubbock acquaintances, then headed to the football game. We got rained on, and it was a bit chilly. But it sure felt like a fall football game! Tech ended up winning against UNM, but it wasn't pretty.

Afterward, we went back to Tyler's dorm so Hadley and Lance could see it. (Their reaction=It's so SMALL!!) Hadley had been to OSU's family weekend just prior to this trip. After seeing that campus and her friend's dorm, she was pretty unimpressed with the Tech campus and Ty's dorm... I think we're in trouble. She's seen the other side and may not come back! Ha!

Doing a little bike shopping

Lance has pretty much outgrown his bike--if not completely in size, very much so in his mind! So, we've been trying to find just the right one that will carry him in style around the 'hood. Last Sunday afternoon, we took him to Academy to see what was out there.

He found one he really liked the looks of---but it was just a bit big. He gave it a quick spin around the store and as he was stopping, he fell forward on the bar and hurt himself. Being the loving mom I am, I quickly snapped the photo with my phone, then checked to see if he was ok. LOL

Anyway, we haven't found THE bike yet---but are having fun while we look.

So I guess it might be time to find Tyler an adult doctor. He just texted from our pedi's office. He's getting a flu shot and has been asked where his kid was. TWICE. Ha!

Painting

This is what I've been up to the last few days... We are converting our gameroom/basement into a theater room! I know, I know. It is BROWN. REALLY BROWN. But, when we did a little research, we found that a dark, neutral color was best. Anything fun like RED would cause color casts on the screen. The white trim will reflect the light, distracting from the show. The ideal color is black for everything, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that. So, we chose this brown and will paint the trim black and will accent with black.

The kids are very excited---they can't wait to have a premiere night with friends. We'd like to have it finished in the next couple of weeks. Hadley's hoping it will be done by her birthday. Guess time will tell! Our friend Kevin, aka the trim guy, will be here tomorrow or the next day to put up the new crown molding that will hide all the wires. I need to be finished painting when he comes to make things easier on us. Wish me luck!

Homecoming Parade

The annual homecoming parade was last Thursday. It's always a good time for us all. Last year, Tyler got to ride the Varsity football float for the first and only time. I guess the size of the football teams keeps everyone from participating.

However, Hadley got to be in it this year as a freshman for the soccer team. I was so excited for her when she was talking about preparing the float and making t-shirts---all the fun stuff! Then, I found out that the freshmen didn't get to ride the float. They got to walk behind it. No doubt about it---she's back on the bottom of the food chain! She had a great time, though, and the weather made it a perfect fall evening. The parade ended with a huge pep rally in the school parking lot. What a great night!

Dove Hunting

Lance and David got to go dove hunting twice over Labor Day weekend. They went with our friends from church. It was a very manly thing to do---shooting the innocent symbol of peace, and all. Ha!

They had a great time and brought home about 7 dove breasts for us to eat. We now have a designated wild game shelf in the freezer. A few years ago, I would have said you were crazy if you'd told me that. Yet here we are...

Lucky 13

Par-tay! For Lance's birthday party, we invited a few friends to tailgate at the big rivalry game vs. the Rebs. We had face paint and colored hair spray to do it up right. I learned from last year's experience that it might be a good idea to do that part at the game, instead of home. Worked like a charm!

Tyler came home for the celebration---totally making Lance's night.

Hadley's friend, David, went early with our David to help cook and get things set up. What a guy! David borrowed an awesome cooker---inspiration for the one he wants of his own. They cooked bratwurst, hamburgers and hot dogs.

It's been a long time since I've seen a crowd like that for one of our regular season games. It was completely packed--standing room only. 'Course the kids don't mind---the more the merrier. It was the adults that were a bit claustrophobic...

When the disappointing game was over--we lost!--we headed back to our house for cake and a sleepover. Lance had a terrific time. Check off another successful birthday party! :)

The birthday boy

The Chamber of Commerce cook-off usually falls right around Lance's birthday. This year, media day for the cook-off was 09/09/09---his lucky day. He really wanted to miss a little school to go out there early and we finally decided it was ok. (He even bargained that he would never act like a butthead (his word) if we let him out early! I'm holding him to that--these teenage years seem to bring that out in 'em!)

He got to help his dad cook and enjoyed running around checking out the other booths. He loved it, of course. His favorite booth had grilled corn on the cob that was dipped in butter. I'm pretty sure he visited them several times. Hadley and I went out after school to browse the booths and eat some good food. It was a really great day!

This one's for the girls...

Like I mentioned in the previous post, this is homecoming week. Hadley and several of her closest friends do not have dates. To celebrate this fact, they decided to decorate t-shirts and wear them in lieu of a homecoming mum. As luck would have it, they decided to do the decorating at our house. ;)

Lance's friend was here at the same time, and they lingered through dinnertime that day, so we fed them all pizza. Love an impromptu party! :)

Tuesday

I'm sorry for the lack of posts for September... It's been a very busy month! I'll share this picture for now---and promise more to come. Think I'll make this a Ten on Tuesday post.

