Friday, May 31, 2013

Happy Mother's Day!

05.12.13

Wanna hear about last night?  Good because I'm going to tell you about it anyway. We went to bed late again and this time I put pillows against the blinds along the sides and stuffed the blanket the front desk guy gave me above the ac to block that light.  The kids slept in one bed and mommy and daddy slept in another.  I went to bed around midnight which is pretty typical for me.  All was great until I heard somebody screaming, "Let me in!  Let me in! Open this door!"  At first, I thought this was a joke but it went on for so long that I knew something was wrong.  I was cringing hoping all of this noise didn't wake up the kids.  Luckily, it didn't and luckily the front desk person stopped all of the commotion.  I went back to sleep until Beck woke up with wet pants and I did not pack an extra set of pj's.  After I get him cleaned up, I put him in bed with Daddy and he cries, "I want to sleep with Kinsey!"  Aw, how sweet!  But, that only lasted for a minute.  He crawled in bed with Daddy and I crawled in bed with Kinsey.  Our room wasn't as bright as it was last night but the kids still woke up a little earlier than I wanted them to because I was completley exhausted.  Two nights of bad sleep equals a very drained mommy.

After getting breakfast from downstairs, a young boy in the elevator with us mentions the noise last night.  Turns out, a couple showed up at the room right next to ours which was his room thinking that was their room and this couple demanded to get in!  Can you imagine what would have happened if they showed up at our door?  I'm pretty sure we will never stay at this hotel again.

We had to get going because we need to get tile in Arlington before Taylor's blessing at Jeff and Jill's church.  Beck and Kinsey love riding on the cart in the tile store!
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Do you like the tile we picked and the Versillas pattern?  I hope so because that's what we are getting.

We sat down for a few minutes waiting for the guys to load the tile onto Brent's trailer but it was taking too long and we knew we had to leave before they could get it all done.  Do you know what that means?  We get to come back to Arlington today to load up five pallets of tile!  Wow!  Happy Mother's Day to me!
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By the time we selected tile for the kids bathroom and the master bathroom, it was time to head back to Plano to get ready.  We almost considered going to church with the casual clothes that we had on but we had to check out of our hotel.  It was a mad rush getting dressed, packing up all of our stuff and driving to church.  And, we didn't make it.  Missed it by two minutes.  Bummer! 

We took more pictures after church...
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Happy Mother's Day Kiki!
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I love that all of the kids surrounded Aunt Gigi when she got a gift from Noah.

Beck's class went to a place called Create Art a few weeks ago and he painted a rainbow on a ceramic tile along with his handprint.  I can't wait to display it in our new home!  It came with a very special poem...
My dirty little handprint
I've left on every wall
And on the drawers and tabletops
I've really marked them all
But here is one that won't rub off
I'm giving it to you
Because I am so thankful
For a Mother just like you!
Love,
Beck

The day his class did this was the same day we played at the Spring Hill park.  Beck told me he made me something but he said it was a surprise and he actually kept it a secret.  He gave me this gift on Friday and just seeing the excitement on his face was really special.  He told me that he even picked out the gift bag too.  The sweet poem brought tears to my eyes and knowing that he selected the gift bag just for me warmed my heart.  I love my little angels more than you can imagine and I'm honored to be their mother.    This is a Mother's Day weekend that we will never forget.
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After we ate lunch, Brent drove to Arlington to get our tile and I drove by our old Plano house then to Gilmer.  That was the hardest drive I've ever made in my entire life!  I don't know what was in the tile store but my allergies went nuts!  I sneezed the entire time we were there and my eyes hurt so bad that I just wanted to keep them closed.  Brent advised me to take some allergy medicine and I knew it would make me sleepy but I was so desparate for some relief.  I felt so much better when it kicked in but it was difficult keeping my eyes open while driving home this afternoon.  I called my mom and talked to her for a while and I'm pretty sure I called Wendy but nobody answered.  I cannot do that again especially after not getting a good night's rest two nights in a row.  I'm so thankful that I made it home safely.

Brent was able to get three pallets of tile because that's all the trailer and his truck could handle so he'll have to go back again another day to get the other two pallets.  His drive was stressful all the way to Bullard because the trailer swerved badly.  And, the pallet lift that he thought was at the office was not there so he had to unload all of this tile BY HAND!!! He was completely exhausted by the time he got home.  Bless his heart!  I bet we all sleep really good tonight!  It was truly a wonderful weekend and look forward to the next family get-together. 

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Families Are Forever!

05.11.13

The hotel we are at this weekend has great rates ($65/night) but many guests complain about the blinds that rolls down over the windows letting in light.  A hotel room should be super dark but not this one.  The kids went to bed so late that they should have slept in later than normal but because our room was lit up from the sunlight shining in from the large crack above the ac unit and the sides of the windows.  I woke up many times throughout the night to make sure Beck wasn't too close to the edge of the bed.  I'm such a worry wart.  With that being said, I didn't get a good night's rest and I know the kids will end up crashing at some point today due to not getting enough sleep.  When I went down stairs to get breakfast, I told the front desk guy about the blind not going all of the way down above the ac and he gave me a blanket to block the light.
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We've got some really funny kids!

I wish I had taken a picture of what our room looked like before we left because the kids went crazy as I was getting ready!  The mattress was pushed to the side to make a ramp and Beck left all of his toys all over the room.  I apologized to the housekeeping lady as we left.  I was in too big of a rush to clean up.

We met Daddy at Brian and Katherine's, loaded up the kids in the minivan and headed to the temple.
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We have arrived and it is a beautiful day to be sealed.

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Taylor's dress is absolutely beautiful!
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Noah loves his baby sister!

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This tree was very popular with the kids!

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Kinsey's mommy's...Kinsey likes to call Aunt Katherine "mommy".

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I can only imagine where Beck is leading Kiki and I'd love to know what Pops is saying to Kinsey and Lola.

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Taylor's birth mother, Madison, is having a conversation with Beck and Kinsey while pictures are being taken upstairs by the doors.

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Kinsey getting some lovin' from Aunt Gigi.

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I'm glad Brent asked for a family picture since we were all dressed up.

A big thanks to Jody for lunch at a nearby bbq place!
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Taylor is a very popular baby girl.

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Noah tickling Beck.  Ha!

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As we were leaving, all of the kids, but Beck crawled into high chairs.  They are so funny!

We drove back to Brian and Katherine's to change clothes then we went to a tile place.  The good news is we picked out the tile for the entire first floor (second floor will be carpet).  The bad news is we need to drive to Arlington which is the largest store to get what we need so that means we'll have to go there tomorrow.

Katherine found two baby-sitters so that we could all go out on a date!  Whoop Whoop!  We ate dinner at the yummy Chuy's!  Too bad our waiter took a blurry picture.
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Then, we walked to an ice cream shop.  Thanks for the treat Brian!

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When we picked up our kids, the tickle monster (aka Uncle Brent) attacked Noah! 

Check out what the housekeeping lady did with all of Beck's toys.  I am so impressed that she took the time to line them up like this!  I think she felt sorry for me because I probably seemed a little frazzled when we walked out of our room or maybe she appreciated the apology.  Whatever the reason, it brought a smile to my face.
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We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the family today and we all shared a special moment. We love all of you!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Doctor and Taylor's Adoption Celebration

05.10.13

Road trip to Plano...first stop is...Dr. Minsky's office.
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I usually always take a travel picture because I'm bored and I love seeing my little angels sleep.
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This time, I prepared Beck for this office visit but left out the part about getting a shot.  Last night, I told him that we have to visit the doctor at each birthday and reminded him of the things that we would or might do such as getting on the scale for his weight.  Last year, they did a lot of testing on him so I wasn't sure if they would do that again.  After I picked Beck up at school, we ate lunch at DQ which was a huge mistake.  This place is slower than molasses!  We had absolutely no time to spare getting to the appointment on time which is not good when traveling with two kids.  Right before I took the exit off 75, Beck informed me that he had to go to the potty.  I told him he had to hold it which he did thank goodness.  We all had to go to the bathroom as soon as we arrived at Dr. Minsky's office.  I promised Beck that I would buy him a toy if he's really good and that's when I broke the news to him that he would have to get one shot.  (Going to the doctor's office for Beck and Kinsey's yearly check-up is something that I dread and hate to do.)  Nurse Minsky only asked Beck to do a few things today such as write the letter "t" and stand with one leg up.  Pretty simple and he passed with flying colors.  Beck's weight is 48.4 lbs (90%) and his height is 46" (95%) and he got his last chicken pox shot.  In fact, nurse Minsky gave us some great news...he does not have to come back until he's in 7th grade!!!  How cool is that!!!  I must document that Kinsey was very worried and concerned that she was getting a shot today and we had to tell her numerous times that she was not getting a shot.  With that being said, I'm really dreading her 3-year check-up!

We checked into our hotel but our room was not ready yet so I tried to teach Beck how to play pool.  That was fun!  However, seeing Kinsey smear blue chalk all over her face was not fun.  This required a trip to the bathroom to clean up. 
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And, we found out that Marcus is sick which means the Mask family had to relocate to a hotel.  That also means our plans of getting together at Jeff and Jill's has been cancelled.  Bummer!  Now we are meeting at Celebration Station which is so far away from our hotel.  Oh, how I dread the drive.  After getting into our room, I had to get on my computer and email a baby picture to Beck's school for his graduation ceremony.  I was suppose to do it last night and totally forgot.  I wanted to do it this morning but it took me all morning to get packed for this trip.  Now, I'm going to just barely meet the deadline.  Now that I've got that done, let's go to Target for a new toy!  Of course, Beck picked out a Transformer.  And, I had to get a dress for Kinsey because she hid the one that I had laying out.  I was really disappointed in the selection.  Target usually has really cute clothes but I couldn't find anything but this one dress that you will see in the next post.  It was so weird!  Anyway, we headed to Mesquite to meet up with the family.  Today is not only Jody and Jennifer's eleven-year anniversary but they were able to officially adopted Taylor in Ft. Worth this morning.  So, we are going to party like it's 1999!  (I know it's 2013 but this song was a major hit back in 1982.)  Katherine's friend made a stunning cake for this joyous occasion and it was SO delicious!!!  We are SO happy for the Mask family and Taylor is a lucky little girl.  She has parents that will love her with all of their heart and a brother (possibly two brothers) that will love and protect her.
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Let the games begin!
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Trying to keep up with Beck and Kinsey was hard especially in this place but I also had to keep up with their tickets and their playing cards.  I could only do this for so long and then I made them sit at the table in hopes of the pizza coming soon.  Kinsey was not happy with mommy.
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But, she turned that frown upside down when she won 40 tickets!!!