1.We had a mini flood under our kitchen sink this morning. Found it at 6:00 a.m. when I went into the kitchen to get stuff for Lance's treatment. Not a nice way to start the day. After lots of blood, sweat and tears, we have a new faucet---and hopefully NO LEAKS! Now to dry everything out.

2. I am now a parent of THREE teenagers. THREE. TEENAGERS.

3. This is homecoming week--Hadley does not have a "date" so I don't have to make a garter!! :)

4. Lance had a bone density scan yesterday. We're hoping for enough improvement to get him out of the osteoporosis category. More when I know it.

5. Hadley had an ortho appt. yesterday and got that awful appliance OFF her mouth! On a sadder note, she asked when she might get her braces off and they said next May. :(

6. Mom has to have yet another endoscopy tomorrow... Sorry, Mom! I know it's not fun!

7. My sister has a BIG birthday coming up this week. A BIG one. :)

8. My brother's friend, Zac, got awesome news today and is now cancer free! Praise God!

9. After attending two school open houses in the last week, David and I are equally glad that we don't have to sit through classes like that any more. Bueller?

10. Tyler has a school assignment he's actually excited about. And he shared it with me via text!

Wow. That was easy to get ten things---I really am behind here! Have a great week everyone!

Amusement Park Fun

Saturday night was a lot of fun! David's work had a family night at the amusement park, along with a picnic meal they provided. The four of us had a great time! We played miniature golf, ate hamburgers and hot dogs and rode as many rides as we wanted. The weather was perfect, too. Love spending time with the fam... Especially when they behave! :)

Friday Night Lights are back...

It's that time of year again. We attended our first football game of the season last night. We ate our semi-traditional meal at Rosa's with friends, then headed to the game. This was not a home game because we played at Kimbrough in Canyon, but it was close enough. Our team played against Randall in what they're calling "the battle for Bell Street". It wasn't much of a battle last night---US=56, THEM=0. It was a total blowout, but since it was the first game, it was still fun. For us, anyway!

David was a little melancholy. He really misses having a kiddo playing. I was actually relieved! No worrying about injuries, playtime, etc. I was a little sad not to get to wear my parent shirt, though. :(

Times. They are a changin'!

a

Converse is back in style with the kiddos. Hadley chose black for the first pair---and bought hot pink shoe laces to put in occasionally. Cool!

Stink Eye

I thought I'd share one of many shots of Ty giving me the ol' stink eye. Ha!

We've just barely heard from the boy. Guess he's not missing us as much as I thought he would. Classes start tomorrow. He still doesn't have his books. Ay yi yi. What's he been doing the past three days?!

Back to school

We packed up and took Tyler to Tech yesterday. His new car was amazing! We packed everything in it---except the dolly, which we carried in our car. He still had room to spare and it all loaded very nicely in his Element. It's just made for hauling stuff--perfect for this occasion! We need to get a bike rack to accommodate his bike, but it's not urgent. I think he made a terrific choice in cars.


Here he is following behind us.



Tyler and his roomie---Andrew.



Andrew's decorations for the window. Who needs curtains!


The view from their window. It's a little hard to tell much, but that is the new water park. It has a couple of slides, a lazy river, etc.


The room is SO small. The furniture is built in--all along the walls. Tyler's bed is connected to his desk as you can see here. The other side of the desk is the back wall. You can see he's already got the important stuff up and running--stereo, ipod and computer!


A friend from Amarillo is sitting on Ty's bed and his roommate is standing in front of the refrigerator/entertainment center. Note the cardboard "shim" on top of the microwave to hold the TV. Genius.


This is the front wall. Not much space!


Tyler's closet. The small chest you can see is attached to the bed on this end.






I snapped this as we drove away. Tyler is in the doorway walking in. He was pretty droopy by this point. I think he was *almost* sad to see us go. His first day of class is Thursday. Til then, he's checking out the campus, buying books and getting acclimated and ready to study. We hope!



Hadley and Lance had their first day of school today. It has been a really busy couple of days... Hadley started high school! and Lance started 7th grade.

As you can see from his smile, Lance was a little nervous. When I picked him up this afternoon though, he was in a great mood and had a great day. He knows a lot of people in his classes and thinks it will all work out well.

Hadley's schedule changed a bit from registration, but she was thrilled. Now she has her three BFF's in four classes. Two of those classes have all four girls in them! I'm not quite sure how she got so lucky, but she loves it. Alli is in the wrong geometry class, so we're hoping that adjustment won't mess things up. Guess we'll find out tomorrow. Anyway, we survived the marathon that was the last two weeks and are ready to go. Hope you have a great week!