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My sweet sister-in-laws...we missed you Jill! (Thanks for this picture Jennifer!)

Let me tell you about the bumper boat ride.  We stood in line forever to find out that we can use our playing cards but we have to purchase the ride that will be put on the card.  So, we had to wait in line forever again.  Then, Beck and Kinsey did not want to get sprayed so we had to stay away from the other boats.  Luckily, there were a bunch of kids and they enjoyed spraying each other but they did get us a couple of times. (Thanks Katherine for getting this picture!)
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This is what Beck ended up getting with his tickets...a shark grabber. 

We had so much fun and I want to thank Kiki and Pops for dinner and the playing cards!  We are looking forward to going to the temple tomorrow for the sealing!  On the way back to our hotel in Plano, I stopped at a grocery store to pick up some drinks (milk, oj and water) and we finally got to our room at 11pm.  What a long day!  I am completely exhausted!  I am really looking forward to Daddy helping out tomorrow.  Good night!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Beck's Last Baseball Game

Tonight is Beck's last baseball game and there's a big rain storm headed our way.  I waited for the call saying the game was cancelled but never got it so we all got ready.  Coach likes for the team to arrive 30 minutes prior to the game which puts us there at 5:30pm.  This was the first time that coach was late and to top it all off the rain had started coming down.  Brent and I decided that he should work on the house tonight because we were certain the game would get cancelled but we were wrong.  Both teams played an entire game in the rain.  Kinsey and I sat in the dugout because I knew Beck would not want to stay if I were sitting in the stands.
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I am so very proud of him for sticking to it and playing in the rain!  What a trooper!   At one point, I saw Beck in the outfield trying to catch some rain drops with his tongue.  Ha!  What a cutie pie!
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By the way, this game ended in record timing!
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And, it turns out that we had a game cancel earlier in the season so that means we have a make-up game.  We will be back on Tuesday and hopefully the weather will be nicer and Daddy will be able to see him play one more time.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Field Trip to the Tyler Zoo (part one)

05.09.13

The big white bus left Beck's school after 9:00 this morning which meant we really had to get the ball rolling this morning.  Usually, we like to sleep until 8:00 then it's rush to eat breakfast, get dressed and get to school by 9am but not today.  I had to get him to school by 8:30 in order for him to change into his field trip shirt and get ready to get on the bus and we made it there on time!  However, the weather wasn't what I thought it would be so Kinsey and I went back to the house to change clothes.  I drove back to Beck's school and realized I forgot to grab some pants for him because I made him wear shorts today thinking it would be really hot. So, I drove back to the house once again and grabbed his pants which he never asked for all day.  It rained almost all the way to the zoo but it never rained on us while we were there.  Brent told me to go buy a little stroller for Kinsey to ride in but I really dislike those tiny things plus it sure it nice to have the double stroller for my very large bag that I have to carry.  It is usually filled with wipes, diapers, drinks and snacks.  Anyway, you will see that the double stroller was a huge hit with the kids!  I pushed four kids here and there and a couple of girls wanted to push it.  That was a big attraction today!  Becky, Nate's mom, walked in the zoo with me and we walked to the area where the kids entered the zoo which was located at the rhino section.  That is the animal that Beck chose to do a book report on because it's big and has a cool horn!
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We were suppose to go into a building to get a lesson on real live animals but Mrs. Mason was afraid it was going to rain so we skipped it.
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I am forever grateful to be able to join Beck on this field trip!  It was so much fun watching him interact with his friends.  And, he was the best map navigator I've ever seen!
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There's a new play area at the park which was the second biggest attraction for the kids today!  I told Mrs. Mason that all we really need is a double stroller and sand to make these kids happy.  She said she looked for several kids at one point and finally found them on my stroller.  I was always the caboose with our group.
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(Mason, Landry, Mia, Beck, Olivia, Lauren, Josie, Trace, Kennedy, Aiden, Erik, Nate, Sophie, Peyton and John Henry)

The bear posed for us and the tiger was on the prowl today!  This is the action you see on a day with cooler temperature.
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We finally made it to the one place that Beck was begging to see...the alligators!
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We stopped for a bathroom break and got the kids together for one more group picture.  Mrs. Mason was walking around the circle bench getting the kids ready for the picture all the while several kids followed her around the circle.  Now that was pretty funny!
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